japanese/fusion: i recommend DONMONO

DONMONO 鮮五丼
No. 115, Nanjing E. Rd, Sec. 3 台北市南京東路三段115號（南京龍江路口）
(02) 2508-0461

MRT: Nanjing East Road Station or Songjian/Nanjing Station

Hours: 11AM - 9PM

website: Don Mono's FB page

$

Kid friendliness: fast casual seating, no high chairs spotted

Visit reviewed: 12/7/2011

Yoshinoya is one of my dad's favorite cheap eats- a big bowl of rice topped with teriyaki beef, relatively quick and made to order. While I've also spotted Yoshinoya in Taipei, I've been too busy eating other things to try it. So when my friend invited me to try DonMono, I didn't expect too much, but I was surprised by the modern fast casual atmosphere and hearty portions.

A fast, casual restaurant offering lunch for NT$99 with options like beef bowl, mapo tofu, fried pork tonkatsu or teriyaki chicken. Order and pay at the front and find a seat upstairs.

Chopsticks and spoons are tucked into black utensil holders on each table, as well as chili oil, pickled ginger and soy sauce.

I liked the squishy tofu (NT$20) and sweet seaweed that are side orders.

I ordered the kimchi beef bowl and while the bowl is quite sizeable, it's mostly a thin layer of meat atop a huge bowl of rice. The flavor of the sliced beef is good, but too much rice for me to finish. Thankfully there isn't that goopy layer of teriyaki sauce all over the meats here.

I finished most of the meat and kimchi and I was eyeing my friends' orders. Next time I'd get the chicken bowl, with plenty of chopped chicken thigh dotted with sesame seeds...

or the spicy mapo tofu with pork cutlet instead, both which looked quite filling and hearty.

OTHER LOCATION

No. 18, Lane 137, Yanji St.
(02) 2711-2142