【Sunday Slow Time】Iori Tea House in Tainan, a Modern-Style Showa Café

“We’ve always had just two ideas: one, preserve the old building, and two, make people fall in love with this city.” Xie Wenkan, a sixth-generation Tainan native born in the 1960s, spent his childhood watching plays and playing in the temple square of Xilai’an, developing a deeper emotional connection to this land than most. Three or four decades ago, the area around Xilai’an was the heart of Tainan City. Just on Ximen Road, there were 70 gold shops, and the combined number of cinemas on Ximen Road, Zhongzheng Road, and You’ai Street totaled 12. “There were crowds of people beyond your imagination back then.”

 

Having experienced that golden era, Xie Wenkan hopes to revitalize the entire street community through the rebirth of old buildings. Across from Iori is Taicheng Fruit Store, a 70-year-old shop, and further down is Rainbow Came; the intersection of Zhengxing Street and Guohua Street is home to Zhengxing Coffee; closer to Ximen Road are Jiaji West Market and Ximen Road Xie Mansion. These newly revived old buildings have led more and more people to recognize the value of heritage structures.

Presented in the style of a Showa-era café, Iori features extensively detailed woodworking in its walls and tea cabinets, with no detail overlooked. Xie Wenkan points to the walls inside and explains that every wooden panel has been beveled, giving the edges an angle and creating neat grooves. The second-floor facade has three large arched windows; the curved sections were crafted by having carpenters cut the wood finely so it could bend and turn without breaking, slowly piecing together the arches. The 26 wooden chairs inside are made of Vietnamese teak, each intricately carved with decorative patterns. Even the ceiling mural in the first-floor restroom was hand-painted by a friend, rather than taking the easy route with convenient wallpaper.

 

True to the perseverance of a Tainan native, Xie Wenkan strives to present the authentic look of a Showa-era café. The same goes for the food. The small creamer that comes with the fruit scones, for example, was collected by Xie Wenkan from antique shops and old restaurants all over Taiwan—only 12 were found in total. The white porcelain teapot used for hot tea had 10 previous versions broken by staff and customers, and no identical replacements could be found. “During the 228 holiday not long ago, with too many customers, we even had to make them wait for a teapot.”

The shop offers only about ten types of tea. Xie Wenkan says this reflects the Tainan mindset: “In Tainan, if you sell bowls, you don’t also sell fish ball soup.” Rather than offering hundreds of tea varieties, it’s better to recommend the best ten. The shop’s Assam ice cream is also exceptional. Over 50 types of tea leaves were tested for it, and the final choice was Indian Assam tea, a broad-leaf variety with thick leaves that exude a strong aroma. The tea flavor isn’t overpowered by the milk, and it leaves a sweet aftertaste. Being completely vegetarian and egg-free, it won’t leave you thirsty.

【Info】

Address: Opposite 74 Zhengxing Street, Tainan (across from Taicheng Fruit Store)

Phone: 06-221-6371

Facebook: IORI TEA HOUSE