A hidden paradise on Yangmingshan: a dreamy snow-white glass house restaurant

Text & Photos /Pingzi

Following the success of its various restaurant brands such as HowFun BangBang, HowFun Thinking, and HowFun, HowFun has now opened VVG Hideway in Yangmingshan. This white glass house nestled in the forest exudes European-style romance, making it perfect for a nature-filled forest date or an elegant afternoon tea among good friends—enhanced by the ambiance that sparks emotion and creativity.

Long-awaited, I visited again with my good friends at VVG Hideway. Located in Yangmingshan as a scenic restaurant, since my friends were hesitant to let me ride with them, we met at Taipei Metro Jiantan Station and took bus 303 up the mountain. There are several buses per hour. We got off at the “Jingshanli 2” stop. It takes about 30 minutes from the metro station to the mountain, and then a 3-minute walk uphill to reach VVG Hideway. The transportation is quite convenient.

The vintage metal sign enhances the refined taste of VVG Hideway. Years ago, Pingzi used to come here often—it was previously the site of Secret Garden, but now it’s run by VVG Hideway.

Standing at the entrance of VVG Hideway, you can see a large radio station in the distance.

No matter which business operates here, the façade remains the same stone brick wall. The difference is the new sign for VVG Hideway, and next to the entrance, there’s now a European-style garden pond—creating a low-key and steady European architectural front.

Upon entering, you’ll see the European-style garden pond, a favorite photo spot for those who love this aesthetic. Follow Pingzi to explore VVG Hideway.

Walking up the steps slowly, Yangmingshan is the backyard garden of Taipei City, far from the hustle and bustle. The lush greenery and the refreshing phytoncides of nature allow visitors to slow down and embrace a slower-paced life. The charm of nature transforms your mood—this is exactly the brand spirit VVG Hideway aims to convey: escaping the city to reconnect with nature.

Before you stands a snow-white glass house building enveloped by the forest. The structure itself isn’t much different, but VVG Hideway has cleverly repurposed and repainted the building white. Surrounded by lush greenery, it has a minimalist and fashionable garden style that is truly stunning.

The same scene, but under a different operator, cultivates a unique design atmosphere that attracts a different crowd. Compared to the previous Secret Garden restaurant, one can clearly see VVG Hideway’s distinctive redesign vision, which left Pingzi impressed.

A small path beside VVG Hideway leads to another scenic spot at the back, once a popular location for wedding photos.

In the urban jungle, encountering such a landscape is truly rare. Its exclusivity makes it unique.

Lush greenery is everywhere, truly a feast for the eyes.

The outdoor dining area in the front looks elegant even on a rainy day. On a sunny day, dining here would be an even more delightful experience.

The little decorations at the entrance are interesting no matter how you look at them.

To dine at VVG Hideway, reservations are a must. It’s extremely popular—if you don’t book one or two weeks in advance, you won’t get a spot, and walk-ins aren’t allowed. The door only opens at 12:00 PM, and reserved seats are held for just 10 minutes.

As soon as you step inside, you’ll see the highly sought-after entrance-facing seating with the best view.

Just looking at this great scenery makes one feel very comfortable.

The wooden tables and cabinets nearby are filled with a variety of European-style knick-knacks—very photogenic. Upon entering, you won’t be able to resist taking lots of photos.

With a bit of thoughtful decoration and creativity, you can truly win people’s hearts—and where there are people, there’s business.

Next to the entrance on the side, there’s a transparent display case. This is the area for ordering desserts and cakes for the day. Some delicious cakes aren’t listed on the menu—you can order them here. All the desserts are made in-house.

Daily freshly baked cakes look absolutely delicious. All the desserts here are à la carte—no set meals. As a dessert lover, Pingzi naturally had to try some after the meal.

The play of light and shadow creates an atmosphere. The abundance of white walls and European-style furniture gives off an air of elegance.

Further inside is a study exhibition space and a small goods sales area. This section is mainly for display and sales, with no seating for dining.

There’s also a retro European-style sofa seating area suitable for larger gatherings—very classic and imposing.

Just by looking at the wide array of European-style knick-knacks at VVG Hideway, you can feel the strong design style of the place. Pingzi really likes it here.

These lovely miscellaneous goods remind Pingzi of a place she used to frequent—“Often Here,” located in the alleys near Songjiang Metro Station in Taipei. Article:http://upssmile.com/12284.

The merchandise and book display and sales area features a variety of lifestyle, design, and other foreign books, as well as ceramic tableware, cute little brushes, stationery, home decor hardware, vintage items, and more.

This space also displays memorabilia from when VVG Hideaway was named one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, gaining widespread recognition and marking the beginning of its brand journey. "VVG Bookstore" was selected by the American entertainment website Flavorwire.com as one of the "20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World," which significantly boosted its fame. The seventh branch of the VVG Group, "VVG Hideaway 好样秘境," has created a hidden paradise on Yangmingshan with its brand-new look. Since its opening on September 19, 2015 (Saturday), it has attracted many fans to visit.

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, VVG Hideaway, originates from a lane near Taipei Metro's Dunhua Station. Those interested can check it out.

The combination of lifestyle and design, along with small goods and accessories, has been a popular element of modern living in recent years, attracting many young trendsetters. This is also one of the key reasons behind the popularity of the VVG Hideaway brand.

Such a unique style even tempted the usually low-profile Pingzi to take a photo to commemorate the moment.

Behind VVG Hideaway, there is also a small green plant house filled with lush greenery, which is incredibly soothing to look at—greenery has the magical power to soothe the mind.

No matter how you shoot it, it’s beautiful. The scenery here is truly unforgettable.

Simple plant pots showcase attention to detail, which is why they attract attention and inspire people to capture these lovely items in photos.

A large expanse of white fabric hangs in the space, like a slightly shy bride about to be married. It separates the dining area to ensure an undisturbed environment while expanding the spatial feel.

Walking further inside, you’ll find the long, narrow space of VVG Hideaway, covering 300 ping, designed to bring visitors close to the outdoors. The entire space features a clean white palette and abundant European-style landscaping, creating a unique and elegant aesthetic. Pingzi also really likes this European-inspired design. The seating area includes a large communal long table, regular square tables, round tables, sofa tables, and the most popular sofa seating area near the entrance, which can accommodate up to 60 people.

VVG Hideaway consistently uses a mix of European-style furniture to maintain a unified yet distinctive tone—neither chaotic nor abrupt. This showcases quite remarkable design skill.

The menu is a wooden board with a few printed menu pages, incorporating a lot of watercolor painting styles to enhance the restaurant's overall aesthetic.

There aren’t many menu options, with most being à la carte. The prices are not cheap, with main courses ranging from 300 to over 600 NT dollars. Drinks are also à la carte and don’t offer many choices.

The menu design doesn’t feel particularly thoughtful, relying heavily on colored pencils and line art with plenty of blank space. The font size is too small, and the overall design lacks refinement.

The tableware settings, especially the plate designs, are patterns that Pingzi really likes—they’re very elegant.

The kettle was bought from IKEA—simple yet stylish.

I ordered a ginger latte for 200 NT dollars—a hot latte served with a slightly hard piece of bread. The coffee is served in a bowl, which is becoming an increasingly popular way to drink coffee. Using an elegant European-style footed bowl adds a unique touch.

The coffee is rich and aromatic, with very smooth foam. The coffee isn’t filled to the top, only about two-thirds of the bowl. The ginger flavor doesn’t overpower the coffee aroma—it’s delicious, though slightly sweet.

Main course—Herb-Roasted Lamb Stew with Vegetables. Highly recommended by many, this set meal costs 520 NT dollars.

It comes with grilled baby corn and European-style hard bread. Although the bottom side of the baby corn is slightly burnt, the corn itself is sweet and fresh—still quite tasty.

The crusty French bread pairs well with the accompanying sauce, which has a thick tomato flavor sprinkled with cilantro and mint leaves. The stewed lamb has no fishy taste and is tender and juicy, but the portion is disappointingly small—only three or four pieces. It’s more about eating refined than filling up, and the price is high.

Pingzi ordered spicy garlic shrimp with rice for 420 NT dollars. The main dish is served in an iron pot—the rice grains are distinct and not as soft as Taiwan’s No. 9 rice, making it a good match for the spicy and flavorful shrimp.

The spicy shrimp are quite fiery—even those who love spicy food can feel the heat. It’s cooked with creamy mashed potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes, paired with four tender and delicious shrimp that go perfectly with the rice. Unfortunately, the portion is extremely small.

That’s the whole lunch—eating light rather than filling up.

They’ll give you a receipt.

Next, we ordered a dessert cake—a matcha chiffon cake for 120 NT dollars. It’s simply cut into triangular and rectangular slices, served with a small dollop of whipped cream. The matcha chiffon cake is fluffy, but the matcha flavor is light and not very intense, lacking a bit of richness—slightly disappointing.

And so, we enjoyed our afternoon tea time, experiencing the restaurant’s ambiance. The atmosphere made up for the shortcomings in the food.

After eating, we stepped outside. No matter how you shoot it, it’s picturesque. Even though it was raining, it added a poetic touch—the romance of rainy days.

Maple leaves covered the ground, creating a gradient of earthy colors that were absolutely enchanting.

From the outside looking into the glass house, the entire structure looks very distinctive, making people really love this place.

The average cost per person for dining here is about NT$1,000, roughly the price of a child’s outing. The atmosphere surpasses the joy of dining itself. We’re grateful to the How’s Good brand for providing such a high-quality environment, allowing us city dwellers to escape the urban hustle and bustle and come to the forest to enjoy this wonderful and cozy coexistence between nature and humans.

The business card design is also very simple—just a few plants, a line drawn—and it has neither distinctive features nor much sense of design.

VVG Hideway (How’s Good Hideaway)
Phone: 02-2862-6488.
Address: No. 136-1, Jingshan Road, Taipei City.
Take bus No. 303 from Jiantan Station on the Taipei Metro Danshui Line to Jingshan Li (No. 2) Station.
Business hours: 12:00–21:00.
Official website:http://vvgvvg.blogspot.tw/.
Facebook fan page:https://www.facebook.com/vvgteam/.

upssmile Pingzi (up’s smile – Upward Smile)!
She is a designer and also the photographer for Upward Smile Travel, Food, Design, and Photography.
Passionate about “travel,” food, “design,” photography, and movies.
Blogger:http://upssmile.com/

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