We met up with Jon’s friend who took us to the cool Shida and Taida neighbourhood, which is the area surrounding the two Universities in the Da-an district of Taipei. There’s a nice college town/bohemian vibes to the area and it’s flourish with cheap eats, 2nd hand bookstores, cool cafes and live houses for local indie bands.
We ended up in a teahouse called Yueh Yiin Shiuan. It’s easy to walk by since the exterior was covered by plants. As soon as we stepped inside we were transported to a beautiful Chinese antique room that’s both classic and modern.
We got a booth table by the window. I love the lotus ceiling lamp and the table has an illuminated fish tank! You can see fish swimming inside.
3 of us got a Oriental Beauty tea which is a Taiwanese blend of oolong tea. The tea was very good, crisp and refreshing. It smells wonderful and there’s a subtle sweet after taste. The amount they gave you last a very long time too. Each batch you put into the teapot can be brewed for 7-8 times each round, and there’re enough tea leaves for at least 3 rounds.
We got two tea snacks:
Red date and walnut cake. I’m always fascinated by the edible paper wrapping since I was little.
Green bean cake. Pretty!
We talked and sipped tea for more than 2 hours, what a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. It’s the kind of place you can spend your whole afternoon or evening at. They have elaborate set menus for lunch and dinner too, such as milk tea soup based hotpot which sound interesting.
Yueh Yiin Shiuan 玥飲軒
No. 80 Wenzhou street, Da-an district, Taipei
