[UNDER RENOVATION] Healthy & Fresh Mimosa Brunch at élément
It’s no secret that we love living in Taipei, but one of the few things we would change about the city is the overall lack of day drinking. Be it boozy brunch or afternoon cocktails, it’s a huge bummer that more people don’t celebrate the weekend with a cheeky alcoholic beverage or two. Enter élément: a breezy, European-style brunch place that serves our very favourite brunch cocktail (among others), the mimosa. We first heard about this place on one of the other Taipei food blogs, and couldn’t wait to try it out.
As luck would have it, we visited on a sunny weekend morning that was just begging to be ruined by alcohol and bad decisions. We were easily able to get a table without a reservation and immediately consulted the menu. Cocktails, check.
Our first round was a mimosa ($250) and a rose berry sparkling wine ($250). The mimosa was really well made: delicious orange juice paired with just the right amount of sparkling wine. We loved it. It was genuinely the perfect addition to our morning. We were ever so slightly less impressed with the rose berry sparkling wine, but this was mostly because the mimosa had been so good that it set our expectations quite high. This cocktail was also tasty — the rose was understated but still there, and the berries gave it a nice, rounded flavour.
élément’s brunches come as a set, which includes bread and nuts to start with, fresh fruit, orange juice, french fries, a yogurt parfait, and coffee or tea. These things all arrived before our brunch (with the exception of the coffee — ask to have it first, if you’d prefer) and were a very welcome accompaniment to our cocktails. The brunch wasn’t exactly cheap, but it felt like a much better deal considering all of these things were included. It also took a little longer for the main dishes to come out (the restaurant is run by two owners, who do everything by themselves), but since we had all of this to keep us busy, we really didn’t mind.
Our first order was brunch set A ($420), which consisted of a salad bowl with avocado, a fried egg, a spicy corn mix, a sweet and spicy tomato mix, quinoa, and edamame. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was delicious. Every part of this bowl was seasoned perfectly so that it burst with flavour, and despite being a lighter dish we felt very satisfied after finishing it. This was an excellent, healthy brunch option that we would gladly order again.
Our next order was brunch set B ($380), another excellent salad bowl that was slightly heartier than the first, but still fantastic. It came with a soft boiled egg, quinoa, cucumbers, delicious baked chickpeas, and sautéed mushrooms. We would also order this one again.
After keeping it light for the first two dishes, we decided to indulge a little bit for our last choice, the French toast ($340). We chose this because we saw the table across from us order it, and all notions of healthy eating went out of the window. Still, we weren’t sure if it was one of those things that looked better than it actually was… Until we tried it. Guys, it was brilliant. Served with the freshest, sweetest seasonal fruit, fantastic vanilla ice cream, and toasted flaked almonds, this French toast blew our minds with how delicious it was. The toast itself was dense and moist, without being overly sweet or heavy. We could easily have ordered another right after fishing it — it was that good. Highly recommend.
Ready for another round of drinks, we decided to get a pitcher of sangria ($480) to round off our dining experience. To our disappointment, we didn’t fall in love with this as much as we had the other cocktails, although it was passable. We did enjoy that you could share the pitcher with friends, but would recommend sticking to the mimosas.
Overall, we really enjoyed our brunch at élément — the food, cocktails (aside from the sangria), and service were all wonderful, and we would definitely return. It was interesting to us that we were the only foreigners there, and as far as we could see, the only people drinking. This made the atmosphere a little less suitable for being tipsy, but it really wasn’t a problem. It’s been a while since we’ve been, and we’re looking forward to returning for more!
Check out their full menu here:
What’s the vibe?
Very pretty, faux-European style restaurant run by two lovely guys. The customers were mostly ladies or couples on dates when we went.
Worth it?
Yes! It’s not a cheap spot, but the food and drinks were delicious, and we felt like we got our money’s worth with everything that came included in the set.
Would you go back?
Absolutely! We can already hear the mimosas calling our names.
Last visited: June 2019.
| élément |
| Chinese Name: 原蔬 |
| Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs 12pm – 9:30pm Fri 12pm – 10pm Sat 11am – 10pm Sun 11am – 9:30pm Closed Tuesdays |
| Phone: 02 2703 1099 |
| English Address: No. 21, Lane 408, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, Da'an District, Taipei City |
| Chinese Address: 台北市大安區仁愛路四段408巷21號 |
