Super Generous Japanese Cuisine in Tamsui – Free Flow of Skipjack Miso Soup with Your Rice

Text and photos byBurnt-Out Nurse

In Tamsui, if you mention Tama Shokudo, there’s no way anyone wouldn’t know about it. This place isn’t just affordable and delicious — that huge portion of N<饭一端出来，每一个人无不“哇”一声，接着拿出手机先好好的照相一番，这就是在多摩用餐的时景，然而那个用旗鱼背骨煮的无限食用味噌汤也是让天母人津津乐道的超值。

The owner couple, Mr. and Mrs. Yang, both worked at the Grand Hyatt. He was a Chinese chef and she worked front of house. They loved cooking and studied under different mentors. Originally, they co-ran a Japanese restaurant in Zhongzheng with others, but because Mr. Yang is from Tamsui, they eventually went their separate ways and returned to Tamsui to open their own shop. During their travels, they visited Tama City in Tokyo and fell in love with the place, so they named their restaurant after it. They’ve been running the shop in Tamsui for three years now. Their philosophy is to ensure that even solo diners feel welcome, offering great value meals — and only dishes they truly enjoy themselves. Speaking of which, the burnt-out group who’ve dined here all shake their heads: “Boss, this isn’t just for solo diners, it’s enough to make you explode!”

Aside from the free-flow skipjack backbone miso soup, the shop also offers Hokkaido scallops, Canadian sea urchin, fresh-caught skipjack, red snapper head, and the most unique offering — overnight-dried fish made by local fishermen from Pingtung Fishery, using whatever they catch. Because the catch varies, Tama serves a variety of overnight-dried fish. All are served with delicious Xiluo rice to make the N<饭，这一切也是多摩食堂让很多人一吃就爱上的原因。

The seating inside is lined up on both sides — no need to look around too much, having a seat is what really matters. Back when the burnt-out nurse first came here, they actually ended up eating at the tiny table by the restroom.

Then there are the blackboards on both sides covered in tiny, hard-to-decipher writing...

Flip open the menu — yup, it’s cheap alright. But then you have no idea what to order.

Might as well start with the skipjack miso soup, free flow — no need for rice then (huge misunderstanding).

There’s also free-flow barley tea, by the way.

Oh wow — just that one piece of skipjack belly already has so much meat, you’re kinda full already.

Let’s bring out the dishes, folks — some of you might faint just watching this. Here comesTama’s Invincible N<、加拿大海胆生鱼片N<、多摩无敌生鱼片、鲑鱼亲子N<、横纲炸猪排N<、午仔鱼一夜干、唐扬鸡软骨。It comes out like an armada — so grand and shocking. Where do you even start eating? Actually, after everyone takes photos, they all lean back. This invincible fleet is truly intense and terrifying.

Let’s start with something a bit more harmless.Salmon Parent-Child N<Behold — this is a dish from Tama. Fluffy slices of salmon are placed gently over rice, as if worried the rice might catch a chill, topped with generous amounts of salmon roe, golden egg, and a cheeky piece of imitation crab.

Canadian Sea Urchin Sashimi N<, which includes sea urchin, salmon, skipjack, tuna, red snapper, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), golden egg, and black beans. It may not look like much at first glance, but when you dig in with your chopsticks, you’ll realize just how much is in this N<饭有多深阿！

Tama Invincible Sashimi N<— this platter is super luxurious. It features sea urchin, salmon, skipjack, tuna, red snapper, raw squid, sweet shrimp, Hokkaido raw scallops, Hokkaido scallops, salmon roe, matsutake crab guts, tamagoyaki, golden egg, and black beans, all lined up in gorgeous array. The boss, unfazed and probably hiding in the kitchen, smirks at your shocked expression. Okay — I admit it, I lost the challenge.

Tama Invincible N<— don’t say the burnt-out nurse didn’t warn you, don’t order this lightly, you definitely won’t finish it. Inside are three tempura prawns, two explosive egg ‘Happy Encounters,’ two Hokkaido scallops, one massive Japanese conger eel, one onsen egg, pumpkin, tofu, and okra, all piled up like the majestic Mount Yu, waiting for brave climbers to conquer. Last year I conquered it once, but was so full my stomach felt like I was eight months pregnant (usually it’s more like four).

Yokozuna Pork Cutlet Rice, each piece of which looks harmless enough —<饭，都超级大分量的，那猪排的厚度是有事吗？

Fried Chicken Cartilage, but actually this plate is the best-seller, because it’s tasty and feels the least heavy. The above-mentioned N<饭不管选到哪一份都是会被击倒阿！

Mackerel Overnight-DryIt's so delicious and tender～

After seeing the photos above, you now know why Tama Everyday has such long lines, right? But as for overworking my liver, I dare not casually order the Tama Invincible Heaven N anymore.<，下回来还是鸡软骨和一夜干搭配味噌汤就好。但这分量就是多摩的特色，不仅提供超值最新鲜的食材，还有等你挑战的大分量，另外N<饭里头有个土佐醋冻， 这酸甜的醋冻正是多摩的特色之一，也是多摩N<饭画龙点睛的经典之作，你要来多摩吗？记得要量力而为的点餐阿！

Tama食堂 - Japanese Cuisine
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Location: 1F, No. 2, Lane 50, Section 2, Zhongcheng Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2838-3950
Business Hours: 11:30–14:00, 17:00–21:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)

We are overworked nurses “Meatball” & “Bowl | Junbao?? They brought us to this place hoping we could share more delicious food and happy moments. The written introduction conveys the beauty of the place, the emotions in the season, and the local delicacies, making it hard for friends who’ve been there to forget the feelings they had.
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