A homely Japanese dish — fluffy, moist mentaiko cheese tamagoyaki

Text & Photos /kuni

(Truffle Tamagoyaki)

When I arrived at the entrance on Nanchang Road, I might have still harbored some slight doubts. But once seated and looking around at the clean floors and furniture, all those uncertainties vanished.

It probably started back in February last year when a fan began occasionally emailing me to ask for sushi recommendations. Then one day she suddenly mentioned that her boyfriend had opened a canteen — not purely Japanese, but more home-style. Concerned about initial instability, she waited quite a while before finally daring to extend an invitation to me, which I found truly an honor.

(Entrance of the Nanchang Road branch)

(Business is brisk)

A quick glance at the menu revealed similarities with typical Taiwanese-style Japanese eateries, also offering tonkatsu rice and udon noodles, though no sashimi or sushi, clearly focusing on cooked dishes. Upon closer inspection, the entire right column dedicated to various types of tamagoyaki piqued my curiosity. I immediately ordered a truffle tamagoyaki (NT$130), along with a red wine cheese tower spicy curry tonkatsu N<(NT.200)，味噌塔香猪排乌冬面(NT.200)，唐扬鸡块(NT.100)，虾酱高丽菜(NT.80)，剥皮辣椒鸡汤(NT.60)与茄子立休煮(NT.50)。

(Menu)

(Cups printed with the shop's logo)

The tamagoyaki was a good start. Even before taking a bite, the distinctive aroma of the truffle sauce wafted over. Once eaten, the scent hit again from the back of the nasal passage — turns out the inner filling also contained truffle sauce. The overall cooking level was good, though I wished for a softer texture, something that was indeed confirmed in the additional tamagoyaki I later ordered.

(Truffle Tamagoyaki)

Today’s N<饭与乌冬面尚可，不算突出，最主要是猪排缺了该有的juicy与嫩度。炸鸡块以这价格分量不小，可惜味道偏淡。汤品可口，借着腌制过的剥皮辣椒有着开胃的酸与辣。茄子则先以天妇罗手法下去油炸，细致的薄炸衣造就了微酥内软，最后淋上酱汁，入口便知不凡，气质而不强烈的芝麻香气。这里杯碗盘匙上都有印着店名的LOGO，应该是订制品。

Upon closer look, you’ll notice the consistency in plating angles — for instance, both tonkatsu pieces were placed horizontally facing the logo. When I asked the chef, who also owns the place, he confirmed there are specific internal standards. The later-added mentaiko cheese tamagoyaki didn’t quite match the earlier truffle version in aroma, but with excellent cooking, softness, and moisture from the cheese, it was still up to par.

(Red Wine Cheese Tower Spicy Curry Tonkatsu N<)

(Miso Tower Spicy Tonkatsu Udon)

(Fried Chicken Nuggets)

(Shrimp Paste Cabbage)

(Peel-Chili Chicken Soup)

(Eggplant Stewed Dish)

(Salt-grilled Mackerel added later)

(Mentaiko Cheese Tamagoyaki)

(Good cooking level and cheese)

Though not from a traditional culinary background, today’s flavors were genuinely delightful. The team’s attention to detail was evident in how clean and tidy the environment was kept — this is not something achieved by just sweeping and mopping every day. That’s the kind of care I’m happy to see. Perhaps not every dish reaches the pinnacle of perfection, but that genuine effort to think from the customer’s perspective is something rarely seen in the food industry these days, and it left a deep impression on me.

Yoshino Canteen
Address: No. 169, Section 2, Nanchang Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Phone: (02)2367-5761
Hours: 12:00–21:30 Mon–Sun

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