Kashoseian [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Kashoseian (果匠正庵烘焙專職店)

Address: No. 54-1, Linyi Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 

Website: https://33222358bakery.business.site/

Style: Japanese/French 

Price: $$$   

Kashoseian is a tiny Japanese-inspired bakery with a French twist on an unassuming side street. Outside and in, it doesn't really look too daunting; actually, it's a bit of a disaster and, with the empty metal trays sitting off in one corner, stacks of boxes in every spare bit of space and the open-concept kitchen, you get the impression that you messed up and went through the back door or into a business that's not open to the public. Then you spot the prices. Ouch. Believe it or not, this was one of the most expensive spots I visited on my Taiwan trip. The selection is smaller than the bakery itself, with most shelf space being empty or containing one or two remaining items. Most items (except maybe the larger cake boxes) feature some sort of multi-deal, but as most had only singles left behind and you can't mix and match (I asked) even at the same price point, you feel like you're getting even more ripped off. 

So, admittedly, the trip to Kashoseian didn't start out good. I was the only customer and the only worker seemed done for the day and was only too happy to make sure I didn't take to my heels and run away. XD There were literally two individual sweet items left in the store and I had the choice between strawberry or chocolate. I took the strawberry white chocolate pastry ($70). This was, I hate to say it, so pretty and the dried strawberries, the fruit-rich white chocolate smelled - and tasted - amazing! You could taste the quality of the ingredients; however, there was one thing that I couldn't taste: the pastry itself. Given that this was a bakery and not a chocolate shop, it fell a little flat, simply because all you could really taste and feel was the chocolate. There was so little of the dough underneath that it added nothing to the chocolate in terms of taste (it had none) or texture. 

Rating: **1/2