Tried dinner at Eika in Taipei, recently opened and awarded two stars.
Former chef of the branch of Ryugin Taiwan (which was miles better than the tourist trap OG store in Tokyo but that’s a different topic)
Easy booking, putting aside the email address bug which made it difficult to see bookings. Once fixed there was plenty of dates available.
This was our first visit, we only went to Taipei Ryugin once about 8 years ago and really enjoyed it so we were looking forward to it.
Very nice understated atmosphere, seems they occupy the whole building with reception on 1F, main dining area on 2F and some private dining on 3F. Located in an old and understated area of Taipei.
Main dining area is open on the kitchen with basically no separation. So you can see all that’s happening, the quiet preparation and the occasional feedback to staff.
Dinner is 8000NT, details in the last pic of the slide show. Probably the best you can get in terms of Japan x Taiwan fine dining. Great taste overall and smart use of local produce and seasoning. Highlights were the corn croquette, the sashimi, and pigeon. Deserts also great.
Best way to summarize is, kaiseki ryori with a taiwanese kick to it.
Chef has a wood fire shelf in the kitchen and grills all fish and meats, they were basically all fantastically cooked.
Wine and sake pairing fo 4500NT was good match and no gimmicky sake. Overall nice, not sure about value for money.
Overall really enjoyed the meal. Probably my top 3 in Taipei despite the price for Taiwan. Compared to another review on this sub 10 months ago, the food was totally different, so I would look forward to visit again at a different season.
by Stump007
1 Comment
Wow, pretty expensive for Taipei and some of the plating could use some refinement (not a fan of the haphazard sashimi plate especially), but I didn’t know that the chef was from Ryugin Taipei. I had a great meal there and was saddened when they closed. Will definitely check it out next time I’m there.