Feng Ya-min (馮亞敏) has an impressive track record in bringing high-end international labels to Taiwan; her highest profile success was the Camper label, which has shed its fashionista cachet and entered the high street.
She is also behind the outlet for hip Japanese designer Jun Takahashi, who is anything but mainstream.
Takahashi's Taipei Undercover outlet, just off Civil Boulevard, reflects counter-cultural fashion credentials while remaining accessible. The showroom includes an idiosyncratic noodle bar/lounge that combines seemingly incompatible elements in a memorable dining experience.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES
The eccentricity begins at the door, literally. The whole space, showroom and lounge, is paneled with old doors, some painted, some stripped, some sporting old clothes hooks. The effect is something like stepping into a scene from Alice in Wonderland, which is enhanced by black chandeliers, black turn-of-the century Shanghai furnishings, a bar made from old railway sleepers and the wafting aroma of high-quality scented candles.
The food menu is small: six noodle dishes and one rice side dish. These have been designed for TaipeiUC by DinTaiFung (鼎泰豐), Taipei's world-famous noodle and dumpling chain. Served on an 2.5cm-thick slab of black wood and with black crockery, the presentation has a Takahashi feel about it. The noodle dishes are simple, right out of the night market, but here a bowl of noodles with pickled mustard will set you back NT$160. In a set menu, with a drink (fruit cocktails designed by the trendy Barcode) and a dessert, the price is NT$320. A small bowl of beef noodles is NT$280 (NT$480 for a set). A little pricey, but TaipeiUC does deliver. The broth of both the above dishes is rich without being overpowering, and the beef noodles had two generous chunks of impeccably cooked beef tendon, cut so you got both gelatinous and crisp textures, as well as two tender pieces of meat. A side dish of lightly blanched asparagus was sweet and crunchy.
The fruit cocktails, with names taken from Takahashi's fashion collection, are unusual mixtures of fruit, each one freshly made when ordered. The signature Guru Guru, a blend of cranberry, kiwi and lime, available as a still or sparkling drink, is startlingly unusual, and almost worth the NT$160 charged for it. A small selection of alcoholic drinks is available, but TaipeiUC's focus is primarily on its juice cocktails and organic teas (NT$180 to NT$220). Service is casual yet efficient, and customers are given plenty of space to take in the ambiance.
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