Address: No.39, Alley 4, Lane 345, Sec. 4, Ren Ai Road, Taipei. 仁愛路4段345巷4弄39號
Telephone: 02-2752-1829
Hours: Tue-Fri: 11:00AM-9:00PM ; Sat-Sun 12:00PM-9:00PM
Website: http://www.facebook.com/TMPB39
As a child, I really don't remember ever hearing about, let alone tasting, a macaron. Wasn't dessert comprised of cakes, pies, cookies and candy? I'm certainly glad of new things in my life, but when did we become so inundated with options?
There are many new things that I could learn to live without, but I would definitely not put these colorful morsels anywhere near the top of the list. Macarons, and establishments like TM Patisseries & Bistro in general, have carved out an interesting place in society for themselves. Without question, these type of places are all over priced, but for some reason we keep getting sucked in because of our love for pretty things made out of sugar.
It really just goes with what I said in my previous posts about everything going towards what people are perceiving as fancy, but in reality it really is just a synonym with 'this is going to cost you a lot of money and you will still be hungry.' This really has nothing to do with TM Patisserie & Bistro per say, its just more of a thought about the growing list of these sorts of establishments both when dealing with desserts and all manners of food.
There are many new things that I could learn to live without, but I would definitely not put these colorful morsels anywhere near the top of the list. Macarons, and establishments like TM Patisseries & Bistro in general, have carved out an interesting place in society for themselves. Without question, these type of places are all over priced, but for some reason we keep getting sucked in because of our love for pretty things made out of sugar.
It really just goes with what I said in my previous posts about everything going towards what people are perceiving as fancy, but in reality it really is just a synonym with 'this is going to cost you a lot of money and you will still be hungry.' This really has nothing to do with TM Patisserie & Bistro per say, its just more of a thought about the growing list of these sorts of establishments both when dealing with desserts and all manners of food.
There really does seem to be an ever expanding list of these type of sleek, cool, and cute dessert places. But another reality is that obviously there is a market for them if they can keep finding the patrons to not only stay open but thrive. TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) offers the customary assortment of brightly colored macarons. My friend pointed out as we walked in that perhaps they were slightly TOO colorful, as if they came out of Willy Wonka's worst nightmare. I thought that the coloring drew the eye, but I also believe that a point was made that they almost looked like they were dipped in florescent paint.
It is a nice little space that will seat roughly 18-20 patrons.
Lunch Time specialty sets.
Let me be honest here, I have an uncontrollable sweet tooth. There are those that walk the Earth that can abstain from sweets, but I'd like to think that those people are either short a few taste buds or really just robots sent to observe humanity. So it is a little difficult for me to be critical of things when they are essentially sugar parading around in disguises.
With that said however, you begin to notice the quality of things after a while. You can like everything, but still be able to differentiate between what you liked more. This is basically what I have been forced to learn to do, since I enjoy most things placed in front of my face.
TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel)'s macarons are something that I perfectly enjoyed and would eat non stop, but through sheer endless gluttony, I realized that there are better options out there for this delectable treat.
The look of the macarons we have already covered, but I found them to be too dense and slightly on the hard side of the spectrum. Whether this was by design or having been kept in the cooler for too long I don't know, but it was an issue when it came to consumption.
A gripe of my friend's was that the macarons were dense in the spots that were suppose to be airy, and airy in the spots that were meant to be dense. While I didn't find this an issue at all, perhaps for the macaron connoisseur, It is really something worth griping about.
Still, I would pop these like a sleeve of oreos all day every day if given the option. Its just that I've had better, and when it comes to the good things in life, its all a matter of degrees.
Part of the lunch set. Three macarons, a dessert option, panna cotta and a drink for 360NT.
I found the other desserts to be much more enjoyable. The lemon tart (120NT) was well.....lemony and tarty. It wasn't overly sweet, and the crust was well done and I found it to be understated in its flavor yet very enjoyable. The chocolate cake and other desserts were really all very well done. Like the lemon tart, they were not overly sweet and cloying like how some desserts can be after a few bites.
TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) also offers a few savory dishes that you can order to give your taste buds a little reprieve from all the sweetness. They range from 290NT to 880NT for the Prime Angus Tenderloin Steak.
As I looked at the prices for the savory dishes, I realized that they were of course on the pricey side, but that's okay as long as the portion is acceptable and the flavors were good. On this trip I only gave the Chicken Pasta a go. I thought it was very lovely to look at, and the colors of the pasta and the chicken really made it very appetizing based on appearance alone. After tasting it, I found the dish to be slightly over seasoned and a bit too salty. I thought the chicken and the pasta were both made really well, but the issue was in the seasoning of the entree.
It is a very small kitchen so the food takes a while to prepare, so be aware of that before you decide to give everything a try on the menu. TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) also of course comes equipped with all manners of libations, both alcoholic and not.
I feel like these sorts of bistro/dessert places are judged a lot based on their macarons. It's invariably what people bring up first, and really helps get people through the doors. But of course there is much more to making a fantastic patisserie.
While TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) might come up just a bit short in their execution of their macarons (at least on this day), the other treats were exactly that, a treat to eat and take in visually. Judging the savory dishes on one solitary item might not be fair (although there were only 7 options), but I'll go out and say that its more than likely that the other dishes will be well prepared albeit definitely lacking in the important price to quantity ratio.
Without a doubt TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel)'s is a charming little spot to get together with a few friends and have a few treats, but there are definitely better options out there when it comes to the space and the food.
Overall TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) Receives:
-Til Next Time-
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