Wendel's German Bakery [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Wendel's German Bakery and Bistro (温德德式烘焙餐館)
Address: No. 28, Lane 260, Guangfu South Road, Da’an District, Taipei
Website: http://www.wendels-bistro.com
Style: German, Chinese, European
Price: $$$ 

My "bakery beware" radar always goes off when I see the word bistro used in connection with a bakery; it's an absolute given you will pay more and Wendel's doesn't surprise there, though in this case (and for some strange reason other German bakeries in Taipei) the bistro refers to the fact that they have a restaurant attached to the bakery where they sell rather pricey German-style meals. The bakery itself is located entirely behind the counter, so it's not your typical self-service, tray and tong bakery (so why the ludicrous customer experience when ordering?). The selection consists of mostly whole grain healthy breads and brötchen and several pan-European baked goods, none of which can be considered exclusively German. Well, they sell pretzels. However, it is commendable that it's not one of these Chinese/European mash-ups I'm not too keen on; only the cakes/cream puffs are leaning towards typical Taiwanese flavours like taro and milk cream. Labels are in Chinese and English. 

I had the coffee walnut pastry ($66). Not the first thing I'd think of when it comes to German baked goods; however, it was the most unique and with its decadent icing and flaky, nut-filled dough, it definitely looked good. And despite the sticky plastic bag that ruined that icing, it was good. Plenty of big chunks of walnuts wound round with a little cinnamon topped with a creamy, extra flavourful coffee icing. The three - nuts, icing and dough - came together nicely; a little too sweet, I'll admit, and I would have liked the dough to be a little flakier/with some crunch, but notwithstanding their awkward and rather pointless (for takeout orders at any rate) precautionary measures, much better than the idea of "bistro" let on. ;)

Rating: ***