Located on Ciwen Road in Taoyuan City, Shang Caf’e is actually quite a distance from Neili. We first tried it last year to celebrate Christmas, andwe were very happy with both the food and the atmosphere, so we went back again at the beginning of this month. With dishes priced from NT$220 to NT$350, it offers more than enough value for the money. It really is a restaurant worth visiting!
For the full introduction, please keep reading.This post contains lots of photos, so take your time browsing and choosing!
Since this post is rather long, I’ve divided it into three main sections so you can jump straight to the part you want to see ↓
Interior and Décor Meal 1 (2008.12.25) Meal 2 (2009.03.03)
When I first sawphotos in Little Tiger’s albumfrom this restaurant, it looked like a place with a wonderful atmosphere and an all-around appealing feel. Just hearing the name “Shang Caf’e,” though, made it sound very much like a café. But Little Tiger described it as being a bit like a lounge bar, which left me both curious and slightly nervous. I worried that we might be expected to drink alcohol, or that the place would be full of loud, tipsy bar patrons. Once we arrived, however, I realized that it was simplythe décor and atmosphere that felt like a lounge bar. They also offer a few cocktails, and it turned out…I had completely overthought it. Haha!
[ View of the Bar ]
The interior features dim, warm lighting and dark décor. The bar, seating, and walls all use a black color scheme, giving the entire place a genuine lounge-bar feel. The black décor also makes it feel refined and composed. It’s a restaurantwith a wonderful atmosphereand a distinctlyBritish-style dimness—dark yet elegant.
That said, with the dark color scheme and low lighting, you really do start to feel a little drowsy after sitting there for a while!
The person in the bottom-right photo is the owner of Shang Caf’e. He looks quite young and enthusiastically introduces the dishes, asks what you thought of your meal, and chats with the customers. He’s clearly an attentive owner.
[ Seating Area ]
A lot of care has gone into every seating area. The black tables—apparently made from something like marble, with a glossy, reflective surface—are paired with comfortable velvet chairs. Each table also has a beautiful pendant light hanging above it.
[ (Left) Pendant Light; (Right) Cabinet Display ]
All the pendant lights at Shang Caf’e are this style: a little metallic, seemingly mirrored, and fitted with tiny bulbs. In any case, they’re distinctive and wonderfully atmospheric.
The cabinet beside the bar has also been carefully decorated.
[ MENU ]
Shang Caf’e gives you two menus, and the gold-and-silver color scheme feels so sophisticated!
The gold menu is for food. Their dishesinclude both Chinese and Western options, which is great! Besides pasta, you can also enjoy Chinese dishes, along with waffles and snacks. There’s quite a lot to choose from.
The silver menu is for drinks, including alcoholic beverages, tea, juice, and more. There are even more choices here, including plenty of unusual options, so it can be rather overwhelming. You can always ask the owner to explain what everything is.
Their official bloghas photos of the dishes for reference(although the pictures are a little small).
[ Magazine Rack Beside the Restroom ]
The restaurant also provides an entire cabinet full of magazines. There’s a generous selection, and many of them are popular titles. It’s a great place to eat, chat, and browse through magazines, whether you come alone, as a pair, or with a group.
[ Christmas Decorations ]
We visited on Christmas Day, so the restaurant had put up a festive Christmas tree and…a Christmas dog? Hahaha. Naturally, these decorations aren’t there on ordinary days.
Overall, I think Shang Caf’e is a restaurant that puts a great deal of care into its interior, decorations, and little details. The atmosphere and service are also excellent.
This was our first visit to Shang Caf’e, so we ordered one Chinese dish and one Western dish to try. For the Chinese option, we choseyellow croaker with chili bean sauce (NT$350),while our Western choice wasbaked rice with bacon and wild mushrooms (NT$260).
[ Yellow Croaker Set Meal with Chili Bean Sauce — NT$350 ]
This is everything included in the yellow croaker set meal. The dish is prepared using one whole fish.
The fish was fried until crispy, while the flesh remained tender and quite fresh. The sauce was flavorful without being too salty or overpowering, although it was slightly spicy. I’m really hopeless with spicy food, so I had to keep drinking water just to manage a few bites. Even so, I thought it went wonderfully with rice and was delicious.
The side dishes probably vary from day to day. That day, we had two kinds of vegetables and mapo tofu—a thoroughly Chinese meal. All the sides were delicious too.
The soup that day was daikon soup, which also tasted wonderfully fresh. The rice was sprinkled with sesame seeds, although an extra serving cost NT$10.
[ Baked Rice with Bacon and Wild Mushrooms — NT$260 ]
The Western set meal also came with the same soup as the Chinese set, in addition to the main course.
As soon as the baked rice with bacon and wild mushrooms arrived, its beautifully browned surface looked incredibly tempting. I love baked dishes and almost always order them at casual restaurants. I thought their version tasted quite good, although it wasn’t especially creamy or thick. The advantage was that it didn’t become cloying, but I personally prefer baked dishes with a strong cheese flavor that lingers in my mouth.
So what I really liked about it was the flavor of the bacon, wild mushrooms…and rice.
Here’s a peek inside the baked rice with bacon and wild mushrooms. They certainly didn’t skimp on the ingredients, and the bacon and mushrooms tasted excellent.
[ Drink Included with the Meal ]
The included drink could be black tea, milk tea, coffee, or juice, or you could pay the difference to switch to something else. We ordered one milk tea and one hot black tea, and both were very good.
[ Fruit Included with the Meal ]
Finally, they served the fruit included with the meal.
Overall, every dish and component of this meal tasted very good. Set meals at many restaurants often include a few delicious items alongside a few that are merely average—or outright disappointing. At Shang Caf’e, however, everything from the main dishes and sides to the drinks was satisfying.
Three months later, we returned to Shang Caf’e. This time, we ordered the Western-styleclams with basil pesto pasta (NT$250),along with the snack-and-waffle selection’sbanana, almond, and chocolate waffle (NT$110).
[ Clams with Basil Pesto Pasta — NT$250 ]
Clams and seafood are always among my first choices when ordering, so this time we decided to try their clam pasta. You can choose either spaghetti or penne. Penne holds more sauce inside, while the spaghetti is prepared drier with less sauce. The owner gave us a very detailed explanation of the preparation and flavor differences between the two. In the end, we chose the more strongly flavored penne.
When the dish arrived, they also brought us three large containers of ketchup, pepper, and grated cheese to add ourselves. It felt both generous and professional.
The clams with basil pesto pasta tasted excellent, with basil’s distinctive aroma and a rich, flavorful sauce. The clams were also cooked beautifully—fresh, juicy, and still plump!
[ Soup Included with the Meal ]
Today’s soup was a clear broccoli soup. Once again, it tasted fresh and naturally sweet. The soup was delicious!
[ Banana, Almond, and Chocolate Waffle — NT$130 ]
The banana, almond, and chocolate waffle looked beautiful and appetizing. After we ordered, the owner told us it was a signature dish that had previously been featured on television. The waffle was toasted to just the right crispness, then topped with cream and banana, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with sliced almonds. What a feast!
It tasted quite good too, although I think it would be even better as a dessert paired with something stronger, such as coffee. The flavors would balance more nicely that way.
I’m such a country bumpkin—this was my first time eating a waffle like this, and I had no idea it came apart one section at a time.
The waffle was genuinely well made. Next time, I’d like to try a different flavor.
[ Rose Champs-Élysées — Regular Price NT$180 ]
We upgraded the drink included with the waffle to this Rose Champs-Élysées for just NT$20 extra. It had a wonderfully distinctive aroma and tasted excellent. The flower tea and pieces of fruit were placed directly in the drink, infusing it with plenty of flavor. It also contained a tiny amount of alcohol, which gave the drink extra depth: after each sip, a faint alcoholic note emerged at the very end. The owner said this was another of their signature drinks, and it certainly lived up to the claim!
This second visit to Shang Caf’e confirmed that I’ll definitely return whenever I have the chance. Every dish genuinely meets a certain standard, so there’s no fear of accidentally ordering a dud—unless I’ve simply been unbelievably lucky!
Important Information
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Shang Caf’e |
