Cuisine & Wine Asia — May-June 2017

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T

he founders are in their 20s, and love travelling

and sharing the local culture with travellers

from other parts of the world. While looking for

a location to operate an inn, they discovered this

former inn from Beitou, which used to be a thriving

entertainment district, with travelling singers who

performed from one drinking house to another.

“Back then, aside from musicians, guests would

also ask for ladies, which led to the phenomenon

of motorcycle big brothers who ferried these ladies

from beauty parlours to their appointments,” says

Anny Huang.

Each item in the lobby, from the dim mirror on the

wall, to the dowry chest used as a coffee table, and

from the calendar made up of gold numbers, to

the switchboard operator for telephone lines, has

a story to tell. “The crystal lamp on the wall was

taken from one of our founders’ grandpa’s house,”

says Huang. “In those days, people took into

consideration even the play of light and shadow

against the wall when they made a lamp.” Each

room is curated by a different founding member,

who may be a photographer, author, theatre

practitioner, or choreographer.

GO

+

STAY

In one room, a stage designer paper mâchéd leaf

veins on the walls so that guests would feel as

though they were waking up in nature; in another

room, a female writer chose tatami for the flooring

and filled the bookcase with books written from

a woman’s perspective. Once, a theatre troop

selected Solo Singer Inn as the performance

venue for a play. From the entrance to the third

floor, the inn became the setting and stage for the

performance. At any one time, only an audience of

eight could be accommodated.

My favourite room is probably the one in the attic.

The wooden roof, which was originally sealed up

behind cement, has now been left as it is, giving the

space a cosy, intimate touch. A fragrance, perhaps

from the tatami straw mats, lingers in the air. “A film

crew once used this space for a scene,” says Huang.

Next door is a reading room, which was converted

from a small balcony, where the family ancestral

worship altar used to be housed (the former inn was

a family-run business). Within each room, a postcard

is provided for you to write a message. Just drop it

into the post box, and it will be sent for you, free of

charge, to any destination in the world.

When bedding

is laid out,

this space can sleep

two children.

Great care is taken

to maintain the old,

old wood.