Only eight seats available!/师大’s no-menu Japanese restaurant — getting a reservation takes luck too

Text & photos bySan Gao Chi Han

I stumbled upon this tiny spot near Shida with just eight counter seats a while back. Over a week ago, I tried to book a table for this weekend, and by then only the 2:30 PM slot on Saturday was left. I felt pretty lucky to get it, so I treated it as an afternoon continuation of my day. It’s a no-menu omakase experience called 初鱼, costing 1,000 NTD per person per session, with no service charge.

The shop is a bit of a walk from the MRT station. In the afternoon, I rode my YouBike slowly from Dongmen Station. When I arrived, I peeked in through the door and saw a long, narrow space. I got there right at 2:30 PM but still had to wait a little before being let in. On the left was the chopping board, on the right the teppan; one chef handled both raw and cooked dishes all by himself.

First came shredded daikon, sweet pickled ginger, pickled radish, and pre-molded wasabi. The wasabi was grated a bit coarse, but the flavor was good — pungent with a fresh aftertaste and a sweet finish.

The first course was green bamboo shoots, paired with miso vinegar seasoned with a touch of mustard. The shoots had a sweetness to them — it was okay~

Then came soft-shell squid tentacles with a yuzu flavor, tender and pleasantly chewy~

Two slices of wild red... (I’m not sure what fish it was), the flesh was firm with a strong aroma. That was the end of the sashimi courses. Later I asked the chef and found out that the amount of raw fish served really depends on the day’s supply. If you don’t eat raw fish, you can let them know when making the reservation and they’ll adjust it in advance.

Next up was a grilled scallop. Beside it, seaweed was pan-fried to add some crunch. Just sprinkled with salt — sweet and delicious.

Hungarian curly-haired pig — rich in fat. The fattiest parts were trimmed off and seared separately to render the fat. This is pork that doesn’t have to be eaten well-done either. The chef pan-seared it into little meat cubes reminiscent of diced wagyu.

Although I’m not sure which part it was, the meat had a nice bounce to it, the fibers weren’t dry or stringy at all, and the fat had a gentle, sweet flavor. Just a sprinkle of salt was enough, though adding a bit of wasabi was pretty nice too.

Then a whole abalone (South African maybe?) was placed on the teppan. While it was being seared, the chef also started preparing ground meat — looks like fried rice is next. After lightly searing the abalone, the shell was removed, and a broth made with katsuobushi and katsuobushi powder was prepared. The abalone was then put into the pot to simmer~

Let’s take a look at the fried rice first. Plain rice was soaked in egg and then tossed onto the teppan. Mixed with ground meat, using the oil rendered from the previously fried Hungarian pork fat. Just looking at it made me think it would taste amazing. I couldn’t help but wonder — if this pork fat were rendered into lard cracklings, the flavor would probably be incredible...

Each person got a small bowl of fried rice topped with salmon roe. The roe was sweet and fresh, complementing the rich, oily fried rice really well. The ground meat was crisped up nicely, though I’d say it was a bit too hard. The portion was small, so it didn’t feel quite satisfying.

The abalone that had been simmered earlier was then returned to the teppan to be seared again until fragrant. The texture became tender, with a nice dashi aroma added.

The grand finale was lobster (I heard it was Australian gold lobster). A little flour was dusted on before searing. The freshly shelled legs were still moving slightly. The lobster meat was springy, sweet, and just the right size for one or two bites.

The broth from cooking the abalone was put to use in the end — it was used to cook some fish, turning it into a fish soup. The chef said it was black grass... (not sure what kind). The cooked fish meat was very firm and chewy.

For dessert, there was a cherry. For 1,000 NTD, getting something like this should leave anyone pretty satisfied, especially if you’re dining alone and not too fussy about the ambiance.

初鱼料亭 (Chu Yu Ryotei)
Address: No. 2, Taishun St., Da’an District, Taipei City
Hours: 11:30 AM–4:00 PM / 5:00 PM–9:30 PM (1.5-hour sessions, closed Mondays)
Phone: 0963-599875

Savor Taiwan, one bite at a time — recording delicious food journeys with heart
San Gao Chi Han’s culinary trail　San Gao’s Fan Page