Never underestimate the power of coffee time！A rural café is born to fulfill a mother’s gardening dream

Reported by reporter You t
ru / Taipei

In a lane near Shih Chien University in Taipei City, there’s a quaint grocery-style café called “Date Café,” nestled at the corner of an alley. This quiet little shop exudes a simple, pure radiance. On a rainy day, if you’re lucky enough to step inside, the warm green ambiance will spread along the grassy floor of the café.


▲ The warm green ambiance spreads along the grassy floor of the café. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)
 
“Never underestimate the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee.” MO, the owner of Date Café, once wrote on the café’s Facebook fan page: “Harry Potter was born from that very cup of coffee we see before us, at The Elephant House in Edinburgh. In the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, no one knows who she is—she’s just immersed in creating her own world. But after that cup of coffee, we all know she’s J.K. Rowling.”

“The time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. It’s like a quiet force that flows effortlessly—from the aroma of the coffee or the atmosphere it creates, like a journey of listening, starting from each other’s secrets or whispers to oneself.” MO said that what he wanted to open wasn’t just a café serving delicious coffee, but a space for creating dreams. “I hope people with dreams can always carry their dreams with them.” And Date Café, nestled at the corner, was created to be the start of fulfilling his mother’s dream.


▲ MO said that what he wanted to open wasn’t just a café serving delicious coffee, but a space for creating dreams. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)


Opened last year (2013) in March, Date Café was originally intended to be a floral workshop space for MO’s mother, who excels in flower arranging. “My mom has always dreamed of opening a flower arrangement classroom, but she kept missing her chances.” MO, who wanted to support his mother’s dream, rented the storefront space. As interests and imagination continued to build, he decided to combine a flower arrangement classroom with a café, resulting in “Date Café”—a space with large windows and a warm atmosphere.

Inside Date Café, aside from seeing exquisitely arranged floral displays that change with the seasons, the entire shop also exudes a fresh, elegant, and lovely vibe. Upon entering, you’ll find a green plastic turf carpet laid on the floor, and the whole café is bathed in warm wood tones. Many pieces of furniture in the shop were custom-made by MO directly at the woodworking factory. When sipping your coffee, if you get a wooden coaster, you can even smell it—the elegant camphorwood aroma wafts from the edges of your nose.

The meals at Date Café follow the principle of healthiness and are all made by MO’s mother, affectionately called “Sister Xiao Cui.” Among them, the egg salad sandwich uses bread mixed with carrots and honey as the base. With ingredients like potatoes, carrots, eggs, and French mustard, it differs from the common sweet taste of egg salad sandwiches found elsewhere, offering instead a refreshing and healthy flavor—with a subtle hint of carrot and vegetable sweetness on the tip of your tongue.


▲ The egg salad sandwich uses bread mixed with carrots and honey as the base, and tastes refreshing and healthy, with a subtle hint of carrot and vegetable sweetness on the tip of your tongue. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)

The “Tatami Light Meal Set” is also one of the classic dishes. It uses pastry to hold a stewed rice made with onions, celery, ground pork, and king oyster mushrooms, plus a rice pancake paired with cheese shreds, scallions, vegetables, eggs, ham slices, salad, and bread. The meal set bursts with the aroma of fruits, vegetables, and stewed meat, yet is surprisingly light. Sister Xiao Cui says, “The dishes in the shop are all things I used to whip up when making breakfast for my kids—they’re my own little experiments, so I pay special attention to keeping them healthy.”


▲ The “Tatami Light Meal Set” is also one of the classic dishes. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)

The black sugar latte at Date Café is made using black sugar produced by small Taiwanese farmers—it’s first melted into the coffee, then topped with a layer on top. Additionally, the hot chocolate is boiled to release the chocolate flavor, resulting in a thick, smooth taste. The roasted sugar latte is made by stirring different types of sugar and then presenting it through roasting. Each dish reveals a refined flavor born from dedication.

 
▲ Top image: Roasted Sugar Latte; Bottom image: Hot Chocolate. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)

Date Café
Address: 1F, No. 15, Lane 573, Beian Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: (02)2533-5648
Business hours: 11:00 - 22:00 (Closed on Mondays)