A Kaohsiung café with latte art so beautiful you can’t bear to drink it — and a peach blossom tree that’s said to attract love

Text & Photo /Upper Right 45-Degree Angle Girl

Today I visited this place in Kaohsiung called “Yuanfei Donkey Pie,” mainly because I was accompanying my friend who wanted to boost her love luck... because there’s a tree on the second floor that’s rumored to attract romance (peach blossoms, get it)! Their coffee and both sweet and savory pies are also really good, and I just love the hipster vibe. I had to share it with everyone~

The location is at the intersection of Jianguo 4th Road and Xinghua Street, a short walk from Yanchengpu MRT Station. It’s said that the name “Yuanfei Donkey Pie” comes from the two shop owners — one an expert in coffee, the other in handmade pies — each contributing one character from their specialty.

From the side, a bold and eye-catching mural reads “PIEFFEE,” which stands for pie and coffee. This building looks like an old two-story cottage, and I absolutely love its sloped roof.

Let’s start with the first floor. Using old wooden windows as a menu board is such a creative idea. The light-toned wooden decor and white-painted walls give off a very natural vibe.

All kinds of sweet and savory pies are kept in the fridge, waiting for someone to take them home. You can buy these sweet and savory pies to heat up yourself, but you really have to be careful with the baking — otherwise, you might end up with a burnt tragedy like I did (lol).

Looking back at the first-floor floor-to-ceiling windows, the wooden decorations on the wall mimic the sloped roof of the building — such a clever design touch.

At the end is the staircase leading to the second floor.

There’s a coffee roasting room at the back of the first floor, so if you like their coffee, you can buy beans to take home.

Here’s a look at the coffee bean packaging for reference. I’m not a coffee expert, so I don’t know much about flavors — just sharing the visuals (how uninspired of me).

Upstairs is a long, narrow corridor, kind of like the old apartments I lived in as a kid — the house is long, the rooms and hallways are long, and the hallways usually lack natural light because they’re next to neighboring buildings. Going to the bathroom at night always felt kinda creepy...

Old houses didn’t really prioritize lighting, but Yuanfei Donkey Pie was renovated with that in mind, so they added a skylight to bring in natural light. I mean, how sunny is Kaohsiung!? I visited in early May, and it was already too hot to stay in the sun for more than five minutes. One skylight was more than enough~ If this were Taipei, I might’ve installed five (lol).

The second floor also has a small work area room, with intentionally aged-looking doors and windows, plus some Spring Festival couplets stuck on — super eye-catching and making you want to peek inside to see what secrets it holds (there aren’t any). Did you notice? Even the fan is an old-school model — I have no idea where to even buy one of those now.

The pies here use Sakurajima flour imported from Japan. Apparently, it’s much more expensive than domestic flour, but the resulting flavor is supposedly better.

The wooden frames on the walls echo those of the first-floor floor-to-ceiling windows. At the very back is a tatami room with wooden flooring that requires you to take off your shoes to enter. The old wooden windows framing the entrance are really charming, and there’s also a corrugated metal awning overhead, creating a nested effect of rooms within rooms.

And now, the star of the show: the peach blossom tree. Why do people say it attracts romance? Local lore says that at least three couples met, fell in love, and eventually got married under this very tree. Isn’t that amazing?

We ended up sitting in the tatami room. There’s a table on each side — if you’re worried about sore bums, go for the cushions. The spot is great: on a sunny afternoon, with the AC keeping things cool, you can eat, chat, get drowsy, and just doze off (hey).

Okay, enough about the decor — let’s finally talk food... Here’s a look at the menu and prices.

“Cloud Cocoa” — the little cup on the left is complimentary. I was wondering whether it’s because the owner knows my friend or if they just made too much cocoa? Probably not important (lol). This cocoa is on the bitter side, not very sweet, so it pairs well with slightly sweet desserts.

Caramel Macchiato Pie and Golden Spice Chicken Pie. That black-rimmed plate is gorgeous.

A closer look at this sweet pie. I don’t know why, but I had this weird idea that “the top of the pie is a lid and you can open it.” My friend shot that down right away, saying there’s no way — and of course, there wasn’t. It’s actually a layer of coffee-flavored mascarpone mousse on top.

Alright, after doing something silly, I sliced into the pie — turns out the top and bottom layers are actually two different flavored sweets. The top is a slightly sweet caramel cream, and the bottom is a coffee-flavored sweet pie. The crust is super thin, and rather than calling it a “pie,” it might be better described as a “dessert.” I don’t drink coffee much, but I do like coffee-flavored sweets, and I feel this one goes better with tea than with coffee or cocoa.

“Caramel Baby Macchiato” — the flower in this one is drawn so beautifully, I love it. Love it so much I can’t bear to drink it.

I think anyone having a bad day would be forced to smile at the latte art in this cup. I’m going to selfishly crown it the most healing drink of 2016 (lol). As for the taste? It’s a caramel macchiato... If you stir the caramel around, you can really appreciate how the whole drink is infused with caramel goodness.

“Golden Spice Chicken Pie” — served with a fresh side salad, making it a healthy savory option.

I love the texture of the smoked chicken and the crispy pie crust. The spices used also give the pie a unique and refined flavor.

Yuanfei Donkey Pie
Address: No. 276, Jianguo 4th Rd., Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07 533-0944
Business Hours: 10:00–21:00, closed on Wednesdays
Directions: Exit 3 of Yanchengpu MRT Station, about a 15-minute walk

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