SUSHI TO GO

Blame it on a busy schedule and laziness that posts haven’t been done.  Sorry.  Again.

Fifty years Taiwan was ruled by the Japanese.  The influence of the Japanese on Taiwan’s industrialization and culture is very evident today.  From business to food to way of life.  It is therefore no surprise to see sushi all over Taiwan.  Japanese restaurants abound and sushi to go counters are found in every nook and cranny.

A favorite sushi take out stall of ours is found by the entrance of one of  Taipei’s central subway system.

Clean, organized and easy to buy.

Wide array of sushi options. All sorts of concoctions with corn, eel, pork floss, fruit, etc.

Great way to pacify hunger pangs.

TURNING JAPANESE

Friday. No meat day during lent.  Last day of a 6 month traumatic journey. First day of true happiness and peace.  What to do?  Prepare home-made Japanese food!

All sliced, rolled and prepared at home: 4 types of sushi, fresh maguro sashimi, the sweetest uni from a trusted Japanese supplier. Heaven!

Proud to say these taste like the ones found in leading restaurants: Spicy Tuna Salad complete with the crunch AND Kani corn salad with the yummiest roasted sesame dressing. All wiped out in a jiffy =)

Grill it good! Terriyaki-flavored shrimps and dory,grilled table-top. Perfect with home made Japanese fried rice using mushrooms instead of ground beef. Heaven at home!

The beauteous result of time, inspiration and happiness.  Heaven at home indeed!

TEPPANYAKI ENTERTAINMENT

Teppanyaki is a style of  Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food like beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, vegetables and anything and everything one wishes to be grilled.   The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan  which means iron plate, and yaki  which means grilled, broiled or pan-fried.

Most of teppanyaki restaurants have several teppanyaki grill stations surrounded by chairs.  A few are located in private dining rooms (if available) and most are on the main dining area.   Each station is  usually occupied by your own group especially if it is in a private dining room.  In the main dining area, a teppan grill may be shared by people who do not know each other especially if there are many customers to be accommodated.

In Taipei 101, we discovered an interesting teppanyaki place in the food court area.  Only one teppanyaki grill, U shaped is found.  Each of the 20+ chairs surrounding the grill are numbered.  Customers come in groups, pairs or  arrive alone and just take any empty seat available.  An overhead menu board and a menu card with all the food offerings are conveniently accessible to all.

Select from the menu and let the show begin.

Orders are placed.  Meat, seafood, vegetables are grilled using sea flakes salt and a special sauce. As customary, grilled food items are proportioned and served on individual plates although one has the option to have the entire piece on a serving plate.

Lights, camera action!

TBW was enthralled with the show’s performance and experience, observing the comings and goings of the crowd, amazed at the queue of people wanting a seat that photos of the final product (food) were not taken.  But believe me when I say, the food looked very appetizing and tasted so good that we ordered more.

There were 3 teppanyaki chefs to service the entire U shaped grill.  They work as a team.  When one chef was loaded with too many orders on his side, the other two would help him cook on their sides.  Having a good memory must be a requisite to work here as chefs have to remember and match ordered food with the seat assignments.

The chef assigned to our grill area did not mix up any orders, knew the menu inside out and spoke and understood a bit of English.  All that made our entire lunch experience from orders to check payment very pleasant.

Not only did our teppan chef cook excellently, he was very amiable and patient with us as well. Best performance by a Chef indeed =)

What a great way to spend lunch time!  No wonder it was (and continues to be) a box-office hit among the dining crowd.