Enjoy exquisite seafood and steak "teppanyaki" at a 70s-style Western restaurant

Text & Photos /Gui Xiaosun

T.S Select Teppanyaki (Table Scene Teppanyaki): No. 6 Dafu St., Nantun District, Taichung City ＼ 04 2254 3358 ＼ website ＼ facebook

This 'T.S Select Teppanyaki' has been on my radar ever since Captain Hong raved about it. After the New Year, I finally carved out some time and booked a table during the 228 holiday to enjoy a great meal. I’ve been craving this teppanyaki cuisine for so long that it was making my mouth water XD. Turns out, 'T.S Select Teppanyaki' is actually a well-established spot with a strong retro charm. There’s even a private parking area out front. We were among the first customers of the day, but by the time we left, the lot was packed. It’s tucked away near IKEA yet has a loyal local following… I personally think the ingredients are top-notch here. ^~^

Stepping into 'T.S Select Teppanyaki' really gives you that feeling of entering a high-end restaurant your parents might have taken you to back in the day. Inside, there are various private rooms in different sizes — from two-seaters to four-seaters, and larger groups too. There’s even a piano in the main dining area, which instantly reminded me of the old-school “minyao” (folk song) restaurant era. Suddenly, it felt like the perfect place to bring the elders for a nice meal.

We booked a table for two, and they very thoughtfully seated us in a four-person private room. It immediately gave off that ‘VIP treatment’ vibe. The feeling of having the whole space just for us was luxurious, and it made it easier to relax and enjoy snapping photos of the dishes. XD I also have to commend the service here — everyone from the host to the chef was incredibly polite and attentive. That’s what you call true high-end teppanyaki standards.

Once seated, they served us appetizers, condiments, and unlimited rose apple vinegar to drink. This stuff was amazing — I lost track of how much I drank because the staff kept refilling it without me even asking. It’s not overly sour, just mildly tangy with a touch of sweetness. Light, refreshing, and great for whetting the appetite and cutting through richness. The fruit and floral notes were perfectly balanced, never overpowering.

Then came the appetizer: angel hair pasta.
It was paired with a rather unique cold sauce. The highlight was how the angel hair pasta was cooked just right — firm, smooth, and slippery. Combined with the fresh, non-greasy sauce (a blend of tomato and orange juice, perhaps), it gently awakened my taste buds. Really lovely.

The salad wasn’t overlooked either. It was basically a girls’ dream — a cranberry fruit salad. With greens, fresh fruit, and a specially made cranberry dressing, the flavor was not too tart, and we polished it off in no time. I often feel that with a set menu like this, the appetizers and salad alone give you such a satisfying start. XD

For soup, one of us chose onion soup and the other had seafood consommé. The onion soup had the onions cooked down until soft, resulting in a sweet and savory broth that was incredibly comforting. My seafood consommé was even more exquisite — clams, shrimp, and fish slices had been shelled and de-boned. The broth was sweet and light, truly delightful.

As for the freshly baked garlic bread, let me just say I set it aside for later. XD I was afraid I wouldn’t have room for it later, but I did try a bite or two. The bread was delicious straight out of the oven. That’s our chef for the day — he looked super sincere and dedicated. Seriously, whether man or woman, people who take their work seriously are just the most attractive. XD I love watching chefs cook, because it’s not just about eating... you get to witness the professionalism and passion behind the food. It’s truly awe-inspiring.

Even the way they handle a single mushroom shows that level of dedication and finesse. You don’t just feel like you’re here to fill your stomach — you’re enjoying a meal that’s been crafted with genuine care from start to finish.

This day, the two of us ordered the premium sirloin steak (2480 NT) and the seafood platter (1680 NT)!
Actually, as we ate, I realized we could’ve just ordered one set meal and a few extra à la carte items to share. Or maybe even come back to try their business lunch (I think it's available every day from Monday to Sunday). For just 680 NT, you can experience the quality of their ingredients. Since we had two different set meals, the chef kindly divided the portions evenly between us. So if you see double the amount on the plate, that’s actually a single portion. Just the seafood portion alone blew us away — king prawns, cod, and scallops. Each piece was huge and plump. It got our mouths watering just looking at it.

First came the scallops and cod. The scallops were massive — just compare the width to the fork, they were wider than the fork itself. Forget comparing them to 50 NT coins XD. After being pan-seared on the iron plate, the outside was lightly seared while the inside was juicy. So tender and delicious. When you cut into the scallop, the layers of flesh were clearly visible. The natural sweetness and umami were stunning — I still miss it to this day. The cod was also super tender. Every dish here just felt comforting. The reason? Minimal seasoning, so you get to really taste the ingredient itself.

Then came the chef preparing our king prawns. Both prawns were huge, looking incredibly fresh and springy. Just as I was about to take a photo, the chef sliced them in half. XD Watching the chef’s focused expression made me realize that every bite I took was a moment of satisfaction. Because you can feel the dedication and care that went into preparing it.

The prawns arrived at the table. That’s when I truly felt that teppanyaki is a form of art. Actually, any dish made with heart is art. The careful plating just makes you want to dig in. Sometimes, we might finish a dish in a minute, but it could have taken five, ten, or even more minutes of preparation and thought. I love good food, but I’m terrible at cooking it. That’s why I always feel so much admiration and respect for those who can create such amazing meals.

Were you wondering what those things next to the prawns were? While the chef was cooking, we were honestly puzzled. But when he served it, we asked and found out they were mushrooms. The chef had etched patterns onto the mushrooms, giving them such a unique look. He even said some customers thought they were xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). XD. I’m a huge seafood fan, especially shrimp and crab. Seeing this prawn dish made me drool nonstop. When I bit into the shrimp, it was so sweet and springy. The umami was fully preserved. It was insanely good.

Next came our other portion — a single serving of sirloin steak. It was about 1.5 cm thick, roughly the size of the chef’s palm. My friend had been wanting steak, so we went for the 2480 NT option to really enjoy it. When it arrived, it was like the ‘devil’ inside me started growling. And if you look closely, the sirloin is divided by muscle, fat, and connective tissue. That day, we learned just how many different ways you can enjoy a sirloin steak, and more importantly, how each bite can taste totally different.

First, the chef placed the butter on the iron plate and used searing and pressing techniques to render the fat. For every subsequent step that required oil, he simply used that rendered butter.

The first was a simple initial tasting. It let us experience the doneness of the beef and the most straightforward way to enjoy it. That first bite — the natural sweetness and umami of the beef hit you right in the brain. It really awakens that primal part of you that craves ‘beef.’ Then the chef prepared it in different styles. First, he sliced the sirloin into strips. Who knew that just changing the way you cut it could make such a difference?

The strip cut had a more springy texture. It felt more like traditional steak. The aroma of the beef seemed more concentrated and pronounced. It was also one of my friend’s favorite ways to eat it. XD

Then came the ‘grilled’ style. This was my personal favorite. First, the chef carefully seared one side of the sirloin to about 0.5 cm of doneness. The other side was scored into a checkerboard pattern.

Then he took out a gas torch and lightly seared the checkered side. What arrived at the table was a dish that was still slightly red inside... the outside was cooked, but the inside was incredibly tender. Biting into it felt like it would make my blood pressure soar. Because the contrast between the crisp seared outside and the tender medium-rare inside... it was juicy, springy, and insanely delicious. XD I’d never had it cooked this way before, but it quickly became one of my favorites.

Next, the chef called this “fried steak.” It seemed like he used even more butter to fry both sides until crispy. The char and crunch were more pronounced. But the center retained that beautiful pink hue. The satisfaction level was also off the charts. The best part? Even after eating so much beef, you don’t get tired of it. Because just the variety of cooking methods keeps your anticipation high.

Finally, the chef worked on the last part of the sirloin — cooking the meat along with the connective tissue by stir-frying and searing. Thanks to the sizzling butter, the surface of the sirloin turned golden layer by layer. This method was my friend’s favorite. Because the chewy texture of the meat and gristle, combined with the tendons, reminded me a bit of cartilage. After all, with all that butter searing, the toughness of the tendon was even more enhanced. It was delicious, and it even made you want to pair it with a cold beer. XD

And of course, we couldn’t end without a dish of greens either—it was stir-fried in butter too~ The aroma and crispiness were absolutely delightful, and we were truly satisfied with the meal. Then, the chef started preparing that day’s dessert for us—another skillful performance in the kitchen, this time making 'taro fritters' (芋头煎饼)! Everyone knows I don’t eat taro, but my friend absolutely loves it~ So we didn’t plan to switch it out for anything else XD

Watching the chef make the taro fritters—those wrappers were so thin they left us all amazed and amazed again. Each one had to retain just about 0.1 cm of thickness at the bottom; anything scraped off from the top couldn’t be used. At this point, I really have to say—the skills of these chefs are incredibly impressive. Every single step of the cooking process is executed with such mastery.

Desserts, fruits, and drinks after the meal were enjoyed outside the private room. The fruits were very fresh—we had dragon fruit, cantaloupe, and pineapple~ What we were most looking forward to was the almost translucent ‘taro fritter’ (芋头煎饼)! You could literally see through it and judge its thinness just by the light... which made us admire the chef’s skill once again.

I tried a bite myself too—even though I don’t eat taro—I was really curious to see what the texture of the wrapper would be like. It was so thin that words can't describe it. The only thing I can compare it to is something like 'meat paper', but this was even thinner than that... incredibly crispy and flaky. With one bite, you got this wonderfully rich contrast of textures with the taro itself, because there were actual bits of taro in it~ But since I really don’t eat taro (hopefully someone will invent a red bean flavor someday XD), I gave the rest all to my friend. She said it was so delicious it almost made her cry XD—and she kept telling the chef how amazing it tasted. Hahahaha!

 

This visit to ‘T.S Premium Teppanyaki’ was really satisfying. Not only was the seafood fresh and high-quality, but a single sirloin steak could be prepared in so many different ways—it was the first time we realized just how diverse one piece of beef can be. Then there was the taro fritter as the grand finale for dessert~ It left a deep impression on us and we were extremely happy with the whole experience. Next time we’ll bring our elders along—it’s a great place to show filial piety to your parents, and also perfect for business dinners.