Newly opened Japanese restaurant in Fengjia: Luxury Seafood N< Rice with over 12 ingredients

Text & Photos /Ah Mon

This summer vacation has been unbearably hot, with outdoor temperatures repeatedly breaking records. The intense heat has dampened people’s appetites, making everyone long to indulge in ice cream all day—but aside from frozen treats, Japanese cuisine is actually a great choice too, with its cool, sweet sashimi and seafood N<饭更是首选菜色，台中的日本料理店越开越多，但让我印象深刻会想再吃的其中之一就是?匠手作寿司拉，多年前吃过一次对于该店的食材新鲜度和菜色都蛮喜欢的，这次听到?匠手作寿司在逢甲开分店了，就和朋友在大热天的中午来吃看看了。

The ?匠 Handmade Sushi Fengjia branch isn’t located on a main road, so it’s a bit more hidden. The easiest way to get there is to walk along Xitun Road, and when you see Shangshi North 2nd Lane, turn into the alley and walk straight for a short distance—you’ll see the shop sign. It’s right next to Fuxing Park. The space in front of the shop isn’t big, and if there are motorcycles parked, there usually won’t be room for cars.

If you’re driving and need parking, you can find a spot at the parking lot at the intersection of Xitun Road and Shangshi North 2nd Lane. Parking costs $20 per hour, and it’s probably the closest option to the restaurant.

As soon as you step inside, a cool breeze from the air conditioning greets you—it’s really comfortable. After being out in the scorching sun almost to the point of heatstroke, the interior decor of the Fengjia branch is somewhat similar to the Beitun branch. As soon as you enter, you’ll see a large counter seating area, which is also my top recommendation because you can watch the chefs prepare your food. However, it’s a bit less conducive to face-to-face chats with friends or family.

The refrigerated display case near the counter is filled with fresh seafood ingredients, giving you a good idea of the restaurant’s seafood stock. More experienced diners might even be able to tell which ingredients are featured that day. Judging by the color of the fish, the freshness seems quite good.

Next to the counter, there’s a small staircase. After asking the staff, I found out that the Fengjia branch actually has a second-floor dining area. Going up the stairs, the space is surprisingly large and spacious. The second floor has many long tables, making it perfect for group meals—whether it’s a family gathering, a student dinner, or even hosting an event by reserving the whole floor.

One difference from the Beitun branch is that the tableware is now white ceramic, which feels more premium. Let’s take a look at the menu first—otherwise, I’m about to starve.

Chef’s Special Set Menu
The first page of the menu features the chef’s set meals. There are currently three price tiers available. If you’re visiting for the first time, you can choose a set based on your budget to try a variety of dishes in one go.

Sashimi & Hand Rolls
The sashimi selection is quite diverse, including salmon, tuna, swordfish, scallops, and more. You can choose your preferred cuts, or if you don’t have a specific preference, you can opt for the mixed sashimi.

Nigiri Sushi

N<饭
One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is the seafood N<饭了，价格从$180~$990都有，部分品项有图片可以参考，看起来都很美味，然后点N<饭和面类的话，还有附赠汤品。另外如果不吃生食的朋友，也还有炙烧牛肉N<可选唷。

Appetizers, Salads, Steamed Dishes

Grilled Items
The green grouper jaw is particularly delicious and not commonly found on other menus—definitely worth trying.

Fried, Stir-Fried, and Hot Pot Dishes
In the fried section, there’s a dish called shiso shrimp balls, which seemed unique, so I ordered it to try. I’d only ever heard of pineapple shrimp balls before.

Alcoholic Beverages
Options include Japanese sake, sparkling wine, and shochu. The one in the upper right corner, Matsukawaume White Wall Reserve o???, is quite good. If you prefer something with a milder taste, there are also options with fruity notes. It’s a drink you might enjoy.

● 《ETNEWS News Cloud》 reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

Mixed Sashimi $300
When dining at a Japanese restaurant, the first dish is usually sashimi or an appetizer. We were practically roasted by the sun outside, so naturally, we started with a big cold plate of sashimi to cool down. The mixed sashimi comes in 5-piece and 10-piece portions—we went with the 10-piece, which included scallops, sweet shrimp, tuna, red shrimp, and swordfish. Higher-tier options also include salmon, squid, and hairtail. Just seeing the sashimi arrive made us ready to dig in and enjoy XD.

Swordfish
At first, the server said it was “broken swordfish,” a type of swordfish. I honestly found that hard to believe—swordfish I’ve had before has always been pinkish-white. I never expected there to be this color. The moment I tasted it, the rich, fatty sweetness was undeniable. This swordfish was incredibly delicious, almost like eating black tuna. Amazing!!

Red Shrimp, Tuna
When the sashimi was served, I noticed that each slice was cut thick and large—so big you could easily cut one slice into two. For sashimi lovers, this was absolutely amazing, as it felt more satisfying to eat without that empty feeling, haha. The red tuna (akami) is one of my favorite types of sashimi—it has a bouncy, crisp texture and excellent freshness. The tuna on the side came from the akami part, which is leaner but still quite good, and it came in huge pieces too!

Scallop and Sweet Shrimp
These two are the most popular items. Both the scallops and sweet shrimp were incredibly sweet and delicious. Especially the scallops, which were even lightly torched—giving them a slightly smoky, irresistible aroma. They were soft, juicy, and tender, making me want to have another one right away.

Chawanmushi $60
At a Japanese restaurant, chawanmushi is a must-try dish, and it also reflects the chef’s skill. ?Chef’s chawanmushi costs $60 per serving, which might seem a bit pricey at first glance. But when you see the final product, you realize it’s actually not expensive at all because it’s packed with high-quality ingredients.

The portion of this chawanmushi is about 1.5 to 2 times larger than what you’d usually get elsewhere, and it includes ingredients like shelled shrimp, fish cake, clams, chicken, and more. The variety of ingredients really justifies the price. Upon closer inspection, there were no noticeable air bubbles inside the custard. When you taste it, the egg flavor is rich and the texture is silky smooth—this is truly a perfect chawanmushi. It feels like the chef put a lot of care into making it. A must-order for chawanmushi lovers!

Shiso Shrimp Balls $180
The long-awaited shiso shrimp balls arrived next. There were about 5 to 6 pieces per serving. At first glance, they didn’t really look like shrimp balls at all XDDD—they actually looked more like deep-fried vegetable tempura. The green layer under the batter seemed to be shiso leaves.

I picked one up, dipped it in some sauce, and took a bite—and was instantly surprised. Looking at a cross-section of the shrimp ball, the innermost part was packed with juicy, firm shrimp meat. And it wasn’t minced shrimp—it was actual chunks of shrimp with a nice bounce to them. Chewing the shrimp together with the shiso leaves made the fragrance of the shiso even stronger, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with these shrimp balls. I’d never had them prepared this way before, and they were unexpectedly delicious. Highly recommended!

Hokkaido Abalone Oysters $120
Wow！ Look at these plump, shell-on oysters—their temptation level is no less than that of the big scallops earlier. These are premium oysters sourced from Hokkaido’s Hokkai region. Those in the know understand that oysters from Hokkai are incredibly delicious and among the best in quality. You can really tell the chef has put a lot of care into selecting the ingredients.

To maintain freshness, the oysters are kept on crushed ice underneath, but it’s best to eat them as soon as possible. They’re drizzled with the restaurant’s special sauce, which complements the oysters perfectly and enhances their rich oceanic and sweet flavors. These oysters tasted very fresh and sweet to me. Guys, you can definitely have a few more—good for your health. Big recommendation!

Cold Bamboo Shoot Salad $120
This is also an appetizer and it's a seasonal item. Eating this in summer is super refreshing and cooling. It uses high-quality green bamboo shoots from Li Mountain. Each piece of bamboo shoot is chilled, giving it a cool, crisp texture. And wow, these shoots were surprisingly sweet and juicy—I was amazed. I couldn’t stop eating them and quickly finished the whole plate. It’s recommended not to dip them in mayonnaise since, being in season, they’re naturally sweet enough. Strongly recommended must-try.

?Chef DX Deluxe Seafood N< $990
The highlight of the meal today was this ?Chef DX Deluxe Seafood N<了，本来是想吃限量版的马粪海胆N<，但怕爆血管，而且菜单上豪华海鲜N<的图片太诱人了，所以就决定点?匠DX豪华海鲜N<当主食，跟海胆N<说掰掰，店员有说这个海鲜N<适合2~3人一起食用，所以我们就没有加点其他的握寿司了。

?Chef DX Deluxe Seafood N<送上桌的时候就跟菜单上的照片一样，使用木盆装盛，该有的海鲜一样都没少，将醋饭盖到都看不见了，非常的丰盛澎湃。

The seafood selection included salmon roe, sea urchin, squid, small abalone, spaghetti eel, salmon, Japanese amberjack, tuna, red tuna (akami), big scallops, small scallops, and sakura shrimp—pretty much all the sashimi ingredients we had earlier were served again XD. In addition, there were also tamagoyaki, black beans, and shiso leaves as side ingredients. It was so overwhelming that I didn’t know where to start eating first.

Before eating, you’re supposed to drizzle a little soy sauce on the sashimi, then mix the soy sauce, sashimi, and vinegar rice together. This makes it even tastier. The vinegar rice was really well done—its acidity wasn’t overpowering, and the Deluxe Seafood N<真的太澎湃了，两个人花了好多时间都还吃不太完，最后只能举手投降认输，但如果预算够的话，真的会建议点一份，这样所有高级食材几乎都可以一次吃到，就不会有遗憾了XD。

Octopus Roll
Because I was initially worried about the seafood N<吃不饱，所以还有点了一份炸软壳蟹寿司，不过那个海鲜N<分量真的太多了，所以就变成根本吃不太下这个软壳蟹寿司了><。将炸过的软壳蟹包入寿司卷中，再加上虾卵、美乃滋、鱼松等点缀，吃起来的口感很多层次耶，由内而外，有虾卵的颗粒感、寿司米的软Q、最后才是外酥内软的软壳蟹，因为口感特殊又好入口，所以是大人小孩都会喜欢的菜色。

Prawn Miso Soup $130
Since I had eaten a lot of cold dishes, I thought I should balance it out with some hot soup. Today I went for a more luxurious option: prawn miso soup. Regular miso soup is only $30, but adding prawns brings the price up to $130. Is it worth it? You’ll have to try it to find out. When the soup was served, the bowl looked huge—it might be a two-person portion. There was a prawn with its head poking out on top of the soup, along with some tofu and green onions. Compared to miso soup in Japan, ?Chef’s version isn’t as overly salty. It has a sweeter, seafood-rich flavor and is quite tasty. If you don’t want to peel the prawns, you can also go for the fresh fish miso soup.

How big are the prawns, you ask? We scooped one up with a spoon and were all shocked—it was probably a sakura shrimp. It was huge—much bigger than the spoon itself. It looked so delicious, making our mouths water. The extra $100 for real ingredients is totally worth it. After quickly peeling off the shell, the prawn meat inside was thick and chunky. Taking a big bite, the texture was firm and the sweetness of the prawn meat was rich, with zero fishy taste. It was seriously delicious. It felt like I had eaten a lot of prawns today—a full-on prawn feast, haha.

Overall

This was my second visit to ?Chef. Although it’s a new branch, the freshness of the seafood and the standard of the dishes remain just as high. There were also new dishes introduced, which added a sense of novelty. I really enjoyed the meal. The Fengjia branch’s second floor has plenty of space and is great for group gatherings. Recommended dishes include the sashimi and the Deluxe Seafood N<、紫苏虾球、茶碗蒸等，以上是个人浅见，仅供参考。

?Chef Handmade Sushi (Fengjia Branch)
Official Website
Address: No. 15, Shangshi North 2nd Lane, Xitun District, Taichung City
Phone: 0988-085551
Price: $180 and up

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