TAIWAN FUN MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2002. VOL.2 ISSUE 2
　

Hua Pu (Canvas) Cafe

2, Alley 6, Lane 38, Tai Shun St.
Tel: (02) 2362-8981
Hours: 6-11pm weekdays, 1-11 pm weekends
(group reservations accepted weekday afternoons)

Let's face it. Taipei is a busy, hectic city. Wouldn't it be great to find a little corner of quiet just to escape for a while? There is such a place, in a small lane behind the Shi Da (National Taiwan Normal University) Night Market. From the outside, it doesn't look like anything special but the inside offers an inviting, leisurely atmosphere. The owner and his wife are both painters, hence the name "Canvas". It is their hope that customers will think of this place as their emotional canvas, where they can come to paint a new sense of peace.

Canvas opened eight years ago and was built to look like a building set in a Japanese garden combined with simple European decorative touches. The interior--including the floor, tables and chairs--is decorated in wood. The owner's paintings hang on the walls, illuminated by soft lighting. As in many coffee shops and teahouses, books and magazines are displayed and available for customers to peruse. Canvas serves herbal teas, including rose hips and chamomile. Other beverages include coffee, black tea and milk tea (all NT$150 each). Homemade cookies and cheesecake are available for an additional NT$50. -by Yiu Wen-ying