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[RESTAURANT REVIEW] Bamboo Village (竹村日本料理)

You've hit the jackpot at Bamboo Village. PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES

Bamboo Village lives up to the old adage that good things come in small packages. One restaurant might prepare great food. Another might offer prompt and attentive service. A third might create a unique atmosphere free of pretence. Finding all three qualities in one place - too often a rarity among eateries - means you've hit the jackpot. Bamboo Village, an izakaya, or a Japanese drinking restaurant, which opened last year, is just that.

Red lanterns emblazoned with Chinese characters adorn the outside patio that has room for two tables. The four-seat bar, where customers sit and stand sipping sake or bottled beer, overlooks the tiny kitchen manned by two chefs grilling meat and slicing raw fish. Nestled inside are two comfortable and private tables perfect for an intimate rendezvous after a long day's work.

The menu is a mixture of Zen-like simplicity and urban flair. The combination sashimi (綜合生魚片, NT$250/NT$350) of tuna and cobia (white fish), which arrived in a colorful abalone shell, was fresh, sliced thick and served on a bed of stringed daikon.

Bamboo Village (竹村日本料理) Address: 2, Alley 1, Ln 253, Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路253巷1弄2號) Telephone: (02) 2720-7305 Open: Daily, 5pm to 1am Average meal: NT$300 Details: Menu in Chinese; credit cards not accepted

Of particular note was the grilled salmon marinated in miso (烤味噌魚, NT$150). Served on a plate with pickled ginger and a lime wedge, the flavor of the miso was light and didn't overpower the salmon. It was so good we eagerly ordered a second serving.

The jewel in the crown was the series of grilled rice cakes (NT$60 each) - salmon (鮭魚烤飯糰), eel (鰻魚烤飯糰) and lobster (龍蝦烤飯糰) - served partially wrapped in seaweed sheets. The cake's surface was grilled to a golden brown making it slightly crunchy on the outside while the inside remained moist. Generous morsels of flavorful seafood made up the center and rounded out one of the simplest and best dishes I've eaten in Taiwan.

Like any izakaya restaurant worthy of the name, Bamboo Village serves a variety of grilled meat and vegetable skewer dishes (NT$50). The lamb, beef and green pepper dishes we ordered were all grilled to perfection. The portions were somewhat small - the lamb consisted of one lonely skewer - but with low prices, the hungry can simply order another skewer.

The menu also features a variety of sakes - I recommend the warm house sake (NT$100) - and bottled beers (NT$70).

Inexpensive, top-notch food and intimate setting ensure that Bamboo Village is busy during the week and packed on weekends, so reservations are recommended. If you can't find a table, no problem: Just wander down the street to their first and larger restaurant at 7, Alley 9, Ln 228, Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路228巷9弄7號).
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