Forget the street food in the night markets – the thing you have to go for in Taiwan is Japanese food. Yes, fans of Japanese food out there, you read me right. Call me a snob, but I’m really not a huge fan of the food in the night markets in Taiwan. That’s mainly ‘cos I don’t really like food that’s deep-fried nor too fatty. I’m careful of what I eat because I’m afraid of falling sick if I eat too much of those unhealthy food. And trust me, it’s NO fun when you’re sick and all alone in a foreign country where there’s no mummy dearest to fuss over you.
Anyway, Japanese food is really good and cheap (compared to other big cities) in Taiwan and I was determined to have my first omakase (a Japanese phrase meaning “I’ll leave it to you [i.e. to the chef]”) meal during my recent trip. In Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, I’ve never dared to go for an omakase meal because I was always afraid that I might get a heart attack when the bill came.
I was lucky to have Grace from Piggy’s Cooking Journal take me to this family-style Japanese restaurant for a scrumptious Japanese meal. Incidentally, she was also my dining companion for the meals at 少帥禪園 and 大山無價. Here’s what we ate at the Japanese restaurant – don’t ask me what fish each picture is ‘cos I couldn’t catch what the chef was saying! Maybe you could tell me after seeing the picture. Anyway, my sole task that night was simple – EAT. And eat I did.



Abalone








This is a kind of vegetable found in the mountains called 过貓菜. Literally translated it means ‘cat crossing vegetable’.


Ebi aka prawns

Normally I don’t like eating this type of fish roe, but these were so fresh and tasted so sweetly of the sea that I gobbled it down.



Thought I died and gone to uni heaven. Yes, it was oh so creamy and rich!


White bait fried in a light batter


A type of bamboo grilled and sprinkled with some chilli powder


Tuna handroll wrapped in a nori sheet that was so crispy and nicely roasted as you bit into it

Check out this pulsating sushi – it doesn’t get any fresher than this!




Match made in heaven – uni wrapped within a slice of toro topped with a pinch of wasabi and yuzu for added layers of flavour.


Rice with tuna, fish roe, uni and spring onions. Yums.


This was the only disappointing dish – it was some bits of chicken which I found very tough. Anyway, by the way this came along I was so full that I couldn’t stomach anymore.


A richly flavoured miso broth made from all the goodness of fish bones, pork, spring onions, leeks etc.


Dessert was boring but really, at that point, I didn’t really care about it.
I had all these food for NTD2300 (approx SGD92), which is a fraction of what I’d have paid in Singapore or Hong Kong. The fish were all very fresh and of really good quality and by the end of the night I felt like I was rolling out of the restaurant. Many thumbs-up for this place!
台北市松山區民生東路五段137巷6弄36號
Tel: +886 (0)2 2748 6356