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Café Bastille 23, Lane 40, TaiShun St. Tel: (02) 2369-9728 Hours: 11 am-12 pm, Fri/Sat 11 am-2 am Visa and Mastercard accepted. Smoking Section.

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--By Claire Tyrrell Translated by Uvia Chang

Cafe Bastille is one of those wonderful hybrids of upmarket coffee shop and bar. As the name suggests, it is truly reminiscent of a French bistro, though the wide range of beers is more indicative of its Belgian counterpart.
The nature of the cafe/bar set-up also makes it extremely convenient to move effortlessly between afternoon coffee with friends and an evening out without even having to move! You can even eat, with a small, but inviting, food/tapas menu on offer. And, despite its slightly upmarket feel, the prices are in fact very down-to-earth: all main meals are NT$170, coffees range from NT$70 to NT$130 and teas are up to NT$150.

But, let's face it, on an evening out, it is the fridge stocked high with Belgian beers that's the center of attention, and I myself stood there for some time indecisive. The well-known Chimays, Duvel and Hoegaarden make an appearance (NT$170), but other less-familiar offerings include Kapittel, Maredsons and Witcap ... in fact a seemingly endless list of ales, trappist ales and abbey ales (most NT$170-190). You can also give fruit beers a go. I can vouch for the quality of many of these beers although, with some containing an alcoholic content as high as 10 to 11 percent, I couldn't quite remember which ones I rated highest.
The rest of the drinks menu comprises of a short cocktail list, a Bordeaux red wine (NT$390/350cc) and a table white (NT$450/750cc).

The atmosphere is created by a tasteful selection of music, loud enough to make a presence but not so loud as to intrude on the boisterous chatter that eminates from the groups of friends enjoying time out from fast-paced Taipei. Situated in ShiDa, it's in the perfect location to move on to a place that will carry you through to the wee hours of the morning, too.