Colorful and bursting with artistic flair – creative desserts like splash-painted masterpieces

Text and photos byXiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

I often say that tourism is the most promising industry for Taiwan to develop. Aside from its beautiful landscapes, friendly people, and warm hospitality, the diversity of its cuisine is a huge advantage – especially its inclusiveness when it comes to food. This makes Taiwan’s food scene incredibly varied, where anything goes, everything is available, and nothing seems out of place. Today, I’m introducing a very unique dessert and afternoon tea shop. Some call it “molecular dessert.” Honestly, I’ve had molecular cuisine and desserts before, though I may not fully understand them, but what I appreciate most about this place is how its creations resemble splash-painted artworks.

Those who often read my blog know I have a private group called “Xiao Hu’s Foodie Tribe,” and those even closer to me know about my secret group, the “Tiger Head Gang.” To be honest, these folks are just as passionate about food as I am, and their drive to find new and delicious spots is no less than mine. Take this popular spot in Dazhi called “Yellow Lemon,” for example – if it weren’t for them bringing me here, I wouldn’t have known about it.

The space inside the shop is fairly spacious. Even on a weekend afternoon, while there was no need to line up, it was still packed.

The dining area has seating for about ten tables, accommodating roughly 30 to 40 people. On the day we visited, our foodie group arrived right after a 20-person RAW group, so we pretty much took up half the restaurant.

If you don’t mind passersby watching you eat your dessert, the seats by the floor-to-ceiling windows are quite relaxing. The painting nearby is said to be the work of the dessert chef, Andrea Bonaffini.

Since I was brought here by a group member, as usual, I didn’t have a say in the ordering and just focused on taking photos. That’s when I looked up and noticed the mirrors on the ceiling and the colorful words on what appeared to be either artwork or a message board – it piqued my curiosity.

The desserts in the display case seemed to hint that this place offered something truly unique – the colors were vibrant and unusual.

Aside from cake-style desserts, Yellow Lemon’s chocolates are also quite popular with customers, especially the ones shaped like “fruits,” which are adorable and eye-catching.

There were also some uniquely shaped handmade cookies that felt like the kind used for Halloween or carnival decorations.

They also offer some customizable services for gifts, whether it’s the shape or adding personalized messages – you can discuss it all with the staff.

The open kitchen counter lets photography-loving guests snap to their heart’s content, while also giving a peek at other customers’ orders. Of course, the best part is watching the chef in action making cakes.

The chef seemed completely unfazed by all the photo-taking, as if he were used to it – even with a dozen phones and cameras pointing at him simultaneously.

The super cute and crowd-pleasing “robot” chocolate – at the time, I had no idea it would become the star dessert of the day.

These bowls of colorful, jam-like-or-paint-like substances – I had no clue they’d deliver such an incredible visual impact that made me set aside my beloved RAW dishes to write about this first.

Grilling sushi with a blowtorch is common, but grilling desserts? That’s rare, right =) The plate, which already looked like a palette, was then layered with even more colors – a bit chaotic, yet somehow exuding an indescribable sense of artistry.

On the left is a slightly bitter yet rich and solid chocolate cake. The base is a moist, slightly sticky chocolate sponge, with a thick layer of chocolate mousse in the middle. On the right is lemon sorbet to cut through the richness, and in the center are various flavored sauces – matcha, raspberry, mango, and vanilla.

The advantage of having a big group is being able to share – no need to stick to the menu, just order one of everything… That day, we pretty much tried all the desserts, and everyone deliberately ordered different ones.

The names of the desserts here don’t really give away what they are, so besides the paper menu, there’s also a tablet with photos for reference.

Aside from desserts and afternoon tea, they also offer Yellow Lemon set meals based on molecular cuisine.

It’s like a deconstructed mille-feuille – the pastry layers are crisp and fragrant. It’s delicious, but breaking it apart like this takes away the joy of biting into the flaky crust, creamy custard, and fresh fruit all at once. Still, it’s quite tasty.

Look at them – in the blink of an eye, the signature Yellow Lemon was gone before I could even try it.....

This is the signature Yellow Lemon I didn’t get to try – topped with a molecular dessert made using liquid nitrogen. The black part is black sesame flavor. What’s even more special is the plate underneath, which has green plants resembling turf planted on it. As for what it tastes like? No idea, XD.

Super cute banana chocolate – but it doesn’t actually taste like banana, just like regular white chocolate.

This is probably the most unique dessert among them all, both in flavor and appearance. The texture is dry and crispy. The coolest part is the addition of shiso leaves – aside from the sugar-glazed shiso, there’s also chestnut paste, hazelnut jam, lemon jelly, and citrus marmalade. It’s a feast for both the taste buds and the eyes, absolutely brilliant.

The red liquid nitrogen dessert on top is actually beetroot… served with herb meringue. The bottom layer is vanilla custard. To be honest, it wasn’t particularly mind-blowing, but the pool of sauce on the plate that looked like a crime scene bloodstain caught my attention more, XD.

This one’s interesting – or rather, the ice cream flavor is interesting. It tastes like bacon and scrambled eggs… with a hint of sweet, cheesy aroma. I guess this is what they call molecular ice cream. The slice underneath is caramel brioche bread, and eating them together is quite delicious, even if it’s a bit sweet.

Next comes the highlight of the day — the YELLOW A-R-T, priced at 1,800 NTD, which serves four people. At the start, the waiter did something a bit puzzling by laying a transparent cloth on our table, then clearing away all the cutlery and replacing them with just one small spoon.

That’s when the chef began using what looked like cups of paint (which I couldn’t figure out the purpose of earlier on the counter), scooping a bit with a spoon and splashing it in circular motions onto the transparent cloth.

Matcha, raspberry, mango, and vanilla were drizzled one after another like a painting — truly entertaining.

Then came the so-called molecular desserts. The chef explained that he decides what to use only after each guest orders, so the colors and appearance of these molecular desserts can vary daily and from customer to customer. The final shapes are, of course, different too. But honestly, most of these desserts don’t really taste like their original ingredients, XD — for example, the red one is made from beetroot, and I have no idea what the other two were… nor could I tell. In fact, the chef would mention the basic components of each ingredient in what sounded like a mix of English and French, but I couldn’t understand any of it… The only one I recognized was the lollipop-like one, which was banana-flavored (the bare part was banana puree), along with macarons, fruits, and so on.

Next was the chocolate ice cream served in what looked like dry ice. When it was poured out, it caused an excited gasp from everyone around. Then molecular ice cream and the puff pastry layer of a mille-feuille were added. In short, this dessert that looks like a painting pretty much includes all the shop’s signature sweet items — perfect for a gathering of three or four friends. Just when you think it’s over, the chef says there’s still one very important thing left to add.

Yes, it’s the robot I saw on the counter earlier.

Then, for the second time, dry ice is sprayed, delivering yet another visual shock.

As the ice and smoke dissipate, the robot lies atop what looks like a messy pile of chocolate. The chef explains that the scene resembles the surface of the universe or a planet.

Doesn’t it look even more artistic now? Actually, I had planned to use this photo as the header, but I was worried readers wouldn’t be able to tell what it was, so I held back, XD. As for how to eat this painting-like dessert — just grab the spoon boldly and scoop away, whether enjoying it solo or dipping it into the various colored sauces. It’s quite fun. As for the flavor, there weren’t many surprises, or perhaps it’s better to say you really can’t tell what anything tastes like. But the chocolate ice that looks like a pile of rubble sticks to your tongue when you eat it — kind of like licking an ice cube — which is actually quite interesting.

This is what another table of friends ordered — also the 1,800 NTD chef’s dessert. This time the “canvas” is rectangular, but the general process is the same, and the ingredients are largely similar.

But between the two, I prefer this rectangular artwork — it feels more artistic.

Huang Lemon: 1F, No. 561, Mingshui Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: (02) 2533-3567
Business hours: Monday–Sunday 11:00–22:00.

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