French-style afternoon tea with European palace charm & delicate rose tarts

Text & Photos byAh-mon

Shop Name: Flânerie French Pastry
Phone: 04-23146048
Address: No. 568, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., West District, Taichung City
Price: Minimum consumption of one drink or cake per person
Dining Date: January 2015

A few days ago, a friend messaged me saying she had changed jobs—she’s now working at a new French patisserie and invited me to come try their sweets. The moment I heard “French patisserie,” I thought of exquisite plating and layered flavors. How could I miss it? So I rounded up a few fellow dessert lovers via Facebook and headed over together.

The shop is located on Taiwan Blvd. (formerly Zhonggang Rd.), right at the midpoint between Zhongming S. Rd. and Jingcheng Rd. intersections. Nearby, there’s the BRT Zhongming Elementary School stop. On either side of the shop are Citibank and a suncake store—both very visible landmarks, so it’s easy to find. There’s motorcycle parking at the entrance, but parking for cars is a bit trickier—you might need to search for a spot in the nearby alleys. The entrance has a rather European vibe, almost like a French café. It must look even prettier when lit up at night, right?

This shop was formerly the Taichung branch of German Farmhouse, so there’s a sense of similarity in the ambiance. The interplay of black and white makes the space even more vibrant and striking. Upon entering, you’ll first see the outer bar counter and cake display case, while the seating area is towards the back.

The walls on both sides of the restaurant feature black-and-white décor, and they’re lined with herbal tea products XD

Cake Display Case
I heard the cakes are limited in supply daily, and only a few sample pieces are displayed in the case. But just looking at the samples makes them seem incredibly delicious—definitely something to look forward to. Two of my friends were practically drooling (no joke).

At the entrance, there’s a model of a British-style three-tier afternoon tea set. I heard they’ll be selling these later, but since it’s still in soft opening, you can only admire them for now.<。

On the other wall, there’s a display of German Farmhouse’s organic herbal teas. This is a well-known premium brand of organic herbal tea, used by many high-end restaurants. Some of the teas on this shelf are for sale, and certain varieties even come with sample sniffing bottles—buy them if you like the scent.

For instance, we all really love this organic strawberry-raspberry fruit tea. It’s fragrant with strawberry notes and has a sweet-tart taste, like the flavor of love.

1st Floor

2nd Floor
This area is for group guests or corporate bookings. It also has an elegant European style, and because it’s near the window, the overall brightness is even greater, making it even more beautiful.

There’s also an outdoor balcony dining area on the 2nd floor, overlooking the bustling Taiwan Blvd. It’s really rare for a restaurant along Taiwan Blvd. to have its own balcony. Having afternoon tea outdoors here in the summer must be amazing. Just saying, this place’s location and design are both top-notch.

This is the VIP private room. The sofas and ambiance are even better than those on the 1st and 2nd floors. Having afternoon tea here gives off a very luxurious vibe. I asked and found out the minimum consumption here is $3000.

Even the ceiling has crystal chandeliers. It’s truly a stunning private room. There’s also a dedicated restroom inside the private room.

VIP Private Room Restroom
There are two restrooms in the restaurant. The one on the 2nd floor is exclusively for VIPs, and its layout and décor are very beautiful, with a European palace-style charm.

Coffee Options
After browsing the environment, it was time to order. Since the shop is still in its trial sales phase, the menu is temporary and may change later. There will probably be photos to reference then, but for now, there are only item names and prices. Drinks are divided into coffee and organic herbal tea, starting at $120. Honestly, it doesn’t feel too expensive. Flânerie’s minimum consumption is one drink or one pastry per person. Plus, the shop offers free Wi-Fi, so posting pictures online is no problem.

German Farmhouse Organic Herbal Tea Options
I’ve tried this brand’s herbal tea several times before and absolutely love it, so when I saw it on the menu, I immediately decided to go with herbal tea. My friends, meanwhile, ordered a few specialty coffees.

Desserts
There are currently 7 types of cakes. Since we were in a larger group this time, we ordered 5 in total, leaving only 2 that we didn’t get to try. The cakes start at $220 each.

Holiday Special – First Light of Dawn $180
This is coffee with a hint of Cointreau orange liqueur, giving it a slight buzz. The surface is sprinkled with a bit of rock sugar to enhance the sweetness, making it warming on a chilly day. This is a limited-edition special for the month.

Flan D’Or Special $180
This one was ordered by a friend, featuring a beautifully piped portrait latte art. It contains a small amount of rose fruit syrup and honey, so it’s sweeter in flavor—great for those who don’t usually drink coffee. I liked it too XD, as it’s not as bitter as straight black coffee.

Brunch – Set A $260
Currently, the savory option in the shop is just this one set. We heard they’ll be adding pasta and risotto soon. Set A includes bread, salad, soft-scrambled eggs, fruit, and more.

The toasted short French bread gives off a lovely wheat aroma, with a crispy outside and soft inside. When you tear it open, you can see there’s still filling inside. After a few bites, you’ll taste ham, basil, and more—the texture is hearty and delicious. It pairs nicely with herbal tea.

Soft-Scrambled Eggs
Hmm~ it looks a bit different from the soft-scrambled eggs I’m used to—it’s more like fried eggs. When I asked the server, they said it’s because of the recent bird flu outbreak, so they didn’t dare make it too runny, which is why it’s more like fried eggs. The eggs also contain ham.

Lettuce Salad
Fresh fruits with a specially made dressing—crisp and refreshing on the palate. The dressing is made with plum vinegar and apple cider vinegar, giving it a fruity aroma and a sweet-sour flavor. It’s a rather unique salad dressing, definitely worth a try.

Plain Apple Tea $180
We ordered three types of organic herbal teas in total, but the apple tea was the sweetest. Lifting the teapot lid, you can see plenty of diced apples, along with a light apple aroma wafting out. There’s also a touch of blackberry leaves, which are said to aid digestion. This tea pairs quite well with matcha cake.

Cream Earl Grey Tea $180
This one was ordered by a friend. Unlike regular Earl Grey, it has an added creaminess—but without the calories of actual cream. It pairs nicely with rose tart or coffee walnut cake.

Here come the desserts—time for a group photo first, of course.

Japanese Kyoto Matcha Cake $260
This is probably a matcha lover’s dream. My friend’s eyes lit up when they saw it. The plating is very delicate—you can tell a lot of care went into it. The shape resembles a cake tower, and on top sits a matcha-flavored macaron as an accent, decorated with raspberry jam, redcurrants, little flowers, and matcha powder. The visual effect is really stunning.

Cross-section Show
After carefully slicing it open with a knife, you can see the cross-section of the matcha cake. The very top thin layer is Swiss white chocolate, the middle is the chef’s special matcha sauce, and the bottom is red bean and pastry crust. What surprised us was that the white chocolate had a slightly granular texture—the “grains” turned out to be sea salt k8, adding a salty note to the matcha’s usual bitter-sweetness. Paired with the smooth red bean bits, the multi-layered texture makes for an even better flavor. The pastry crust was surprisingly firm—not soft as expected—and had a rich buttery taste without crumbling easily.

Caramel Earl Grey $260
This is another dessert that amazed us. It doesn’t look as appealing as the matcha cake or as flashy as the rose tart, but it has the most layered flavors. The base is decorated with chocolate and passionfruit sauces, creating brown and yellow layers, then layered with tea, berries, and chocolate. It’s the perfect example of a dessert that’s modest on the outside but full of surprises.

Cross-section Show
Since we had to share, we had to slice it carefully—testing our friends’ knife skills too. The cross-section came out beautifully intact, clearly showing the layers. From top to bottom: an Earl Grey mousse (which has a texture similar to pudding—soft and creamy), then a sweet passionfruit sauce layer, and at the bottom, an Earl Grey tea-infused filling. The essence and aroma of Earl Grey are fully infused into the cake, giving a refined tea flavor that lingers on the palate. This cake was unanimously recommended and loved by everyone.

Rose Tart $260
An extremely luxurious and eye-catching dessert. If it’s your first time here and you’re not sure what to order, you could start with this one. The tart crust is the same as the Kyoto matcha one—pretty firm. The filling is more unique compared to the others, made with lychee jam, lychee pulp, and cream cheese, then topped with organic rose petals. It has a slightly salty cheese flavor with rose aroma. The rose petals are sourced from Puli, Nantou—we highly recommend this one.

Coffee Walnut Cake $220
Made with the shop’s own coffee cream frosting, evenly spread over a pound cake, and topped with cocoa powder and feijoa (also known as pineapple guava XD)—a fruit not many people know. The cake is decorated with caramel sauce, rock salt flakes, and bayberries. The design is quite charming too.

The photos look a bit different from various angles, but they all look so delicious (mouth watering).

Cross-section show
The outermost layer is coffee buttercream and cocoa powder, the middle has walnut pieces, and the innermost is a dense pound cake. It’s quite layered. The coffee flavor is quite strong, and because of the rock salt, there’s also a slight saltiness amid the bitterness and sweetness.

Organic Strawberry Raspberry Fruit Tea $180
This herbal tea is good for people with excessive internal heat and prone to mouth ulcers, as strawberries are rich in calcium and potassium. It has the sourness of strawberries and the aroma of raspberries, and its slightly pink color is quite appealing. This was the first drink to be finished. Fontal’s drinkware is very high-end, using ceramic cups with floral patterns on top, giving a premium feel in hand—really like enjoying afternoon tea like British royalty.

Ecuadorian Chocolate Cake $260
This is the last cake of the day. Since it comes with a scoop of ice cream, to prevent it from melting too quickly, it was served last. The main chocolate cake has three layers of texture: Belgian chocolate, Ecuadorian chocolate, and brownie. At first bite, it’s slightly bitter, then you taste the Ecuadorian chocolate, and finally the rich layers of the brownie. On top, there’s also a mousse made from Golden Years Fruit Tea, which really amazed us. The slightly sour flavor pairs well with the bitter-sweetness of the chocolate.

Movenpick Vanilla Ice Cream
I initially thought it might be Meiji or President, but when the server said it was Movenpick, I was a bit surprised. No wonder it tastes so rich and aromatic. The purple one is taro powder.

Ganache Chocolate Sauce
A very rich and creamy chocolate sauce. You can drizzle some on the plate and dip the cake in it while eating, which makes the already delicious chocolate cake even more intensely chocolatey and tastier.

Overall
It’s a high-quality dessert shop. The presentation of the desserts and cakes is exquisite and thoughtful, and both the in-store ambiance and drinks are also quite impressive. Even someone like me, who doesn’t usually like sweets, got lost in this place. Not to mention girls who love desserts—it will surely become a shop filled with the laughter of girls. I recommend this place to everyone. The above are just my personal thoughts for reference.

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