snapshot/exploreTaipei: FAB CAFE at HUASHAN 1914 CULTURAL CREATIVE PARK

FAB CAFE
at HUASHAN 1914 CREATIVE PARK 
華山1914文創園區中三館
 No. 1 Bade Rd, Sec. 1
台北市八德路一段1號
(02)3322-4749

MRT: Shandao Temple or Zhongxiao/Xinsheng

Hours: Sun – Thu: 11AM – 10PM; Fri – Sat: 11AM – 12midnight

$$

website: fabcafe.com/taipei 

kid friendliness: probably more suited for older kids

visit reviewed: 12/28/2014

There's always something to explore at Huashan 1914 and today was the first time I wandered into Fab Cafe. Besides the cafe itself, which was full of diners, there's a space next to it that displayed Art Project 365 by different artists.

Fab Cafe originated in Japan as a creative cafe space, not only equipped with new technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters for people to use, but also as gathering spot for events, workshops and Fab meetups. With other branches in Tokyo, Barcelona, Bangkok and Sitges, it's such a cool concept that I'm sure will make its way to the states someday. Taipei actually has a lot of creativity sprouting up in places like Huashan 1914 and central places like these will foster even more opportunities for people to be inspired. 

 

This was one of my favorite art pieces- a giant circular board covered in individual drawings cut out and fit together like a puzzle. Could be a fun thing to do at home... cover a wall with a drawing a day.

This was rotating images on a transparent glass... pretty mesmerizing to watch. Maybe one day there will be photo frames like this for homes.

Next post will be more about Huashan 1914 in general and some of the exhibits going on right now! Just thought Fab Cafe was so cool, it should have its own post. So if you've been itching to make your own fantastic 3D printed creations but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a machine, you know now where to go.

Other posts about Huashan 1914
VVG Thinking 

dessert/bakery: i recommend 1789 CYRILLE COURANT

1789 CYRILLE COURANT
No. 97-1 RenAi Road, Sec. 2
台北市中正區仁愛路二段97-1號
 (02) 3322-2089

MRT: ZhongXiao/XinSheng

website:  http://www.1789.com.tw and FB page 

hours: 11AM- 8PM

$-$$ (average NT$120/eclair)

Kid friendliness: buy an extra so you don't fight with the kids over your favorite flavor

Visit reviewed: 12/31/2013




1789 Cyrille Courant is a little shop specializing in French pastries and chocolate truffles, opened last December. The shop was opened by Cyrille Courant and his wife, fulfilling a life long dream for them. Previously, Chef Courant worked in Germany and Shanghai and won several prestigious awards in London and France. Of course I didn't know that when I stopped by the shop when I was in the area, but the pictures of the eclairs that I spied on @starvingchef 's instagram were enough to entice me.

If you could only pick one eclair, get the salted caramel eclair (NT$120), otherwise I definitely recommend splurging on a box to share with friends so you can try the different flavors. At first, they told me the salted caramel was sold out and I thought I would leave empty handed, but luckily there were a few more in the kitchen.  Good thing since it did turn out to be my favorite flavor.

Eclair flavors include N. 1 Chocolate Sugar Free, N. 2 Tiramisu, N. 3 Vanilla, N. 4 Salted Caramel, N. 5 Mango, N. 6 Raspberry, N. 7 Lemon, N. 8 Black Forest, N. 9 Mont Blanc and N. 11 Blueberry Mascarpone. New flavors come out seasonally and can be spotted on their Facebook page, such as N.16 Pink Grape Fruit Éclair with Korean Yuzu, topped with fresh Wasabi Mascarpone Cream or bright green Granny Smith Apple.

Truffles also for sale with unique flavors such as Earl Grey (NT$65), Litchi, Sesame, Hazelnut, and Framboise (Raspberry) chocolate ganache. 

You might spy Chef Courant in the kitchen filling the eclairs or making new creations. 

There's a few tables in the back of the shop for a cup of coffee or tea.

 

From left to right, lemon, raspberry cream, mango, salted caramel, chocolate and tiramisu (NT$750/box of 6). The eclair's shell tastes more similar to a cream puff than a doughnut and I loved how the fillings tasted actually like lemon or raspberry rather than just cream or sugar. The eclairs aren't super big, so you might find yourself wanting to eat two in one sitting. 

 

The Cat in the Hat red and white stripes are fun for the raspberry cream (NT$120).

Super cute to take a box to a dinner party or use instead of a birthday cake, or instead of waiting in line for Krispy Kremes (haha). The royal purple and white packaging is simple, but elegant. I picked up this box to take to a New Year's Eve dinner, or you could get a box of just two for yourself.

western/italian: i recommend VVG THINKING

VVG THINKING
at Huashan 1914 Cultural Creative Park
No. 1, Bade Road Sec. 1
華山文創產業園區．
紅磚六合院 / C 棟 ( 杭州北路．北平東路口 )
(02) 2322-5573


MRT: ZhongXiao/XinSheng

website: VVG's FB

hours: Noon- 9:00pm

$$

Kid friendliness: room for strollers. pastas and risottos and dessert fare

Visit reviewed: 1/25/2013

Sometimes you need a quiet place to be alone with your thoughts, with a cup of coffee and some atmosphere. Where to find that among the hustle and bustle of crowded cafes and diners and food courts in Taipei? 

Deep inside the Huashan 1914 Creative Park is VVG Thinking, the latest restaurant from the VVG empire, which may be the biggest, most eclectic and hipster of them all. I was meeting friends there and got a bit lost as VVG Thinking wasn't on the map as there are two sides to Huashan Park. A phone call and some directions led me to a row of red bricked buildings and a pair of angel statues to point me to the entrance.

Once inside, you might find your eyes wandering up as the ceiling at the entrance, at the grand two story ceiling and the industrial meets vintage chic warehouse space.  VVG Thinking transformed the former factory space into a first floor bistro and second floor shop. I didn't even know there was a shop upstairs until my friends mentioned that I should check it out, so be sure not to miss it.

And in true VVG fashion, presentation sets the tone for the meal. Even the potato bread comes in an aluminum tin can, wrapped in layers of paper.

The menu has various lunch sets available at NT$880-1480 (available only from 12noon to 2PM), depending on how many courses you choose, as well as a la carte soups, pastas, salads, risottos and main dishes, mostly around NT$300-500. But the portions run on the small side, so you might find yourself ordering more than one dish to be full, or thinking about a post meal snack elsewhere, so you might consider ordering a set.

The salads come in a glass tumbler, capped with a wooden lid so you can shake and mix the dressing in. It's really a cool way to present the salad, which doesn't look as fancy when it's poured onto the plate with the slim toppings.

The pink shrimp and grapefruit salad (NT$320) comes with a spicy Thai chili dressing which did have a kick to it. We also tried the apple and prosciutto salad (NT$320) which came with long paper thin shavings of apple and a shiso and yuzu dressing. Between the two, I'd order the apple and prosciutto again first.

The dishes slowly made their way to the table one by one and we were getting a bit impatient and hungry. So prepare to share a bit of your food, or don't come too hungry. 

The mentaiko, scallop and mushroom linguine (NT$420) came drizzled with mentaiko sauce (mayo?).

I thought the scallop and mushroom risotto with white truffle oil (NT$420) would be a good dish to share, as the waitress said it was one of the more filling dishes, but it turned out to be a quarter the size I thought it would be. The flavor was on point, but for the price I wished there was a lot more than a few spoonfuls. (For a fuller plate of risotto, check out Bianco or Sonnetor Cafe)

The porcini linguine with white truffle oil (NT$380) came with more greens and pepper seasoning than my friend expected.

The zucchini and shrimp linguine (NT$360) was fairly light, but probably more filling among the dishes we ordered.

Time to go explore...

Looking up at the loft like shelves and second floor...

Looking down at the desserts...

You could instagram here the whole afternoon and not have to post one photo of the food.

Always love thumbing through cookbooks.

All in all, a very cool place to explore and maybe do a bit of thinking, browsing, eating and have a conversation with friends.