“Secret Dad” omakase – an atmosphere with an indescribably warm vibe

Text & Photos /Xiao Hu’s Food Dream Net

I first heard about this place called “Secret Dad” around the time I started my blog, developed a liking for nigiri sushi, and began to accept the idea of omakase dining. It took over three years before I finally had the chance to visit one of their locations (the first branch).

Before that, my friend Xiao Hu had already tried the third branch ahead of me. The reviews for Secret Dad’s third location were quite good back then, which only strengthened my desire to visit the first branch. But I kept hearing how hard it was to get a reservation, until my good friend Ben, who had just returned from the U.S., helped me secure a table.

Following the address, I arrived at a large apartment complex and sure enough, spotted a rather understated white lantern — except the lantern was broken...


Because it was broken, and since I arrived before opening hours, the lantern was unlit. For a moment, I thought they might have moved again to hide from “Dad”... Though honestly, that lantern kind of represents the face of the place — even if it's meant to be low-key, a broken one doesn’t look great XD.


The restaurant isn’t very big, seating around ten guests at most. It’s an atmosphere I absolutely love — once seated, there’s this indescribably warm feeling. Dining here with a friend as chatty and food-loving as Ben is truly a delight.


The chefs and staff are all very polite and easygoing, and they don’t interrupt guests’ conversations. Overall, the dining atmosphere was quite satisfying.

If you haven’t been to the first branch yet, I bet what you’re most curious about is the current pricing. If I remember correctly, when I first learned about this place three years ago, there were two or three price tiers, with the cheapest being over 800. But now I hear there’s only one set price. While you read about my meal and see the photos, feel free to guess how much this meal might cost. Though I do think deliciousness shouldn’t always be measured by “price,” human nature tends to get in the way (laughs). The tea and edamame weren’t anything special — though I will say the edamame were a bit dry.


The pickled radish was incredibly refreshing, with subtle sweetness and acidity, along with a natural earthy radish flavor — really tasty. The ginger slices were also smooth on the palate, cleansing the taste buds without any heaviness. I liked them.


A friend returned from afar — truly a joyous occasion. So even though I don’t usually drink, I joined Ben for a few glasses. Ben asked the chef to recommend something sweeter, and the chef brought out a few bottles for us to choose from.

Not being a wine expert, I let Ben decide. He picked this bottle of daiginjo — if I remember right, it was around 750 NTD. It was good, but personally, I still prefer Dewazakura.


Appetizer: Bonito salad. The bonito was fresh and sweet enough, and the Japanese citrus dressing added a nice touch. The tomatoes on the side were especially juicy and delicious.


Grilled scallops, cut into two halves, brushed with a little seasoning sauce. The texture was tender and melt-in-your-mouth — no doubt about that. But for some reason, I felt the sweetness didn’t quite come through, or maybe the sauce was slightly too salty and overpowered the flavor a bit.

Squid nigiri. The squid was sliced very finely — soft and melt-in-your-mouth with a slight stickiness. Upon chewing, the sweetness was quite lovely. There was also a faint hint of shiso aroma when you first put it in your mouth, and a light saltiness appeared after a bit of chewing (probably from the shrimp roe inside?). The texture of this piece was quite enjoyable at first, though the finish was a tad salty.


Roasted fish bones — not much to say flavor-wise. That’s not to say they were bad, but I just couldn’t really detect what made them special or delicious. Maybe it’s just that I’m not very good at “picking bones.”


This piece of botan shrimp had a texture I found very satisfying — sticky and tender. When chewed, the shrimp and vinegar rice melded together beautifully, with the sweetness of both balanced by a slight tang from the rice. Delicious!

If I recall correctly, this was yellowtail? It was lightly brushed with a touch of soy sauce — fragrant and salty. As I ate it, I couldn’t help but feel the soy sauce was a bit too salty for my taste. Plus, my palate isn’t particularly sensitive, nor am I well-versed in the deeper flavors of fish, so it ended up being a bit distracting.


This tuna sashimi was quite beautiful to look at, but unfortunately, it didn’t change my indifferent impression of tuna...


The braised radish was delicious and stood out — the seven-spice mix sprinkled on top was well done, offering a light chili fragrance upon first bite. Once bitten into and chewed, the sweetness of the radish mixed with the savory hints of the sauce burst forth. The scallions and the light spice from the seven-spice also emerged to add layers. It was an ordinary kind of deliciousness you could expect, yet still moving.


This piece of mackerel was rich, fatty, and delicious. The melt-in-your-mouth flesh had a sweet umami, complemented by a hint of matcha and yuzu fragrance. Really nice!

Straight-grilled corn shoots, with no seasoning at all. Tasty, of course — but exactly as you’d imagine in flavor and texture.


The sea urchin looked a bit dark in color, but it tasted surprisingly sweet, with none of the off-putting fishy flavors. There was also a light sprinkle of what seemed like ginger powder on top, adding a nice zing.


Seeing this, do you find it a bit familiar? The entire menu looks quite similar to the one from that seated sushi-making experience Xiao Hu introduced before. Oh — no, actually, I think it’s more accurate to say that seated sushi-making resembles “Secret Dad.” On the way home, I looked it up and heard that the chef from the seated experience actually trained here.

The difference is that the seated experience uses chu-toro (medium fatty tuna), while Secret Dad uses the higher-grade o-toro (fatty tuna). Overall, because Secret Dad’s piece wasn’t torched, the “fat” didn’t hit as intensely or heavily. The melt-in-your-mouth sensation unfolded more gradually, with more layers, without overwhelming your mouth with “fat, fat, fat” right away.

The flavors of the o-toro, sea urchin, and even the vinegar rice were more distinct. The seaweed sheet was smaller, lightly cradling the sea urchin so it wasn’t intrusive. In terms of both texture and flavor, this piece was significantly better. I’d guess this single piece alone is worth around 500 NTD.


The style of stuffing shrimp heads with rice has been used in many Japanese restaurants lately, but I felt the rice inside this shrimp head was a bit dry and a little hard to eat.


This torched piece had a slight charred aroma, like fish skin — oily and smooth. The sweetness of white-meat fish, which often doesn’t come through as much, was present here without issue. Also, unlike the previous piece, the sauce wasn’t overly salty here either. If I had to vote for the best dish of the day, aside from the o-toro, this one might just take the prize.


The grilled flounder on the engawa I’d been looking forward to—once it entered my mouth, it was indeed sweet where it should be sweet and tender where it should be tender, but I still don’t like that sticky feeling in the middle when the nori gets stuck between my tongue and the roof of my mouth, neither dry nor crisp XD.

Grilled red throat. Well, to be honest I didn’t feel much about it; while it’s not bad by any means, neither the sweetness of the meat, the tenderness, nor even the oiliness were particularly satisfying.


Finally, the mini seafood N<饭，在分量上是比坐着做多上一点，当中的食材也大同小异，拌在嘴里的满足度当然也差不多，可真要相比我觉得坐着做的比较香、比较吸引味蕾，这一碗好吃、顺口却不那么的勾舌、令人回味。


The miso soup looked like it had a lot of ingredients and was flavorful, but as I ate it, there was a faint, lingering fishiness...

In the end, the dessert was tasty, but nothing particularly outstanding either. Finally, let Xiao Hu complain a bit—he didn’t even have my favorite “tamagoyaki” (tear).


【Mánzhe Diē Yī Diàn】

Address:No. 15, Lane 7, Alley 346, Section 2, Bade Road, Taipei City
Phone:0926-594575
Business Hours:11:30～15:00, 18:00～21:30 (by reservation)
Xiao Hu's Dream Food Blog
If “eating” is just about filling your stomach, then “food” would be far too boring~~~