Breakfast is downstairs. Il Limone, on the ground floor — the sign at its entrance is lettered in a flowing, elegant hand, with a bouquet of yellow flowers set beside it. Before you even step inside, the morning already feels bright.
Push the door open and you face a whole wall of floor-to-ceiling glass, with the trees of Calligraphy Greenway beyond. Pendant lamps hang one by one from the ceiling — dark shades, white light — and the seats run along the windows, so the morning light comes straight in and settles on the tables.
We sat down to a table already set: cutlery with fine engraving on the handles, four little jars of jam on a white plate, a small lidded crystal pot beside them, and a single orange flower. The menu, a dark green booklet, lay within reach.
The Menu First
The chef's selections on the menu number just two, and both are eggs. One is the signature eggs Benedict — a poached egg on an English muffin, with smoked salmon and hollandaise. The other is an omelette, whole egg or egg white as you please, filled with ham, cheese, onion, mushrooms, sweet peppers and tomato.
Another page is devoted to drinks, and the teas are taken seriously. The Taiwan tea sommelier's selection offers Longjing green tea from Sanxia, Jin Xuan oolong from Shanlinxi, and a honey-scented black tea from Yuchi, Taiwan Tea No. 18. The herbal garden has South African bourbon vanilla rooibos and chamomile; the European teas are TWG's English Breakfast, Earl Grey and chocolate black tea. Coffees run from lattes and cappuccinos to a Sicilian coffee, and single-origin beans are available if you ask. (A small note for fellow tea lovers: the menu lists a "honey-scented black tea, Taiwan Tea No. 18" — but No. 18's cultivar name is actually Ruby, with its faint notes of cinnamon and mint; "honey-scented" describes a different style altogether, so it is worth telling them apart when you order.)
A Circuit of the Counters
The counters are extensive; best to walk a full circuit before deciding what to eat.
First comes the salad counter — one long run of counter with ingredients laid out one by one in glass boxes: green beans, red peppers, beetroot, baby corn and more, ready to compose your own; whole fruits are set behind them. At the front of the counter stands a row of empty wine glasses and juices, and the breakfast sparkling wine sits chilling at this end.
There are also several ready-dressed salads — melon with ham, asparagus, mushrooms, baby corn — and a row of glass bowls below holding four or five more, each with its own tongs set in front.
Along the wall on the other side of the long counter are the cold cuts and cheeses. A whole platter of smoked salmon lies generously filled, with small bowls of capers and other accompaniments beside it; above are cheeses and crackers, and the next section holds cut watermelon, pineapple and melon.
The ham is carved to order. A red Berkel slicer stands right on the counter; the slices are layered on a white plate, their edges marbled with fat, and a small sign beside the machine warns that the blade is sharp — please don't try it yourself.
The drinks are on a counter at the other end — four dispensers in a row: Il Limone infused water, orange juice, kiwi juice and grapefruit juice, each labelled at the front. On the shelf behind, bottles of sparkling wine stand in a line.
The sparkling wine is an Italian Piccini, chilling in a silver bucket, the glasses already lined up beside it; next to them are carrot juice and a bottle of apple-and-cucumber smoothie. Pick up a bottle and its surface is beaded all over with icy condensation.
In a corner of the restaurant, a small round table serves as a display for the sparkling wine: an ice bucket and bottles arranged on top, and two wine glasses filled to the brim with corks. Il Limone is open in the evenings too, and this corner simply stays dressed like this — a small scene within the restaurant.
The Japanese breakfast has its own section — rice, miso soup and small bowls set out together, red-and-black lacquer bowls stacked to one side, and flowers at the very centre of the counter here too: yellow and white, the colours of sunflowers.
The Taiwanese hot dishes are at the far end: tea eggs soaking in dark braising liquid, a pot of braised pork, a pot of scrambled eggs, bamboo steamers stacked up. A blackboard behind them announces freshly made beef soup, and beside it a bowl of pork floss — to go with congee or rice, as you like.
Beyond that are the Western-style hot dishes, white porcelain pots in a row with lids half open: Taiwanese fried noodles, braised tofu, black-pepper pork ribs and seasonal vegetables, steam still rising.
The live-cooking station is by the windows: blanching baskets on the counter, water at a rolling boil, steam rising constantly. Order a bowl of blanched greens or noodles, watch it finish in the water, then carry it back to your seat — with the trees just outside the window beside you.
The toppings sit on a round iced counter, one little bowl after another: Korean kimchi, pickled radish, shredded burdock, teriyaki king oyster mushrooms, mixed mushrooms, plus chopped scallions, coriander, celery, chilli slices and minced garlic. Take as much as you decide; an allergen notice stands at the edge of the counter, clearly written.
At the other end are congee and steamers: small bowls in a row, the congee accompaniments already portioned into them; bamboo steamers stacked on round trays, and beside them a long plate of rice noodle rolls, each one rolled up.
On a white plate beside the steamers are sliced egg pancakes and scallion pancakes, with three bowls of dipping sauces in front — chilli sauce among them.
The Bread Section
The bakery section shares its space with the coffee bar; bottles and cups line the shelves behind, and the coffee machine is a Nespresso.
Croissants sit under the warming lamps in a row of freshly baked colour; beside them are raisin swirls and chocolate croissants, and toast is done to order in the toaster. There are three kinds of baguette — classic French, orange-and-raisin, and raisin — plus wholemeal and white toast.
A wooden tray holds small rolls in four flavours side by side: garlic cheese, peanut, red bean, and pineapple crumble. The spreads are even more meticulous — butter portioned into little dishes in three varieties, unsalted, blackcurrant and raspberry; and six preserves, all labelled: pineapple, blueberry, raspberry, peanut butter, hazelnut chocolate and honey.
The sweets are not done yet. On a long glass plate are mochi in two rows — the white ones red bean, the green ones green tea — and beside them a plate of egg tarts, baked golden, already half taken.
Back at the Table
I brought back a first plate of hot food — sausages, grilled items and scrambled eggs. The latte arrived, and on the table there was also a glass of sparkling wine. Yes, sparkling wine at breakfast, Italian at that; one glass in the morning and the holiday feeling arrives with it.
The omelette I ordered followed, served on a plate with a checked rim — plump in its roll, its surface cooked just right, soft inside when cut open. One omelette, one latte: breakfast was slowly taking shape.
I lifted the latte; the milk foam came to a small peak on top. The jam jars were still on the table, the sparkling wine behind them, and the morning light fell across the tabletop, bright.
A Pharmacist's Order of Eating
With counters this extensive, my habit is to walk a full circuit first and only then start taking food, once I know what is where. As for order, I eat protein and vegetables first — eggs, braised pork, blanched greens — and leave the starches, the breads and egg pancakes, for later. Studies have observed that, within the same meal, eating protein and vegetables first and starches last makes the post-meal rise in blood sugar gentler, and makes it easier not to overeat.
Sparkling wine at the breakfast table is a delightful surprise, but let me say this first: on an empty stomach, alcohol is absorbed quickly. Eat a little something to line your stomach, then drink slowly — one glass is enough. And for those of you taking medication: alcohol interacts with many medicines, so ask your own doctor or pharmacist before you drink.
Jam and honey are nearly pure sugar — a thin layer on the bread is plenty, and choose just one dessert. Juice is the same: a large glass holds the sugar of several whole fruits taken at once, whereas eating the fruit whole, slowly, gives you the fibre and far more satiety. My latte I drink as usual — I love a breakfast latte; its lactose counts toward the morning's sugar, so I add none elsewhere. One morning's sugar should not stack up too high.
And Finally, Ice Cream
At the very end, we went back for ice cream. Ice cream at breakfast is a little indulgent, but a holiday breakfast is meant to be taken slowly anyway. We carried a bowl back; the sparkling wine still had half a glass left, and the light outside the window was still lovely.
We ate until half past ten, and breakfast came to an end. It began with a glass of sparkling wine and finished with ice cream — a morning spent very slowly, with nothing at all to hurry for.
Practical Information
Il Limone Italian Restaurant｜1F, InterContinental Taichung (No. 77, Guanqian Rd., West Dist., Taichung City), beside Calligraphy Greenway
Opening hours (hotel's official site): Breakfast 06:30–10:30｜Lunch 11:30–14:30｜Dinner 17:30–22:30
Breakfast: buffet counters (salads and cold dishes, ham carved to order, Western bakery, a Japanese section, Taiwanese hot dishes, a live-cooking station) plus chef's-selection egg dishes to order from the menu
Italian sparkling wine (Piccini) is served during breakfast hours; the tea list includes a Taiwan tea sommelier's selection, and single-origin coffees are available on request
Breakfast for non-residents NT$1,188 + 10% (public information as of 2026; please refer to the restaurant's announcements for the latest)
Reservations: 04-2324-6314
Further reading: 〈On the Seventeenth Floor, Where the City Grows Quiet〉 (a full day at the club lounge), 〈On the Twelfth Floor, Living One Night Like Home〉 (the Midtown Suite), 〈On the Seventeenth Floor, Dinner Taken Very Slowly〉 (happy hour), 〈On the Seventeenth Floor, an Afternoon Given to a Tower〉 (afternoon tea)
