It's not just about ramen — 6 popular Japanese cuisines make their grand debut

Reported by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

Although Korean cuisine has been all the rage recently thanks to the Hallyu wave, Japanese food continues to hold its charm for Taiwanese diners. A steady stream of Japanese culinary offerings is making its way to Taiwan’s market. Beyond ramen, many other types of restaurants have recently entered the scene, including TENYA<、咖喱饭、炸鸡翅、火锅、奶油面包，还有去大阪必吃名物“元祖串炸”也将在12月开幕，对于喜欢日本美食的人可说是“太幸福了！”

▲IZUMI CURRY’s ultra-heavy 12-ounce cheeseburger curry rice. (NT$480) (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

IZUMI CURRY
The Japanese curry restaurant Izumi Curry officially opened at Taipei Main Station Fashion Plaza on October 1. The curry sauce is made with a generous amount of natural spices, apples, onions, ginger, bananas, honey, vegetables, wheat flour, carrots, and self-brewed beef bone broth. To ensure the overseas branches maintain the same flavor as the flagship store, up to 15 types of natural spices are imported from Japan. The restaurant’s signature dishes include the ultra-heavy 12-ounce cheeseburger curry rice, angel egg beef curry, and pork cutlet curry rice.

Address: B3, 1 Section 1, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei City (Taipei Main Station Flagship Store)
Phone: 02-23458199

▲The Akakara hot pot with ten levels of spiciness. (Photo by AKA KARA)

AKA KARA “Akakara Hot Pot”
The Nagoya-based hot pot chain AKA KARA (Akakara), which has around 180 locations across Japan, officially opened on November 11. The store’s decor and menu are completely authentic to Japan. The two flagship offerings are the “Akakara Hot Pot” and “Roasted Chicken Neck.” The Akakara Hot Pot is based on Nagoya’s traditional red miso, blended with various Chinese and Korean chili peppers, offering 10 levels of spiciness — in Japan, only 1% of people can handle level 7 or above.

Address: No. 71, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Taipei City (Taipei Flagship Store)
Phone: 02-2523-8922

▲Eight varieties of bread launched by Hakutendo in Taiwan. (Photo by Hakutendo)

Hakutendo
Japan’s Hiroshima-famous butter bread is coming to Taiwan soon. Established in Hiroshima in 1933, “Hakutendo” boasts an 82-year history. Its butter bread, launched six years ago for its melt-in-your-mouth texture, was recommended by Japanese celebrities and became a wildly popular queuing item in Japan, selling 15 million units annually. Hakutendo will set up a temporary counter in Taipei Main Station B3 from November 13 to January 12, 2016, and establish a permanent store in Banqiao on November 20. Seven flavors will be introduced to Taiwan, along with three Taiwan-exclusive flavors, each priced at NT$80. The ten flavors available in Taiwan are custard, fresh cream, French cream (Taiwan exclusive), fresh fruit (Taiwan exclusive), ice cream (Taiwan exclusive), matcha, red bean, chestnut, chocolate, and mango.

Locations: Taipei Main Station B3, Banqiao Global Mall

▲Heavenly N<。内容有?鱼、大虾、小干贝加花枝海鲜炸、青龙、炸半熟玉子、炸海苔片。320元+10%。(图／黄士原摄)

Kaneko Hannosuke
Japan’s queuing-favorite food “Kaneko Hannosuke”’s heavenly N<专卖店终于要在10日于微风台北车站开幕了！这次台湾分店提供的菜单不只有日本桥本店的“江户前天N<”，还有“上天N<”及“天N<”共3款人料理，而江户前天N<中使用的“穴子(星鳗)”还是由日本进口，长度比手掌还要大。至于金子半之助最重要的秘制酱汁，也是由日本调制好再运送来台湾。

Address: 2F, No. 3, Beiping West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City (Breeze Taipei Station)
Phone: 02-2314-0298

▲One of the must-try iconic items in Osaka, Japan: Dreamy Fried Chicken Wings. (Photo by Jiuwu Eqi)

World’s Yamachan
The well-known Japanese fried chicken wing chain “World’s Yamachan” (世界の山ちゃん) is set to open its first Taiwan branch in the Xinyi commercial district on November 28, becoming its third overseas location after Thailand and Hong Kong. Founded in Nagoya in 1981, World’s Yamachan is a izakaya-style eatery with over 70 branches in Japan and abroad. Among its diverse menu of fried foods, salads, and stir-fries, the “Dreamy Fried Chicken Wings” (幻の手羽先) are the most iconic. The upcoming Taipei Xinyi store will be located in the alley next to Exit 1 of Taipei City Hall MRT Station, right beside the famed Peking duck restaurant “Song Chu.”

Address: No. 10, Lane 15, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City


▲One of Osaka’s must-eat specialties: Yorimichi Yakitori. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Yorimichi Yakitori
Osaka’s famous New World Yorimichi Yakitori (串カツだるま) is opening a branch in Taiwan too. The Taipei location, Yorimichi Kushikatsu Daruma, will be set up in the Chang’an East Road and Tiaotong area of Zhongshan District, with an expected opening date of December 1. The original Yorimichi Kushikatsu Daruma in Osaka’s New World was founded in 1929 (Showa 4) and currently has multiple branches in Japan. Overseas, it has one branch in Thailand and two in Korea.

Taipei branch address: No. 15, Section 1, Chang’an East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City