True From Café | WABISABI

—

True From Café is located in an alley of Bade Road, Taipei city. The exterior of the Café is pure white in color with clean windows; however, around the corner of the Café, there is an old wooden door at the back that goes to True From 2.0.

This 26.4 square meter private space at the back of the Café was formerly an office space for chūxiàng Design until January 2021, when designer Tseng Kuo-Feng moved out. The space had no intended use and could be used as a grocery shop or private kitchen. Just in time, a chef needed a space to start a restaurant business, and True From Café also needed to add savory food to its menu, so the space began to have a primary purpose.

The space is designed from the perspective of a private kitchen, with no name or logo on the exterior and only a square window to reveal the light source, reflecting the restaurant's privacy. The wooden door opens to reveal a small, warm and sedate interior with dim lighting. As opposed to the layout in the former office, many wood elements have been added to the ceiling, walls and flooring. The walls are composed of solid wood panels stained with darker colors, the ceiling is made of cut and assembled plywood, and engineered flooring is applied. The combination of various wooden elements and beige paint presents a Japanese aesthetic, but in fact the tables, chairs, windows and props add a touch of Taiwanese character and warmth to the room. As the kitchen appliances move in, the restaurant becomes more completed.

As the Designer Tseng has worked in the space for a while, the design of the windows is related to the direction of sunlight. A large window is retained above the main door, and the corridor to the left of the entrance also gets the light into the room with a semi-walled window. The corridor door is lit by watermarked glass, while the kitchen is lit by six iridescent windows that open up towards the corridor to bring in the light, making it bright and comfortable without turning on the lights during the day. At night, the bar is lit by low light to create a relaxed urban corner to enjoy food and drinks while chatting. The centre island at the bar area is made of stainless steel with a concrete tile surface at the bottom, where the materials are used to mix the warm and cool tone of the space. We have used the shelves left over from before and added new hanging cabinets above to suit the needs.

"Don't you think it's cozy? Haha!" the designer laughs as the interview is about to end. In fact, when you come to this hidden and intriguing place, the space is warm without being crowded, with a shimmering light that takes the pressure away from you. It's worth a first visit after work, with food and atmosphere to soothe your stomach, making a perfect end to a busy day.

初訪True From咖啡館位於台北八德路巷弄裡，店門外觀純白簡潔、窗明几淨，但是繞過店面的轉角，後方座落著一道顏色陳舊的木門，通往初訪2.0。這處位在咖啡店後方，大約8坪的隱密空間，前身是初向設計的辦公地點，直到2021年1月設計師曾國峰遷離之後才騰出使用，原先無預設用途，可為選物店抑或私廚，然適逢廚師朋友需要一處空間發展餐廳計畫，初訪咖啡店也同時需要在菜單上增加鹹食，因而讓此處開始有了核心目的。

空間遂由私廚角度出發，外觀沒有店名，也沒有Logo，只有一扇方窗隱約透露光源，刻意不讓人一眼看盡的設計呼應餐廳隱密感。開啟木門，室內以幽微燈光呈現小而溫馨的沈澱感，相較前身辦公室的配置，此次添加許多木頭元素於天花板、牆面與地板，牆面使用實木板染深，天花板為夾板切割拼組，地坪則為海島型木地板，多重木質元素搭配米色塗料呈現看似日式的風格美學，實則上隨著桌椅與門窗道具的擺設揉合出些許台式味道，增添溫度，在隨著廚房電器用具徐徐進駐後，餐廳樣貌也越趨完整。

因為之前曾經在此處辦公一段時間，設計師曾國峰提到空間窗口的設計都與陽光走向有關，大門上方保留一道大方窗，進門左側廊道也以牆窗各半的比例牽引光線至室內，廊道門片以水紋玻璃透光，廚房旁則以六扇虹條玻璃窗，朝廊道推開向內引光，白天時刻，不開燈也能敞亮舒適，入夜後以低限度光源營造邊享用美食邊聊天的都市放鬆角落。吧台區以不鏽鋼材質為中島檯面，底部表面貼水泥磁磚，以材料調劑空間冷暖色澤比例，除了沿用之前留下的層架，上方也增加新吊櫃以符合使用需求。

「不覺得很溫馨嗎？哈哈」設計師在採訪即將完結之際笑談，的確，來到此處隱密幽微、引人好奇的巷弄空間，實際入內，絲毫不感擁簇的溫暖空間，藉由微光讓人卸下壓力，值得都會人士下班後來一趟初訪，以美食與氛圍撫慰五臟廟，為忙碌的一天完美收尾。