This humble Japanese eatery hides generous seafood bowls & free refills of miso soup!

Text & photos by /kuni

I heard a cycling buddy opened a Japanese restaurant on Zhongzheng Road in Zhonghe, specializing in affordable seafood N<.Out of curiosity, I went to check it out during my lunch break. It’s located right across from the familiar Guangfu Auto Shop. The space inside is small, and the decor is a bit simple.

(The low-key storefront)

The sashimi selection in the glass counter isn’t extensive, but I was glad to see the chef taking no shortcuts in preparation. The clean cuts and neat arrangement immediately raised my expectations.

(The chalkboard)

(The rice and noodle menu)

(The glass sashimi counter)

Picked Lantern Sea View N<(NT.360),Fuwuxianxudeweicengtang.Meixiangdaoshangzhuodejingshidawangong,Yuyiqianzaiouzhounianshushiguanyongdechicunfeichangjiejin.

(What a huge bowl!)

It reminded me of the time I picked out tableware and ended up in a funny situation. Back then, I had a huge appetite and, being lazy, hated having to get up for seconds. So I went to a Chinese mall specifically to find a big ceramic bowl. After searching for ages, I finally spotted the perfect one: pure white, flawless, with beautiful smooth curves that were both practical and pretty—clearly designed for big eaters. But at checkout, the shop owner yelled, “A-Xiu, wrap up this flowerpot for this gentleman!” And just like that, this flowerpot posing as a giant bowl went on to accompany a young student through many life moments at the dinner table.

Today the portion size of the rice dishes was really quite large. At this price point, you might not be able to expect too much in terms of fish quality, but it’s commendable that not an ounce of freshness was sacrificed. The chef, who lacks the prestige of a famous restaurant, actually had more delicate knife skills than expected—the sea bream sashimi, which had the fishy smell minimized as much as possible, was delightful enough on its own. It’s a pity, though, that they don’t serve vinegar rice here. The chef said vinegar rice will have to wait until next summer; for now, he’s simply too busy handling everything on his own.

I silently thought to myself, “Oh, boss, do you need any hardworking part-time help?” Hahaha, that felt a bit guilty...

(Today the freshness of the rice was still pretty good)

(For this price, the sashimi knife skills are pretty solid)

Yang Japanese Cuisine (Sashimi Rice Bowl)
Address: No. 7, Lane 839, Zhongzheng Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City
Phone: 0987-563-532
Hours: 11:30–14:00, 17:30–20:30

Interpreting food through music
Violinist KUNI
Kuni (Defying the Laws of the World) fan page Kuni (Defying the Laws of the World) blog