HowToTrip's Guangshe Restaurant: A Japanese-style Café in the Mountain City

Written by TRAVELER Luxe

 

Situated in Muzha, National Chengchi University has long been famous for its tranquil and picturesque surroundings of mountains and water. The Guangshe Restaurant, which opened last September, is located within the Qixian Building that many NCCU students know well. Its high, bright, and airy space—with wooden floors, wooden furniture, comfortable sofas, and books hanging from the ceiling—makes you feel as if you're in a stylish Japanese café, quietly enjoying a slow-paced life in the mountain city.

Every time I visit NCCU, I love to look up at the unusually vast sky and the relaxing green mountains and clear waters. Like a secret backyard garden of Taipei, the NCCU campus possesses an otherworldly beauty. Hiking up the gentle slopes along Maple Trail and the Wind-Rain Corridor, you can admire the graceful scenery of the mountain campus, as if beholding a beautiful maiden. The changing seasons and shifting time flow forth like elegant lines from ancient poetry—every glance back is a delight. In spring, flowers bloom in competition, accompanied by the sounds of insects and birds alongside the crisp tones of reading voices, creating the most wonderful symphony. In summer, the continuous chirping of cicadas praises youth, bold and carefree. Come autumn and winter, the forest shifts from green to red, resembling ink-wash paintings—deep, rich, enchanting, pale, and elegant—its ever-changing beauty never grows tiresome. In the evening, clouds drift in filtered with light, and the romance of a light drizzle makes it common to attend class amidst a misty ambiance. And nothing is more delightful than walking downhill in the evening breeze, watching the slanting sun cast a gorgeous orange-red glow over the sky, while the fragrance of osmanthus by the roadside lingers like an echo, long-lasting and unforgettable. Even better is finding a cozy little café where you can spend the entire afternoon—it’s one of life’s simplest yet greatest joys.

 

Guangshe Restaurant at NCCU is just such a much-anticipated haven of comfort. Upon entering, you barely notice the walls, thanks to the transparent openness and bright, unobstructed views. A few books and light bulbs hanging from the high ceiling hint at the theme of a school canteen, looking from afar like flying books, adding both fun and design flair to the space. Large glass windows allow the outdoor mountain views and delightful sunlight to stream in. Light-colored wood-toned tables and chairs, cream, black, and brick-red sofas, set against grass-green walls, create a lively and airy atmosphere. To the left is a large open kitchen, where all cooking processes and ingredient preparations are visible, offering peace of mind. In addition, you can closely admire the chefs’ remarkable skills—dare to chat with them a bit, and it feels like visiting a friend’s home: relaxed, easygoing, with little sense of host-guest formality. It’s the first time seeing American casual style and Japanese minimalism blended so seamlessly and naturally. Too much would be heavy, too little would be light—the balance is just right.

In the central aisle of the café, there are several black bookshelves with books for visitors to browse freely. Vintage typewriters and movie cameras bring you back to the most beautiful old times. Why is it called “Guangshe” (House of Light)? General Manager and designer Wu Sirang explains that light symbolizes knowledge, and schools are places that transmit knowledge. The House of Light also represents a dwelling of knowledge. Furthermore, in the private space partitioned by sliding doors at the back, there's a full wall of unglazed porcelain—also rich in meaning. Apparently, the white porcelain pieces in various shapes represent the purity and lack of color when students first enter school. Through various learnings and experiences, like porcelain going through coloring and firing processes, they become unique individuals upon entering society. “The design focus of the whole place is Simple pleasure.” Often, what brings happiness is the simplest and most pure things, not the complicated ones. When you step into Guangshe Restaurant, every sense can enjoy the simplest kind of joy.

 

The more you walk around and explore this place, the more you discover the care and ingenuity put into the entire space. Wu Sirang says that the restaurant uses fewer real wood veneers, opting instead for eco-friendly panels, plywood, and LED lights to practice energy-saving and environmental concepts. At the very back, there is also a VIP room that accepts reservations for 10 to 12 people. Inside the private room, a long wooden table and a few pendant lamps exude a strong Nordic vibe, while the soft powder-blue walls provide a visual surprise that also calms the mood. A few black-and-white floral photos showcase taste and style.

 

Then comes the aroma of food, reminding us it’s time to treat our stomachs. The first dish is the “Pirate King Seafood Pasta.” This red-sauced spaghetti may look ordinary at first glance, but it holds a delightful secret. It uses Hungarian paprika along with herbs like rosemary and thyme, plus fresh cream—completely different from typical tomato sauce. It has a uniquely spicy yet creamy flavor. Topped with clams, fresh fish slices, and shrimp, the colorful orange-red noodles glisten with oil, making them incredibly tempting just to look at. As soon as you take a bite, the spiciness of the paprika is subtle at first, then gradually envelops your entire mouth, fragrant and stimulating, whetting your appetite. A mellow creaminess balances the spice in your mouth. The texture of the flat pasta easily absorbs the sauce—you won’t be able to resist taking another bite. Close your eyes and savor the wonderful blend of flavors in your mouth. Whether you love spicy food or not, you’re sure to enjoy it. And with such high-quality cuisine, the price is surprisingly affordable—an uncommon find.

The second dish is “Bitter-Sweet Garlic Chili Pasta,” which carries the aroma of salted egg stir-fried bitter melon—an inventive idea from Chef Zhu Xiangming. “Because Taiwanese people have never had their own Italian pasta, I wanted to create a dish that’s both healthy and suited to Taiwanese tastes.” The crisp and refreshing taste of the green bitter melon still carries some bitterness, but ends with a faint aftertaste of sweetness. Salted egg yolk is stir-fried and simmered into a sauce, then mixed with garlic, chili, and noodles before being topped with crispy fried garlic bits for extra flavor. It’s truly a unique experience you won’t find elsewhere—combining saltiness, fragrance, bitterness, and spiciness all in one.

The third dish is “The German Cowboy’s Favorite,” pairing German pork knuckle with specially made beef sausage. The crispy skin of the pork knuckle is as crunchy as roast suckling pig, becoming more fragrant the more you chew. It turns out the pork knuckle is first braised for over four to five hours, then pan-fried and roasted to achieve such crispness and aroma. Paired with a Japanese-inspired cold sauce seasoned with black pepper and wasabi, it’s sweet with hints of pepper and a slight wasabi kick, successfully breaking the stereotype that German pork knuckle can only be eaten with mustard and sauerkraut. It gives your taste buds a new delicious memory. The final dish is “Old-School Meat Brick,” whose dark, beautiful color might at first resemble a large chunk of Dongpo pork. In fact, it’s made from extremely thick pork ribs, lightly pan-fried, then marinated in a large amount of red wine for two days to fully absorb the wine’s juices, followed by six hours of braising—a labor-intensive and time-consuming dish. With one bite, it melts in your mouth, living up to expectations with its tender texture. The rich aroma of red wine lingers, paired with a plum sauce made from Taiwanese black plums—sweet and sour with distinct layers, each flavor shining while harmonizing beautifully.