何道明 Douglas Habecker
When I visited this classy, intimate-feeling cocktail bar, I was immediately surprised to discover it was opened by a young Singaporean couple, Tim Ang and YY Lai. The road leading them to open (we)GoodLife in November 2022 included a Singaporean friend with a Taichung bar (Vender) and a desire to pursue new horizons and dreams. Tim, who worked 8-9 years as a bartender back home, says the goal was to create a friendly, easygoing environment where customers can be themselves. Highlighted with wood, leather, greenery and subdued lighting, the interior is a comfortable tropical oasis with seating for 32 at tables and a small bar.
A dozen signature house cocktails (NT$388) showcase Tim’s skills and his focus on making innovative non-traditional drinks with modern techniques and equipment, innovative syrups and other elements. Each is named after key ingredients and/or flavors, as Tim jokes he’s too lazy to create special names. A big hit is Mushroom & Figs, an Old Fashioned style drink made with shiitake mushroom-infused brandy, figs, blueberries, artichoke and Earl Grey, mixed and stored in a beeswax-coated bottle for a week, resulting in an exceptionally smooth, mellow drink.
The Pandan “Cake” cocktail is described by Tim as a “fruit tart that had a baby with a pandan cake”, mixing pandan cake distillate, passion fruit and orange for a fruity, sour/tart flavor and very long, cakey dessert finish that isn’t cloying. Other inviting cocktails include Mango & Coconut, Gummy Bears & Amla, and Five Spice & Apple, and the bar is happy to mix up bespoke and classic cocktails and mocktails. There is also Asahi Super Dry Beer (NT$158), red wine, well-known whiskies and other spirits.
Creative international-style food options mix Taiwanese, Asian and western ingredients. The popular “Chilli” Fries (NT$150) are made with Taiwanese braised pork, Chinese “lao gan ma” chilis and mayo, and best-selling Carbonara Fried Noodles (NT$190) top Indonesian Indomie instant noodles with a homemade cream sauce and spice mix, cheese and bacon. Other offerings include Truffle Mushroom Risotto (NT$250), a Korean Fried Chicken Burger (NT$250), Fried Twix Bars (NT$120), and a Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream Sandwich.
(04) 2301-0095
Hours: 7 pm-2:30 am (closed Thu); last drink order 1:30 am
Credit cards accepted. 10% service charge. Minimum NT$400/person bill.
3, Lane 99, Taiwan Blvd, Sec 2, West Dist
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