Here's the thing - I don't know how many foreigners are going to trek all the way to 新社, but this cafe is a major scam. I'm not saying the whole area is not worth it, just the cafe is waste of time and money.
The good: views are great, especially if you sit in the little no shoes area. The service is pretty good - everyone on the staff was very nice.
The bad: prices are ridiculously high; it's not "fine dining Michelin prices" but you're definitely paying Disney World prices. We ordered four dishes - the mushroom hotpot, the Italian noodles, the chicken & seafood risotto, and the beef bourguignon. The Italian noodles were, by far, the most egregiously disgusting thing I've eaten in Taiwan. A country known for delicious food and flavors shouldn't be associated with a dish this offensive. Terrible textures and flavors that didn't make any sense (wet lettuce and alfredo sauce? 🤨). The bourguignon was just bad - it wasn't offensive, it just wasn't good. The mushroom hot pot was the least offensive thing because it was just pretty traditional (although it wasn't necessarily good either). The risotto actually had a lot going for it - it combined some traditional Taiwanese flavors with the chicken and clams, and combined it with a fairly traditionally prepared dish. The risotto was cooked perfectly, and would've been actually perfect except for the biggest sin committed by this cafe:
Three out of the four dishes had lavender in them.
Look, I get it - you're reading this long comment from some 老外 and thinking "this arrogant jerk doesn't know what he's talking about". I DON'T THINK I'M CRAZY. You might say "oh, just because you're in a place where there's lavender flowers doesn't mean some chef thought it would be ideal to throw some in a savory dish..." because that would literally be insane right? Two other people at the table agreed. There is lavender in the savory food. It's not cute - it's disgusting and garish.
Again, not trying to be the 老外 that's giving off major Karen vibes - all I'm saying is that you (yes - you, the reader who has so graciously stuck through reading this saga) deserves a better meal. And one where you're not paying crazy prices for it. Because I'm sure you can agree that one of the worst things that can happen on vacation is eating a 1) bad meal that 2) costs a lot of money.
p.s. whoever invented this menu should be fired.
