afternoon tea/hotel: ECLAT LOUNGE at HOTEL ECLAT

ECLAT LOUNGE at HOTEL ECLAT 怡亨酒店
No. 370, Dunhua S. Rd, Sec. 1 台北市大安區敦化南路一段370號
(02) 2754-8011

MRT: DaAn

website: eclathotels.com/taipei

hours: 2:30PM- 5PM (for afternoon tea)

$$ 

Kid friendliness: business lunch crowd with lots of delicate silverware and art, couch seating only

Visit reviewed: 1/6/2012

In LA, I had afternoon tea once. It was for a friend's bridal shower and at this cute little cafe donned up as a frilly English tea shop and we felt like ladies who lunch. 

Somehow in Taipei, afternoon tea is a thing, like brunch or food trucks or meeting at Coffee Bean. I've never had so much afternoon tea in my life since moving to Taipei, but I suppose that because there are so many options to have it here.

Hotel Eclat, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is a boutique hotel near the corner of XinYi and DunHua Road, with a silver foot sculpture near the entrance- can't miss it.

There's just as much to look at inside the hotel.

Sitting in the open lobby admist all the painting and sculptures kind of feels like afternoon tea in the middle of the Musuem of Modern Art, (or your friend's rich, eccentric auntie's house). The ombre lavender, hand blown glass chandeliers by a Czech glass artist, the towering gold Salvadore Dali sculpture, the scattering of paintings and scupltures by modern Chinese artists like Li Shan, Yin Jun and Gao Xiaowu- it's almost too much to take in at once.

A little bit of googling revealed that there are two original Dali sculptures (worth millions of dollars) at Eclat, this one stands near the elevator, said to be from the Eclat's owner's personal collection.

Eclat Lounge's menu is modeled after the tradition of English afternoon tea- three tiered trays, scones and tea.

Usually the charge is for NT$520 a person, but we talked them into letting us share the set and ordering additional coffees. Good thing, since it would have been too much food if we had all ordered the full set. I'd say the sets could be shared between 2-3 people. The drinks are pricey, but they have some unique offerings like chocolate mint truffle or organic detox infusion.

The first tier has organic soft boiled eggs and prawns with tomato salsa... 

The second tier, mini smoked duck sandwiches and smoked salmon and vegetable crepe roll...

Bottom tier has ginger chocolate mousse and strawberry cream puff...

There's more cookies and things to munch on...

The strawberry scones were pretty...

as was the rose pattern china that everything was served with, including my latte.

In additon to the tier, they offered some freshly made waffles topped with strawberries as well as some crepes.

At Eclat Lounge, the focus is on the decor- more eclectic than frilly, more opulent than zen- and definitely an interesting place to spend an afternoon in Taipei.