The pork cutlet is tender and juicy, and the curry is refreshing without being greasy — a delicious Japanese-style eatery in Taitung

Photos and text byXiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

Following the “Exploring Snacks with Shu Guozhi” series up to today, aside from the first eatery in Guting, “Kangleyi Snacks,” which didn’t allow photos, I’ve visited 67 places and finally encountered a second one. Fortunately, though photos inside the shop and of people weren’t allowed, I could still take pictures of the food I ordered myself — otherwise this article would have been tough to write.

No, actually, if they had told me from the start that even the food couldn’t be photographed, I think I would have walked right out...

I wonder if everyone remembers how earlier Xiao Hu wrote about Xiaoman Coffee in Taitung City? This café, also introduced by Teacher Shu, is closely linked to today’s subject, “Haruhaba,” so naturally, it’s also a renovated old building.


However, apart from this wooden door, the interior decor and layout don’t really retain much of an old-building feel. At least compared to Xiaoman Coffee, it lacks a bit of that vibe. It’s at best a small, cleverly designed Japanese-style family eatery, which you can kind of glimpse from the photo taken from the entrance.


Well, since we can’t take photos inside the shop, it makes things simpler. Let’s dive straight into the main topic — the food.

Haruhaba’s menu includes almost all the usual offerings of a typical Japanese canteen, but it also hides some rather unique dishes. But because photos weren’t allowed, I can’t show them to you. This fried pork cutlet is said to be one of the more popular main dishes here, and it looks pretty good. As for the price, I forgot, but overall it’s about the same as what you’d pay in Taipei.


The curry sauce looks thick but tastes a bit lighter than I expected. By light, I mean the aroma of the curry — though you could also say it’s refreshing, not overly rich, and the rice is well-cooked.

The best performer was the pork cutlet: tender with a nice juiciness. It’s not mind-blowing, but definitely tasty. Just the crispness of the fried coating could be improved, though that might be because part of it was soaked in the curry sauce.

These three small side dishes that came with the set meal looked quite refined and performed pretty well — at least they didn’t seem like filler ingredients.


Cool with a faint trace of very light acidity, the wood ear mushrooms and onions offered different kinds of crunch, full of moisture and quite appetizing.


This white soft thing mixed with cucumber and sesame paste — I’m not entirely sure what it is — tasted a bit like fish noodles but without any fishy flavor. However, the texture was nice when bitten and chewed, and paired with the sesame paste it was quite delicious and at least unique.


The beef stew with potatoes had a home-style flavor, not too salty or rich, and was very refreshing. The meat, potatoes, and carrots were all tender enough to melt in your mouth — loved it.

The miso soup that came with the meal wasn’t particularly special, but it was smooth. The unusual thing was the generous sprinkling of green onions, giving it a strong onion aroma, which was a big plus for an onion lover like me.


At first, I didn’t know what the item in the upper right corner was. I thought the soup was unique enough to come with a tiny dab of mustard on the rim of the bowl. Later I found out it was ochazuke (tea-soaked rice), and then it all made sense.


After taking a bite of this salmon ochazuke, my reaction was: “Ah~ just ochazuke.” When I shared my reaction, the person next to me shot me a look, took a sip, then shrugged and nodded along: “Ah~ just ochazuke.” I don’t mean it wasn’t tasty or drinkable, but it was just steady and ordinary, that’s all.

Finally, this mentaiko potato dish was one we absolutely had to try. When it arrived, I was a bit worried just looking at the surface and color — it was a bit different from what we expected or were used to seeing. Those familiar with this dish will understand what Xiao Hu is talking about.


It didn’t look very appealing at first glance, but once I tried it, I was amazed. First, the texture of the potatoes was excellent — at first bite, I thought they were firm and intact, but as soon as my palate and tongue touched them, they melted like mashed potatoes. A really unique texture.

Second, the mentaiko sauce didn’t carry as much of the egg aroma I was expecting, but instead delivered an unexpected tanginess, which grew stronger the more you ate. But the amazing part was that this sourness was quite likable, and it made this dish, which might usually get tiresome, incredibly moreish bite after bite.

Later, we guessed it might be because the mayonnaise mixed with the mentaiko had a slightly sour profile, giving it a particularly refreshing taste.


Lastly, there was the sesame leaf salad recommended by the owner. Apparently it’s a popular dish at the shop — Xiao Hu sneakily noticed most other tables had ordered it too. Have you tried sesame leaves before? Some pizzerias offer them too — for example, Pizzeria Oggi has them. They have a faint, nutty aroma and a slight bitterness, which is where their name comes from.

Actually, I hadn’t been a big fan of sesame leaves in the past, but when paired with the shop’s tangy, salty, fragrant Japanese-style sesame sauce, the bitterness became much milder — or perhaps more accurately, more nuanced and varied. Paired with plenty of thinly sliced onions, which I love, it was really delicious. No wonder it’s so popular.


Even though photos weren’t allowed, I came here for Shu Guozhi, so snapping a sneaky pic of his signature isn’t too much to ask, right? =)


[Haruhaba]

Address:No. 37, Lane 376, Section 1, Zhonghua Road, Taitung City
Phone: (089) 336-558
Business Hours:11:30～14:00, 17:30～22:00
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