Japanese Cuisine on Yongkang Street – Golden Eel Rice Topped with a Whole Fish

Text and photos byXiaohu’s Dream Food Blog

I remember being afraid to eat eel as a child, though I can’t recall when I started to love it. I also remember not liking Yongkang Street back then, yet somehow I’ve written more and more food reviews about the Yongkang shopping area over time. This place, which combines both my past and present — “Fatty Eel House” — is right across from Yongkang Park. If I remember correctly, it opened last year.

In a commercial area like Yongkang Street, as long as the food isn’t terrible, it’s not hard to survive — especially Japanese cuisine. Plus, there doesn’t seem to be any other shop around here that particularly excels at “eel rice,” so business has been quite good these past six months. It’s common to see a line during meal times if you walk by.

The restaurant is long and narrow. To the left as you enter is a traditional Japanese counter, while the area that should have been a hallway on the right has been crammed with additional seating for two people facing each other, making the overall dining space even more cramped.

The inner seating area also has two rows of tables, and the tables are quite close together, but it’s still within an acceptable range. However, if you don’t like sharing a table with strangers, don’t come during peak dining hours — that’s pretty much the norm here too.

Aside from eel rice, you can also find most common Japanese dishes here. The prices are slightly higher, but since it’s located in “Yongkang Street,” they’re still somewhat acceptable.

It’s said that the price of “eel” has risen a lot in recent years. Even “Fukuzenya,” which has always prided itself on affordable eel rice, has raised its prices several times, which has caused some dissatisfaction among regular customers. Whether 500 (New Taiwan Dollar) is expensive or cheap is probably for the consumers to decide.

On the table, there are seasoning options, including seven-spice chili pepper and my personal favorite sansho pepper.

The pickled radish that comes with the meal has great crispness and moisture — it’s tasty, though just a bit too sweet.

Someone who didn’t used to understand the “bitter” flavor, I’ve now fallen for grilled “eel liver.” The bitterness of the liver is well-executed — I love it. Paired with a slightly sweet sauce, it actually goes quite well. Unfortunately, the whole skewer is cold... so it inevitably has a slight fishy taste.

The grilled squid has a nice presentation. Its crispness, chewiness, and texture are all quite good. There isn’t too much seasoning, and it tastes pretty good.

The tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet) has plenty of moisture and a decent texture, but the sweetness of the egg isn’t great. Also, the egg mixture lacks the umami richness of dashi broth, so it can only be considered just okay.

Tempura set meal, served with a bowl of white rice, side dishes, and miso soup.

For the fried items, there are two sweet but not very large shrimp, along with the usual tempura sides like eggplant, green pepper, sweet potato, and green beans. I think the batter is a bit thick — it’s just crispy, not really flaky, and it’s not evenly coated. But it’s not too greasy. Overall, the ingredients are fresh, but the frying could be improved — though, of course, I’m judging based on “Japanese” standards, haha XD.

A side dish primarily flavored with Japanese mirin, topped with finely shaved bonito flakes. It’s pretty tasty.

The soup itself doesn’t leave much of an impression — it’s a slightly sweet white miso flavor, and it contains large chunks of salmon with bones, which are quite fresh.

It’s almost a whole fish’s worth of eel rice. When it’s served, it gives off a faint aroma of sauce. Visually, the golden color is nice. In terms of taste, the meat is tender enough and doesn’t have too many fish bones causing a weird texture. The skin on the back has a nicely balanced oily charred aroma — not overly heavy or dominating. The sauce is just right, not too overpowering. The only downside is that the eel itself isn’t very sweet. But overall, I’m evaluating it based on the 500 NT price point.

The rice is cooked well, but I personally feel there isn’t enough sauce, especially toward the bottom.

BUT, usually when I eat eel rice, I take a bite (from the front part), then switch to eating the back half on its own first. Then I chop up the front part, which has more oil from my first bite, mix it with the white rice and sauce using chopsticks. If the eel has enough oil and sweetness, it becomes as delicious as “minced pork rice” (laughs). Overall, I think this place is pretty good, if you don’t consider the price or the dining environment.

Fatty Eel House:
No. 12-1, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02 2343 2277
Business Hours: 11:30–14:30, 17:30–21:00

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