ING HSIANG OMAKASE
No. 1, Alley 5, Lane 608, Bei An Road
Dazhi, Taipei
(02) 2532-3986
hours: 11:30AM-2:30PM; 5:30PM-9:30PM
$$$
Kid friendliness: high chair available
Visit reviewed: 4/5/2009
Not too far from the popular Mitsui in Dazhi is this little omakase restaurant tucked behind a nondescript entrance a few alleys away.
The first course set the tone for the rest of the meal- simple, elegant presentation and flavors. I think the server said the shellfish was like a cousin to the lobster- with the same sweet meat. Reminded me of crawfish, but not sure if that's what it was.
Second course- sashimi, mmmm, but my favorite- scallop.
You can see the difference between fresh wasabi and wasabi paste.
There's no "menu" since with the omakase, the chef will make different things based on what's freshest that day. They explained a bit about each dish after they served it, but it was in Chinese, so the specifics about everything was a blur.
It's cool if you like surprises, not so much if you want to know what you're getting for your money. This dinner omakase is relatively good deal at NT$1800 compared with other similar restaurants, like Shan Hua.
I felt like this omakase had more cooked fish entrees than other ones I've tried, along with unusual fare like blowfish. Overall, I'm not a huge fan of grilled fish with bones or fish with heads, so some of those courses I couldn't get excited about.
MMmm. Uni. If you don't like sashimi or raw fish, you can let them know and they will make substitutions. They can also make vegetarian omakase course, but I think you have to give them advance notice.
Miso soup with seafood...
If the parade of multiple little plates didn't fill you up, they offer a grilled onigiri or rice triangle dotted with flakes of salmon before the dessert.
The cantaloupe was good, and though I didn't get a picture of it, their tiramisu dessert was really surprisingly good! My favorites of the night were probably similar to what I like in general- uni, scallop, lobster, sashimi.
A cozy little sushi bar with two private rooms for larger groups, it could be a good place for a romantic date. The lighting is dark, but definitely not as dark as Mitsui which I find to be almost too dark to see your food sometimes!
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3 comments:
Looks delicious! D: Out of curiosity, does trying out all these restaurant rip a big hole in your pocket?
Sometimes. But having a lot of relatives treating (like on this dinner) definitely helps!
I just returned from a fantastic lunch here. Everything was delicious, and I liked the balanced variety of food, with both hot and cold dishes. We had the NT$1,000-per-person omakase, which turned out to be a good value, considering the amount and quality of the food. Thank you for sharing this excellent discovery! Definitely my favorite higher-end Japanese restaurant in Taipei.
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