The aroma of wine lingers in your mouth!* Must-try desserts for sweet lovers: tiramisu and matcha swiss roll cake

Text and photos by/Xiao Hu’s Dream-Eating Web

Recently, our lovely contributor “Ai[” posted an incredibly tempting photo of a matcha cake. As a die-hard matcha dessert fan, I couldn’t resist. So, I immediately gathered the HowToTrip girls to check it out.

Looking at the name “HOTEL,” I followed the address into a very familiar alley and saw a building that looked somewhat familiar yet suspicious. My first thought was: is this a hotel or a luxury residence? And does it hide delicious desserts inside?

While still doubting, I noticed a staircase leading downward, with a blackboard beside it that read “the lobby of simple kaffa hotel v.” So, it must be the right place.

After going down, there was a small plaza with a few chairs tucked away in a quiet corner amid the hustle and bustle. To be honest, I really liked the atmosphere here, especially since it’s only about a 5-minute walk from the MRT.

It was a holiday afternoon, and as expected, the place was packed with customers. But luckily, the friendly staff arranged a seat for us at the outdoor plaza.

These days, relying solely on winning coffee competitions isn’t enough to make it in the East District—you usually need to pair that with some truly amazing desserts too. Right? Though, to be honest, I don’t really understand coffee much either XD

There were so many types of coffee to choose from, and just by reading the names, you could tell they were probably pretty professional.

Of course, they also had more common options like lattes and macchiatos. I quickly ordered a cappuccino to go.

To be honest, it was quite good—smooth and fragrant. But it didn’t quite match what I imagined or understood a cappuccino to be. At least, it wasn’t that “cinnamon-y.” Okay, I’m not even sure if cinnamon flavor is a must for a cappuccino. But anyway, the coffee was definitely delicious.

For those who can’t drink coffee, there are also options like brown sugar milk, toffee milk, and chocolate, as well as a selection of floral teas.

The iced toffee-roasted almond milk was sweet and fragrant without being overly sugary. With a relatively high proportion of milk, it was simply very enjoyable—I liked it.

The dark iron latte was also pretty good too.

My friend ordered some kind of tea, but its flavor had a strong, herbal taste like verbena. I wasn’t a big fan XXD.

Finally, these last two were a rather unique combination of black beer, white beer, and coffee. To be honest, the taste was quite distinctive—the hoppy flavor of the beer came first, followed by the slight bitterness and aroma of the coffee. The amazing part was that the two didn’t clash or overpower each other. However… as I drank it, I didn’t really taste them as fused into a new flavor. It’s hard to say if it was good or bad, but it was definitely quite unique.

● 《ET News Cloud》 reminds you: don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

Next up were the main attractions of our visit: the desserts. There were four items, and we ordered all of them. The prices are a bit steep, but when paired with drinks, they’re reasonably priced.

“Wrinkled.” The name and appearance reminded me instantly of that popular coffee and dessert shop in Fùjǐn Street, Minsheng Community, which is also famous for its matcha swiss roll cakes.

After tearing into this honey-like half-baked cake that looked like a wrinkled pastry and taking a bite, my first impression was that the flavor was also very similar. But I have to admit, I’m not sure if the two shops are related. Overall, it was delicious, especially the soft texture, which was great, and the sweetness was just right. But, it was pretty much the taste you’d expect.

Lemon glass cake. I don’t know why, but now whenever I eat this, I think of the old-lady-style lemon cake from Fabien. I subconsciously compare it to the feeling I had when I first tried it. Of course, after trying dozens of lemon cakes afterward, that memory has become quite blurry.

I loved this lemon cake, especially the tart and tangy sugar-glazed lemon on top. Even though I found the cake a bit dry, the burst of sourness made me salivate so much that it didn’t bother me at all.

Then came the biggest highlight of my visit: the matcha swiss roll cake. The matcha used is the well-known “Kozanen” in Taiwan, and specifically the highest grade “Wakou.” Okay, I’m not sure how expensive or prestigious “Wakou” really is XD

Hmm, how should I put this? Overall, it was definitely delicious. Whether it was the bitter fragrance of the matcha, the smooth sweetness of the whipped cream, or even the fluffy texture of the outer cake roll—it all reached a mid-to-high level. BUT it didn’t feel particularly extraordinary... Still, I have to say, if I had eaten this cake three years ago, it would’ve been absolutely heavenly... I don’t know if that makes sense.

Finally, this “not-always-available tiramisu” was the last thing I tried. Maybe because the previous desserts hadn’t really wowed my personal taste buds, and tiramisu is such a classic dessert, I went in with zero expectations. But, interestingly, the moment I took a bite, I blurted out, “So fragrant!”

The alcohol aroma in this tiramisu wasn’t strong, but it was incredibly enchanting. Even the flavor of the biscuit at the bottom appeared subtly and cleverly. All the usual textures and tastes of tiramisu were present. In the end, that hint of alcohol aroma still lingered in my mouth—absolutely amazing. Without a doubt, it’s one of the top three tiramisus I’ve ever had. I’d actually recommend this over the matcha swiss roll.

the lobby of simple kaffa hotel v
Address: No. 48, Lane 177, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Songshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8771-1127
Business hours: 12:30–21:30.

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