“I ’m sending my chauffeur to pick up the pants,” an impeccably manicured woman, bathed in the glow of a chandelier, says on the phone while sipping tea from a white porcelain cup.
If the conversation overheard during a recent visit to Micasa Dolci is any indication, the patisserie on Renai Road
(仁愛路) across from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館) has since it opened in August become a hangout for ladies of leisure to while away afternoons fueled by elaborate confections.
Micasa Dolci originates from Umai Micasa, a premium Japanese restaurant in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義區) that is reportedly backed by wives of IT industry movers and shakers.
The restaurant’s desserts became so popular that the female entrepreneurs decided to let pastry chef Katena Keichi take charge of a separate patisserie. Having trained in France and Italy, Keichi bolstered his resume with stints at Tokyo’s Canoviano and Nobu restaurants.
The Japanese chef’s experience is self-evident in a menu that mixes European-style desserts with Asian elements.
One example of Keichi’s creativity is the tiramisu with espresso jelly and sesame ice cream (NT$350), which with its white sesame-flavored gelato and red bean topping gives the Italian dessert a distinctly Japanese tang.
To appreciate the medleys of flavors and textures, the smiling wait staff encourages patrons to enjoy each confection’s components together in one bite. No picking.
The molten chocolate cake with green tea ice cream (NT$400) is a balance between the chocolate’s sweetness, the raspberry sauce’s sourness and the tea’s strong grassy notes.
The popular cocoa crepe with mascarpone and nut filling, garnished with framboise sauce (NT$400), though silky and crunchy, becomes quite cloying after a few spoonfuls.
Address: 462, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段462號)
Telephone: (02) 2345-7669
Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30am to 8:30pm
Average meal: NT$400, plus 10 percent service charge
Details: Chinese, Japanese and English menu; credit cards accepted
My favorite is the Cointreau semifreddo topped with orange zest (NT$350). The semi-frozen dessert has a wonderfully light, refreshing flavor and is simple yet elegant.
Equally delicious is the caramel ice cream with banana, garnished with savory sabayon sauce (NT$350). The custard sauce smoothes the slight bitterness of the caramel gelato, and the two make a heavenly match with the banana slices.
Known for making most of Micasa Dolci’s ingredients by hand, one of Keichi’s specialties is ice cream, which can be purchased at NT$100 per small container. The frozen delight is more suitable for adult palates than children’s as signature flavors include olive, pistachio and sesame.
There is room for debate on the small establishment’s vibrant decor, which is embellished with Murakami Takashi-esque patterns of cute flowers and leaves. The mirror-bedecked white sidewall is livened up with splashes of baby blue, rosy red, light yellow and green. Cheap-looking plastic tablemats and menus drag the overall look down several notches.
Micasa Dolci has a daily offering of freshly made pastries for takeout.
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