A Mediterranean-style little garden tucked away in Banqiao’s alleys – enjoy a leisurely hideaway

Photos and text by / Mazhi Xiong (Mr. Neurotically Crooked Bear Blog)

That day, I got off at Fuzhong MRT Station and, instead of taking my usual route to the bus stop behind the station to go home, I chose to walk through a small alley beside Banqiao District Office and head to another bus stop.

This sudden impulse actually led me to unexpectedly discover this cute little café, quietly located in a somewhat crowded alley. The eye-catching Mediterranean style, with its gem-blue and pure-white color scheme, was truly charming. Even though it was tucked away in an old apartment along a narrow lane, it was impossible to overlook.

The location of this café is really well-placed, right at the boundary between Banqiao’s old and new districts. The name “Little Manor” always reminds me of the Little Garden from the One Piece manga—the island where the giants Dorry and Brogy live.

But I have to apologize to the shop owner—your place is actually very lovely. It’s just that when I visited, I was eager to have coffee and forgot to take pictures of the place in its normal state while there was still daylight. Once night fell and the orange streetlights cast their glow, it didn’t look quite as adorable.

Though smartphones are generally convenient nowadays, the inability to manually adjust camera settings often leaves one feeling frustrated in scenes like this.

The space inside the café isn’t very large—a counter takes up most of the room, leaving not much space for additional seating. Other than the wooden bar stools by the counter, all the other seats are painted this striking navy blue. The walls are all white, and with the large floor-to-ceiling windows, on a sunny day, you might really feel as if you’ve been transported to the Mediterranean.

But when I walked in, Robert Johnson’s "Cross Road" was playing, which suddenly gave me the feeling of being yanked from the Mediterranean straight to the Deep South. XDDD

The café’s latte is generously portioned.

They mainly serve Italian-style coffee, along with single-origin coffees and other light meals, all reasonably priced. Though the café has only been open for nearly a year, it has already built up its own loyal customer base in this small alley behind the district office.

The coffee beans are roasted in-house, using what’s commonly known as a “locomotive” roaster. I didn’t get a good look at the coffee brewing tools, so I won’t elaborate on those.

The reason Little Manor is called a “manor” only becomes clear when you head up to the second-floor open-air garden.

Here’s the thing—the second floor of Little Manor is an open-air space, covered in all kinds of plants and flowers. Even the otherwise drab water tower has been cleverly transformed with colorful paintings into a unique feature. The second floor of Little Manor Café has truly become a mini sky garden.

Imagine spending a bright, sunny afternoon here, basking in the warm sunlight, flipping through magazines, and sipping coffee. Doesn’t such a little day in life sound rather nice?

A poet once said:“The countless gates and households of Chang’an light up one by one, urging you to return to the world below.”

Because I really didn’t have much time left, I could only chat briefly with the owner before paying and leaving. I came at a less-than-ideal time, but I hope to have another chance to return here and fully enjoy this secret, hidden-away leisure.

[Little Manor Café]

Address: No. 1–4 Mingde Street, Banqiao District, New Taipei City
Phone: 02-8968-1013
Business hours: AM 10:00 - PM 20:00 (Monday - Friday)
      AM 10:00 - PM 18:00 (Saturday)
FB fan page: https://www.facebook.com/manorcafe

More great articles from “Mazhi Xiong” can be found here: http://bear-oj.blogspot.tw/