It takes a considerable lack of humility to call your establishment Really Good Seafood, but having been a fixture of the Taipei dining scene for the last 15 years, this restaurant can claim to have established its credentials. Originally located near the corner of Jinshan South and Hoping East roads, it relocated earlier this year to a swank new location at 222, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段222號). Six month ago it embarked on a new venture, opening an outlet in the food court of Breeze Center.
Although Breeze prides itself on an up-market image, an average meal of NT$2,000, which is what you'd expect to pay at the main venue, would seem a trifle steep when nestled among the stalls hawking meal sets for under NT$200. According to Ellin Yu (余美玲), special assistant to the general manager at Really Good Seafood, this was a move calculated to bring in a new generation of customers.
"At our main outlet, we cater mostly to corporate customers and people visiting for the first time are usually invited by regular customers," Yu said. Really Good Seafood is particularly known for allowing its team of awarded-winning chefs discretion in catering to customers' needs. Tell the waitress what you are willing to spend - NT$1,200 per head and up - and the chefs will put together a menu based on the best and freshest ingredients available that day.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF REALLY GOOD SEAFOOD
This option is also available at the Breeze Center branch, but the focus is on a slightly more casual dining experience, with a set menu for NT$280 that provides a glimpse of what Really Good Seafood can do. Despite the lower price, the set is served on quality crockery and includes a seafood salad, a Japanese style pork cutlet, shrimp in a light curry sauce, rice with vegetables and a delicious salmon miso soup. A second set menu featuring grilled Hokkaido mackerel and spaghetti with crab and spinach sauce is also available.
Smaller a la carte options are also available, and the Deep Fried Spring Rolls (NT$220,香酥鮮蝦卷) are particularly delectable. Really Good Seafood's are much less stogy than the usual rolls, with their crisp skin produced by wrapping the roll in the thin membrane that encases pigs' internal organs; they are truly delicious.
Another feature of the new populist Really Good Seafood is the all-you-can-eat sushi bar, which is available for NT$660 per head, and allows diners to enjoy the experience of an up-market sushi establishment without breaking the bank. Chefs work the counter, producing sushi as you eat.
Slightly away from the main clutter of the food court, Really Good Seafood offers restaurant food and service in a casual atmosphere. A function room that seats 10 is also available for more elaborate meals.
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