Louisa Coffee (路易莎咖啡Lù yì shā kā fēi) was founded by barista and roaster Huang Ming-hsien, who opened the first store in Taipei's Minsheng neighbourhood in 2007. It's now one of Taiwan's two biggest coffee chains alongside Starbucks, with around 550 stores, so there's usually one within a few minutes' walk.

The order to know is the 澳洲小拿鐵 ("Australian small latte"), which is Louisa's flat white: 8 oz, hot only, NT$75. Richard, a Londoner who wrote about it for us, said it reminded him of the flat whites he used to drink in London. The beans come from Brazil, Kenya and Colombia, and there's Yorkshire Tea on the menu. Food runs to sandwiches, bagels, cakes and a line of bento-style sets with meat or fish, vegetables and rice.

Most stores have plenty of seating, free Wi-Fi and air conditioning, and students settle in for hours. You order on an iPad or by QR code at the table in most stores, and there's an English menu.