VIEW THIS PAGE Venerable English dishware manufacturer Waterford Wedgewood recently filed for bankruptcy, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at Wedgewood Tearoom in Sogo’s Fuxing branch. Located on the ninth floor of the department store, the restaurant sits in front of a window bank with a sweeping view of the East District and directly across from an indoor Japanese garden. The setting would be peaceful if it weren’t for the obnoxious 1990s pop music Sogo insists on pumping through its loudspeakers.
The tinkling of fine china and attentive service at the restaurant, however, almost make up for this auditory nuisance. Wedgewood Tearoom serves food a la carte or in lunch and dinner sets for NT$399. Each set comes with a slice of garlic bread, soup or salad and your choice of any beverage from the main menu. Salad options include a chef’s salad (主廚沙拉) and Caesar salad (愷撒沙拉).
My companion ordered a salmon sandwich (鮭魚三明治) set, which arrived with a small dish of relish and what appeared to be nacho cheese Doritos, an odd lowbrow touch. The sandwich itself was good, with slices of smoked salmon and lettuce on toasted bread spread with a bit of mayonnaise, and the Caesar salad was topped with croutons, small slices of chicken and a reasonable amount of a very garlicky dressing.
My eggplant and mushroom Italian spaghetti (三茄蘑菇義大利麵) had fewer vegetables than its name would suggest. Several eggplant slices and a few mushrooms, along with some other vegetables, topped the spaghetti, which was dressed with a very light tomato sauce and a few soft and delicious pieces of browned garlic. I had the chef’s salad, which was garnished with corn, raisins and cherry tomatoes and paled in comparison to the Caesar salad.
The herb and lemon chicken leg on rice (香茅檸檬雞腿飯) I tried on a previous visit was a lot more satisfying than the somewhat bland spaghetti. Its tender, moist chicken was marinated in the right amount of honey-lemon sauce.
For dessert, we ordered a slice of cheese cake (老爺招牌起司蛋糕, NT$150) and jam tea (果醬紅茶, NT$220). The cake arrived on a plate lightly drizzled with chocolate sauce and honey and a few pieces of fruit. Its texture was pleasantly firm and actually tasted of rich cream cheese, complemented by a crumbly graham cracker crust. Another dessert option is the bread pudding (麵包布丁, NT$150), which I liked less than the cheesecake. The bread crust was practically drowned by the soft, flan-like pudding.
Wedgewood Tearoom’s teas are somewhat pricey, but worth it for the experience of sipping from the dainty little bone china cups and saucers. Our tea set was Wedgewood Grace, a floral pattern with gilt edging along the rims of the cups and saucers. The black tea came with a dollop of blueberry jam on the side for flavoring (other flavors are also available). The jam added a subtle hint of fruitiness, with the blueberries sinking to the bottom of our cups for a refreshing finish. Afternoon tea includes various sweets and a sandwich (NT$400 for one person) and is served from 2pm to 5:30pm.VIEW THIS PAGE
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