French Windows British Teahouse 琺蘭綺瑥朵英式茶餐館 — Restaurant in Xinyi District

Horribly overpriced and terrible tasting food, with many reviews likely to have been faked Despite attempts to position themselves as a high-end restaurant, the standard of food was sadly nowhere near where they perceive themselves to be. I left the restaurant feeling utterly disappointed, and to a large extent, cheated after paying ~3,000 NTD for 3 people for such terribly mediocre food that i could probably have gotten somewhere else at way better quality and perhaps only a small fraction of the price.

My experience with the food:

I ordered a glass of ice chocolate for close to 200 NTD, and it was most definitely regular packaged chocolate drink. In fact, all guests were forced to order overpriced drinks if they were to order food, and this ice chocolate option was already the cheapest on the menu. There rest were merely twinnings tea which were horribly overpriced.

Next, i also tried the signature pasta that was strongly recommended by the waiter, but had to spit it out after the first bite as it was akin to eating a mounting spoonful of black pepper. I do not understand how a plate of pasta can be ruined this badly. The dish was promptly returned to the restaurant.

I also tried a plate of supposed egg benedicts toast which costed about NTD 600 but the egg was literally hard boiled and cheap turkey ham was used.

Lastly, the "award-winning" waffles were dry, bland, tough and coated with cheap chocolate sauce. I struggled to even swallow a single piece without chugging water along with it.

I usually do not leave nasty reviews even if the food is bad (this is my first in fact). However, considering the significant price tag, the wall of white-washed reviews, and the uncomfortable feeling of having been cheated, i have decided to do so to warn others to stay far far away from this place.

Strongly do NOT recommend. If you happen to read this comment, please do not trust any of the 5 star comments.

Thank you for...

A Truly Atrocious Experience – Don’t Be Fooled by Fake Reviews

If you’re looking for a place to spend an obscene amount of money on terrible food, glacially slow service, and some of the worst decor I’ve ever seen, look no further than French Windows.

From start to finish, the experience was an absolute disaster. After placing our order, we waited over an hour for food that was subpar, to say the least. And if you think they might make up for it with a nice cup of tea, think again – not only did it take an additional hour to arrive, but it also cost a jaw-dropping 500 NT. For a single cup of tea! I’ve been to fine-dining establishments around the world, and even in the most upscale locations, a 500 NT tea had better come with gold flakes and impeccable service. Here, it came with neither.

The decor was another tragedy in itself – tacky, mismatched, and garish. The place looks like someone with no sense of taste whatsoever threw together whatever cheap elements they could find. It felt like a parody of fine dining, and the attempt to create a ‘French’ atmosphere was laughable and borderline insulting.

On top of all this, the entire establishment felt woefully understaffed. Each interaction with the staff took ages, as if they were either untrained or simply overwhelmed. And judging by the few people working and the countless tables, it’s likely the latter.

With over 5,500 reviews averaging 4.8 stars, it’s clear to me that these glowing reviews are suspect at best. My experience was undeniably dreadful – no redeeming factors whatsoever. Save your money, time, and dignity and avoid French Windows...

The waiter - Tony and his service is a confirmed full 5 stars. However, unfortunately the food is only of average. The pasta is not al dente not chewy and a bit stickily dry, guessing the noodle shall be cooked with salty water in less time and shall be added more butter/olive oil to remain the texture and moisture. The flat bread and risotto are okay, nth special and nth wrong. The creamy truffle mushroom soup was also a bit disappointing since there were still some little flour agglomeration/ clotting sitting at the bottom of the bowl, seemingly the white sauce was not stirred up completely. The meat on the other side were cooked quite well. The minimum order for each person is one drink. The hot chocolate seems to be only of Swiss Miss, the only fruit vinegar beverage was considered over diluted. Credit card is unavailable if not ordered over NT$3,000. Overall it is a okay place for dinner, yet the cost/ performance is not as...