Puffee

(06) 275-8999
173, ShengLi Rd., Tainan City
Hours:9:30 am-11:30 pm

Puffee -- the name is derived from "puff" and "coffee" -- is a smart new establishment that opened near National Chengkung University about three months ago. As well as having a great location, it has great coffee, and pastries and cakes that are a cut above average. I ordered the 'NT$88 super meal set' which gave me a bit of a saving on a NT$50 latte and a NT$50 coffee-flavored mousse cake. Generally, I'm not a fan of coffee-shop cakes, but this one surprised me with its richness. The worker told me the cakes and mousses here are the result of a collaboration between a five-star chef and their own chef. The puffs come in two varieties, crispy (NT$30) and pastry (NT$35). Coffees also come in two varieties; Illy beans (NT$65-80) and Puffee beans (NT$40-55). Milk and fruit teas are NT$35 to NT$55. The first floor has a bar and a couple of tables on the sidewalk; the second floor is very light and open, with plenty of seating and free wireless Internet access included in the NT$45 minimum charge. The staff can deliver orders over NT$250.

--By Richard Matheson, translated by Annie Liu