Once
again, I was off to visit another maid café in Taiwan, but this time I had a
willing otome friend to accompany me!
And don’t get me wrong, it is just as fun to go off on adventures with
otakus, but there is just something so relaxing about drinking tea and chatting
about anime with a friend who doesn’t mind gushing about bishies!
Well,
after a trek through the subway (and through a few alleys~ my sense of
direction is terrible!), we arrived at our destination hungry and ready to
sample some anime-influenced food. ^_^
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| Browsing Fatimaid's menu . . . |
The café – Fatimaid
Location – Actually, if you have a good
sense of direction (I do not, hence, the reason I got lost) the café is very
easy to find. It is right next to exit
Y13 at Taipei Main Station. When you
exit the underground mall, just walk straight ahead and Fatimaid is on the
second floor.
Atmosphere – The inside of the café is set
up to feel like an elegant dining room, complete with chandelier hanging from
the ceiling and gauzy curtains softening any sunlight shining in. There are also a few bookshelves filled with
manga and various anime/manga collectibles.
(I also noticed a strong bias towards One Piece in those collectibles,
but I know how popular One Piece is in Taiwan right now . . . sigh . .
.) Guests are more than welcome to grab
a manga (they even had some in English!!) to while away the short wait for
their meal.
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| My delicious sandwich ^_^ |
Cuisine – My friend (who I affectionately
think of as Mrs. Ace because she loves Portgas D. Ace from One Piece) ordered
the omelette and when it was delivered our maid asked us what she’d like to
have written on it. For a minute both of
us were surprised at the question, but then I quickly piped up, “One Piece” and
Mrs. Ace happily nodded her consent.
I ordered a sandwich, which came promptly
to the table with my tea. It tasted
quite good (although I did feel the food was better at Good Smile Café) and
I really liked the drawing they had done in ketchup on the plate. If only I could draw so well! The food also wasn’t too expensive. If you’d like a peek at their menu it is up
on their website.
The service – The maid costumes at Fatimaid
are adorable and all the waitresses are in character from the moment you step
through the door! *^_^* Although you have to pay to take a picture with the
maids, it might be worth it considering how cute they are. It did take some getting used to being called
‘mistress’ in Mandarin, but even those simple phrases added to the elegance of
the café. The only one drawback was that
the Mandarin they used was so formal I had some trouble understanding. (Making me feel somewhat uncouth with my
‘daily conversation’ Mandarin! >.<) Still, the level of cuteness was
high, and the maids were very friendly and more than happy to help us take
pictures of everything (but themselves, of course).
After finishing our meals and tea, Mrs. Ace
and I browsed the collectibles, commented on the manga, and bid our ‘maids’
adieu. We both agreed it is was a very
enjoyable way to pass the afternoon and headed off to our next destination –
the underground mall for some anime and manga shopping.
It is difficult to compare
Fatimaid with Good Smile Café because the themes are a bit different even
though they are both maid cafés. I would
say if you want more of an anime feel, Good Smile Café is the place for you, but
if you want to feel like a princess, Fatimaid is the way to go. So what do you like more: feeling like you
are in an anime? Or feeling like a
princess (or prince, as the case may be)? As my usually indecisive self, I
choose both!! See you next time for a
post on shopping for anime and manga in Taipei! Ja ne!!
