Taipei City - Campus Cafe

Value for money: 6/10

Cleanliness: 6/10

Service: 5/10

Quality of food: 7/10

Overall: 6/10

Instagram has been blowing up with pictures of Campus Cafe over the past few months, with waiting times for a table 30mins+

Make sure you book in advance - 02 2751 6021

Inside is what I expected, really. But not in a bad way at all. Inside, there is a relaxed feel with lots of soft chairs and an open plan.

Not really into watching TV when I am eating out at a restaurant, with that being said, if they showed some sport I would totally come for that.

There aren't any particularly special beers here, these ones you can find at pretty much any restaurant around Taipei.

Sandwich station

How good does that Oreo Cheesecake look??

I find it a bit strange how any restaurant, quite frankly, can only accept cash.

So what does this mean? This means that 1. You clean up after yourself, 2. No service charge, 3. They turn-around tables better = win win.

I'll be back with my burger brain plugged in to find out if this sign rings true or not. But, it's going to have to go some to beat Bing's Burgers

The Menu

What we ordered:

1. Smoked salmon and sweet potato salad (small) 

$180

2. Grilled chicken penne w/ pesto cream sauce 

$200

3. Mexican jalapeno and garlic chicken fettucini 

$200

4. Philly steak panini with fries 

$250

1. Smoked salmon and sweet potato salad (small) 

$180

How it came ^

Inside the center there was a mashed, cold, sweet potato. The salad was fairly decent, and for Taiwan, that isn't a common occurance. Often Taiwanese tend to turn any vegetable or salad into cooked dishes, so it's good to find a salad every now and then that is worth coming back for - this one is. Even for a small, it is plenty big enough for one person.

2. Grilled chicken penne w/ pesto cream sauce 

$200

Strikingly green, right?

Don't be one of those that complains about the measly amount of cheese on the top - it is just for decoration. Decent chunks of chicken breast scatter the bowl of this green pesto penne dish. It isn't going to wow you for flavour, but it does a decent enough job for a dried pasta.

3. Mexican jalapeno and garlic chicken fettucini 

$200

In contrast, this is a lot drier than the pesto penne above.

Again, there are enough chicken pieces and vegetables in here for me to walk away feeling happily healthy, but it isn't going to live long in the memory. Not like the pasta in Bencotto does.

4. Philly steak panini with fries 

$250

Probably the best thing of the night, was the Philly Steak pannini.

Plenty of well seasoned meat and cheese were crammed inside this pannini (more like a toastie, if you ask me), accompanied by chips (fries) and salad. Avoid those awful cornichons, onions and olives in the bowl, and also avoid the disgustingly fruity salad dressing. But, I am fairly confident in saying that devouring the rest will come fairly easily.

* I didn't take a pic of the Matcha latte*

BUT

I want to talk about their cleanliness in its preparation... It was served at the end of our meal - fine. However, it was served in quite a visibly dirty mug - not fine. In addition, when we sent it back, instead of seeing it and making a new one they proceeded to try and rub the dirt off (very not fine!) and bring it back to us. Little did they know that my eagle-like eyes miss nothing!  

As I saw them doing this, they noticed me watching and quickly disposed of the mug, making us a fresh one. This gets some serious points deducted as far as I am concerned. As, if I hadn't noticed it, we would have been drinking from a dirty mug...

Remember to clean up after yourself when you are finished! I am a big fan of this!

Our bill:

Really, for 4 people dining in a place like this, I think it isn't too bad at all. We all walked away satisfied.

Opening Times:

Sunday - Thursday

11:00 - 23:00

Friday - Saturday

11:00 - 00:00

Tel:

02 2751 6021

Cash Only

Campus Cafe's Website

Campus Cafe on Facebook

Campus Cafe on Instagram

台北市大安區忠孝東路3段203號

No. 203, ZhongXiao East Road, Section 3, DaAn District, Taipei City.

Happy eating!