A Japanese-style cottage full of oriental charm — a summer retreat for matcha dessert lovers

Text & Photos /Orange Dog Loves Sweets

Although Korean Wave fever is currently booming in Taiwan, when it comes to Japanese food or trends, they are still the most popular here. After all, just look at how almost every shop on the streets has to have the word “Japanese-style” in its name — it’s clear that oriental style is an evergreen trend. This year, Japanese matcha has once again become a huge hit. Places like ?ri Tea House and Sansei-en... are all quite famous matcha shops nowadays. Many smaller shops have also started promoting themselves using Ippodo matcha or even Shizuoka matcha as their selling point. Coupled with the expected ice cream craze this summer, I think matcha is truly an indispensable element in desserts.

It just so happened that we had eaten spicy hotpot that day, and my friend invited me to try some matcha desserts on Shangde Street behind China Medical University. Having lived in Taichung for over five years, I had never actually been to this area around Shangde Street. To my surprise, there was a two-story house standing right in front of us. Its name was 【First Green Japanese Set Meals】, but it was actually a specialty matcha shop.

On this quiet street, the weather was very hot today, the sunlight was glaring, and there weren’t many people or cars around.


I was quite surprised that there was still such a street in downtown Taichung. And this First Green cottage was right around the corner, shaded by a tall two-story tree. The small front garden exuded a peaceful, Japanese-style tranquility. It felt like a little shop in Japan, with greenery that lifted the mood.


The interior space of the shop wasn’t actually small. The seating was divided into two areas. The area next to the counter was off-limits today because someone was there for a photoshoot.


But I really liked the large window frame to the left front of the counter. In front of the windowsill, there was a whole row of lush little potted plants. As the scorching sunlight quietly filtered through the window path onto the greenery on the sill, it added a refreshing touch to the relaxing atmosphere inside.


The shop had air conditioning, and the temperature was just right, making it very comfortable and cozy to sit inside. The chairs with thick cushioned backs were lined up in a row, giving off a slightly Zen-like leisure vibe. There weren’t many people in the afternoon, which made the tranquility feel even more luxurious.


Only our table was the noisiest with our overly excited chatter — a bit embarrassing XD.


When I opened the menu, I felt a sense of familiarity. After being reminded by my friend, I realized that it used to be Ming Sen Uji, so the menu content was almost identical. However, there seemed to be more choices for hot dishes.


But perhaps because I hadn’t been to Ming Sen much in the past couple of years, I found out that they’ve actually developed quite a few new types of desserts.


And just like before, the prices weren’t very friendly. Fortunately, we were already quite full, so everyone just ordered simple afternoon tea snacks.


【Fruity Matcha Ice Cream / 180 NT】

This is a seasonal limited edition because the fruits on top change according to what’s in season. Today, it had bright red strawberries, which are almost at the end of their harvest season, paired with yellow chestnuts.


Against the deep green of the matcha, the colors popped vividly. It also had some rice crackers added to give a crunchy texture. And don’t let its simple appearance fool you — beneath the matcha ice cream, there was also soy milk pudding and brown sugar jelly at the bottom.


So overall, within the rich aroma of matcha, there was a wonderfully layered and varied texture. The price wasn’t low, but I quite liked it.


【Japanese-Style Matcha Muffin / 180 NT】

This matcha muffin is Ming Sen’s signature item. In addition to the matcha-flavored muffin, it came with matcha ice cream, red beans, and strawberries. The wooden Japanese-style tableware added a refined touch to the presentation, and it was served on a porcelain plate. The appearance wasn’t much different from usual, but today’s muffin — I’m not sure which part of the process went wrong... it was extremely dry, like eating in the Sahara Desert. Every bite made me want to say, ‘Water~ give me water~ I need water!’ It was probably the driest texture I’ve ever had. And I really don’t know what went wrong. I did report it to the shop, though.


【Yuzu Azuki Matcha Ice Cream / 170 NT】

Red bean paste, red beans, and matcha ice cream — the classic combo for Yuzu Azuki Matcha. The serving dish also had a very Kyoto-style aesthetic. Overall, I think their iced matcha desserts are all quite well done.


If you want something cooling, you can definitely come here to enjoy some air-conditioning and matcha ice. Though I don’t really get why they put it in two bowls XDD.


【Chiffon Cake / 60 NT】

For the portion size, it wasn’t expensive, and there was syrup you could add. The cake had a strong enough aroma, and when you bit into it, a tea flavor came through. The texture was soft and fluffy, though it leaned slightly dry rather than moist, and the sweetness was low. My tablemate thought it was too dry, but I found it acceptable — still pretty tasty, though perhaps pairing it with fresh whipped cream instead of syrup might have given a different texture experience.


【Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar Fern Cake / 120 NT】

It’s a traditional Japanese dessert made from ground bracken root, coated with soybean flour on the outside. The texture is soft, chewy, and silky smooth. The soybean flour is also very smooth and fragrant. But today, the inner fern cake part at First Green had a slightly frozen-like texture. I thought it was okay, but it didn’t feel very authentic?


【Handmade Chocolate / Forgot the price】

Made with dried citrus slices and bitter-tasting chocolate, it had a heavy bitterness with fruity acidity — more of a mature style. I thought it was quite delicious.


【Matcha Roast Ice Cream / NT$80】

This one was ordered by a friend, so I just took a picture to show you all.


【Matcha Latte / NT$160 / Iced】

Their drinks are a bit pricey, but the portions are huge—I’m telling you, especially this matcha latte, which is almost double the size of those from other places. When it first arrived, you could see the beautiful white and green layers. It tasted pretty good.


【Earl Grey Latte / NT$150】

I don’t know how this one tastes, but I thought the cup it came in was quite interesting—it kind of looked like a lab beaker. But since I drank half of it before taking a photo, it didn’t look as nice. Still, it’s a big cup, so might be worth trying.


Since we had a lot of friends over, we ordered a variety of things. We didn’t try everything, but I’d say we got most of the highlights. Overall, aside from the pancakes and cakes, most of the items got pretty good reviews—especially the ice cream. The fruit-flavored soft serve I ordered was probably my favorite dessert and highly recommended. The best deal is probably during the afternoon tea set promotion from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

For one dessert and one drink, there's a discounted price of NT$280, which is much better value. Plus the atmosphere is pretty quiet. If you like matcha, I think the desserts here are not bad (though I’d say the main meals are a bit expensive). Just sharing my simple thoughts with everyone—Up!!


【First Green Matcha 'Japanese Set Meal' Shangde Street │ North District】

Address:No. 2, Shangde Street, North District, Taichung City (near China Medical University)
Phone:04-22547748
Business Hours:11:00Am-09:00Pm
Consumption Notice:No service charge, minimum spending applies, parking nearby is relatively convenient
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