Taipei’s Super Popular Japanese Canteen – Try the Rare “Grape Shrimp N<”

Text and photos by /Kuni

Lunch at Shōroku can’t be reserved. A friend told me it’s better to come around 1:30 PM to try your luck. I deliberately arrived early, getting there at 1:00 PM on the dot. As soon as I walked in, the owner asked if I had a number — without one, no entry, since all the seats were full. Just as I was about to leave disappointed, a customer suddenly called out to me. When I turned around, I realized it was a dining companion — turns out he’s a regular at Shōroku. I got incredibly lucky and immediately joined him at his table.

The owner with the small tree by the counter.

This place is similar to Yunghe Yang Japanese Cuisine — the daily chalkboard menu is the highlight, changing every day depending on what fresh ingredients the owner gets. I came for the seasonal Pacific bluefin tuna, so of course I ordered a bowl of full Pacific bluefin N<饭，另外一份不易见的葡萄虾N<与单点离缘肉炸猪排。

Prices:
Full Pacific bluefin N<(NT.780)
Grape shrimp N<(NT.480)
Otoro lean meat (NT$180)

The chalkboard menu is the highlight.

Complimentary side dishes.

Strictly speaking, today’s N<饭不算满意。醋饭没压太紧是好事，但鱼生切得过于随便。应该说，2015首访时刀工虽缺乏美感，但起码俐落。平常我吃海鲜N<，饭上的鱼料新鲜只是基本。

The slices were smoothly cut, clean, with neatly arranged thickness — not only visually appealing but also enhancing the taste. It’s truly rare to find a place that can achieve this level. This time, the otoro belly was torched, which I didn’t prefer. The chin part was rich in fat marbling, resembling the belly in appearance, but the texture had a noticeable firmness. In short, for some reason, the Pacific bluefin today lacked the appeal I was hoping for.

Full Pacific bluefin seafood N<。

This is the chin part.

The middle part that’s torched is the otoro.

The owner specially brought out yellowfin tuna for me to compare and try.

The tonkatsu (pork cutlet) was recommended by Owner Shōroku. I heard it’s from the otoro lean meat (in Taiwanese), also known as the rare occipital muscle part. It’s located at the very front edge of the large loin muscle, and it’s just as rare as Matsusaka pork. Because of its inverted triangular shape, it’s called “monkshood.” The meat is tender yet moist, juicy, and very satisfying. What surprised me most was that even the thinnest parts were bursting with plenty of juicy meat. Such a delicious pork cutlet for just NT$180 — totally worth it.

Otoro lean meat tonkatsu.

Unfortunately, it was slightly overcooked, but still tasty.

Grape shrimp has always been “judged by color,” usually “the more purple, the more expensive.” I remember last year I once encountered two plump, nearly half-purple ones at a certain ryotei — they were the kind of rare, amazing shrimp you don’t come across often. I was full of praise after eating them and couldn’t forget the experience for a long time. Today’s grape shrimp, regardless of size, richness, or color, were noticeably weaker, which is why they could give you five at once, and the price was kept under NT$500. After hearing my grumbling, Owner Shōroku probably wasn’t convinced and went back into the kitchen to pick one out specially. This one finally had the feel of grape shrimp — the shrimp roe wasn’t purple enough, but at least you could see some. The shrimp head, needless to say, I had the owner stuff it with rice and grill it — absolutely satisfying.

Not commonly seenGrape shrimp N<。

This time, the shrimp roe was less abundant.

The owner specially brought out another one with more shrimp roe.

Shrimp roe.

A good shrimp head is meant to be stuffed with rice and grilled, right?

Finally, I got to enjoy Shōroku’s most famous midday seafood N<啦。或许刀工或精致度上不如我意，但起码偶尔来访能尝到一些平常不易见的食材。

The plump grape shrimp I encountered last year — taken with a phone, hence the shake.

Grapes Shrimp at Chuyo Yoko Japanese Cuisine<。

Little Six Restaurant
Address: No. 8, Lane 259, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: (02) 2506-0065
Business Hours: 11:30–14:00, 18:00–21:00 (Monday to Saturday)

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