Time to continue traveling again! This time, I will stay in another Japanese style hotel, which is also a hotel chain group having many hotels around the world, even in Ho Chi Minh city. Before checking into the hotel, I went to the Taiwanese coffee shop first because the room was not ready yet. The area I stay is 中山區, which is very famous for luxurious hotels, Japanese customers, department stores, and tons of cafe. Because it is very close to Taipei Main station, this area is the first developed area in the past, a very busy business center.

森高砂咖啡館, kind of like old-style Japanese coffee shop, but offers special Taiwanese coffee. I tried their whisky-steamed latte and a small salad. The coffee was separate to 2 cups, one for black coffee and the other for latte. It has a light taste of whisky, not so strong. The salad was because I was too hungry, need to get something to eat before the afternoon tea set. The salad was normal, but the waiter suggests me to come try their set menu the next time. The overall quality is not bad, but just the price is not cheap at all though.

After the coffee shop, I went to finish doing my stuff in the hospital and went to the chocolate shop my sister recommended. Yu Chocolatier, a small shop inside the residential area. It has many kinds of bonbon chocolate with special flavors made by local ingredients, such as Yilan whisky, plum, pistachio, etc. They also have cakes, from pure bitter chocolate to sweet chocolate mousse cake, as well as lemon tart. On the counter, there are several room temperature desserts such as orange peel chocolate sticks, chocolate pound cake, almond chocolate. This time I did takeaway because they haven’t open up the dinning seats. Before I left Taiwan I came here again and dine in. In total, I tried a chocolate cake, lemon tart, some bonbon chocolate, almond chocolate, pound cake and hot chocolate. I love lemon tart and almond chocolate the most. It is very funny to order lemon tart in a chocolatier, but that was how my sister suggests, and she also loves it after I said it tastes good. As for the chocolate drink, well, I have to say, as long as it is chocolate with milk and sugar, I really can’t tell how the quality of chocolate affects the taste because they all taste so good!

Finally, it is the time for the afternoon tea set! I got a free Japanese style afternoon tea set because I bought the package deal together with the room. It was a fancy 3-layer Japanese bento box set. It looks very beautiful, but it tastes just okay. There are several luxurious hotels in Taipei famous not just for their hotel quality but also their restaurants. Like the Sheraton hotel, the Regent hotel, the FarEastern hotels all have famous and indeed worth recommendation restaurants inside hotels. But I think definitely not this Royal-Nikko hotel. Compared to this hotel, the new JR-East Japanese hotel has much better quality about the food! But anyway, this is a complimentary tea set, I have nothing to complain about it.

After the afternoon tea, I checked into to my room. This time the sofa area near the window is a bit tiny, but still acceptable. I didn’t take many photos this time because the room is just like a normal business hotel, clean and tidy. After a short rest I went to their gym. There are some rules about using the gym because of the Covid-19. But the manager there let me use it as much as I want because they have no other customers. He even gave me more water because he saw me work out very hard and do GRIT outside the room, haha. He must feel I am a crazy woman.

Needless to say, I must go get good protein after the big exercise! I chose a shabu-shabu place, trying not to eat too heavy or oily food because it was pretty late. I was the only single customer there because this shabu-shabu place is a famous Michelin star restaurant. Not many people come here alone. But they offered my the counter seat, and I don’t mind eating alone, I feel its okay. (I know many people are scared to go to a restaurant alone, but not me, I can even go to a French restaurant alone haha)

As I said before, I feel safe to have seafood in Taiwan. So I ordered the seafood set. The ingredients are so amazing. I can tell it is so fresh because the scallop was still moving on the plate. The waiter basically cooked everything and cut the meat for me, yes they even took out the shrimp meat for me. That is why eating here is expensive and for expensive restaurants, people usually come here for an occasion, not like me, just walk in and want to have good protein after workout haha. Well I have to thank my dad for offering a life without worrying about money though.

On the way to this restaurant, I was talking to my sister. My sister actually said I am crazy to go to this restaurant because they have another cheaper branch, because that branch doesn’t offer the service like that one. But that branch is way too far, and when I paid, we found out it was actually not so expensive as she expected though. As long as it is close to my hotel, its fine~

I had a good dinner and I felt satisfied. I always biked back to the hotel as an after-dinner workout so I don’t feel so full before going to sleep. I can feel Autumn is coming on the way back. The weather is cooling, but quite comfortable. I went back to my room, looking at the wide bed and started to think, although sometimes these hotels have some small defect like the food in the restaurant was just okay, the good thing about these luxurious hotels is their beds are always very comfortable and soft!!! I love it, especially after a long active day. GOOD NIGHT!