Cafe culture, Taipei-style
By Michael Jen-Siu (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-11 09:26
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In the highlands near Taipei, outdoor cafes are offering more than a leisurely cuppa, Michael Jen-Siu reports.
It's like Bali without the beaches. A little cluster of palm-studded outdoor restaurants complete with fountain courtyards and cool colorful drinks in tall glasses have mushroomed over the past five years in the countryside just out of Taipei.
In the last 15 years, sprawling cafe-bars have emerged out of the monsoon rainforests of the Yangmingshan mountain range, just a short bus-ride from central Taipei. Their unobstructed views looking back over much of town, their splendor and seclusion make them attractive for romantic nights out or family gatherings away from the noisy city.
"Why do people come up here? In terms of suburban Taipei, Yangmingshan is the closest place to downtown," says Chen Bo-chou, director of The Top, the biggest of what he calls the "scenery-cafes". The Top has 600 seats and as many as 2,000 visitors on summer weekends.
Fountain-fed waterways line the cafe's verandahs, flowing past rows of palms, aborigine-themed statuettes and summery white-trimmed dining marquees that give the whole atmosphere a Balinese, South Pacific or Mediterranean feel.
Guests sitting outdoors enjoying the lounge music floating out can gaze upon neon-lit Taipei at night, as the city stretches out in the basin 300 meters below.
Rivaling The Top along the forested and almost forgotten Dongshan Road Lane 25 is the Back Garden with four levels, 500 seats and a menu of Chinese food. Across the street, its rival Chat All Night seats 380 people with barbecues and clear views that its manager says is conducive to falling in love.
A smaller neighbor, the palm-festooned Free of Love, plays Brazilian jazz for as many as 100 people who can sit on a ledge looking out on Taipei's vast suburbia, the Danshui River and the hills behind it. On weekends, the place is packed.
"A significant proportion of the people who go to the scenery cafes are from our school, and quite a few are couples," says Cheng Da-you from the student association at Chinese Cultural University. "We go for the scenery and meal deals."
Behind the university, more scenery cafes are scattered through the range.
One is a modest cafe outside the Lin Yu-tang family mansion on Yangde Boulevard, the main route from urban Taipei to the Yangmingshan park entrance. It's open only by day.
Almost hidden from sight is the aptly named Dongtian or Hole in the Sky, a 100-seat cafe just five minutes from downtown and off Yangde Boulevard. Close-up views of city lights and free drama performances draw visitors from Hong Kong and Japan as well as just down the road.
There's usually a spot left, says floor manager Albert Cheng. "Business depends on the weather and on the economy," he explains as rain clouds cleared. "This year we haven't had so many tourists."
A taxi coming up from the Zhishan metro stop, about NT$210 (US$ 6.78) one-way, can barely avoid stopping for the casino-style lights, torches and greeters spilling out of cafe entrances. Simple meals and drinks range from NT$250 to NT$500 per person, affordable for family meals or dates arranged by young and tentative would-be lovers.