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RESTAURANTS : Sashimiya 三四味屋

Sashimiya 三四味屋 Address: 3F, 1, Ln 126, Fuxing S Rd, Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段126巷1號3樓) Telephone: (02) 8773-4888 Open: 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 11pm; closes at 11:30pm Fridays and Saturdays Average meal: NT$800 Details: Chinese and English menu; credit cards accepted

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L ocated in a cavernous space that seems more suited to a nightclub than a restaurant, Sashimiya (三 四味屋) across from Breeze Center (微風廣場) is an especially sleek izakaya (the Japanese version of a tapas bar). A large movie screen dominates the interior; on a recent visit, it was playing the John Travolta remake of Hair.

Sashimiya’s menu is slightly more innovative than those found at many other izakaya restaurants in Taipei. It features the same sashimi platters, nigiri rolls, grilled meats and tempura dishes, but takes a step into more venturesome territory with items like its signature tuna and avocado sushi roll (鮪魚酪梨卷, NT$160), which comes topped with slices of tuna drizzled in mayonnaise and sprinkled with green onion. The avocado makes up the middle of the roll, which is served on top of teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds. The large portions of avocado were soft and buttery, but the sauce, which soaked through the bottom layer of rice, overwhelmed its flavor.

Our other dishes were simpler — they included cod fish liver, uni sashimi and Japanese-style beef sashimi. The uni sashimi (海膽, NT$320) was served on a bed of ice and each piece of sea urchin roe was plump and firm. The dish was slightly marred, however, by the slices of green onion scattered as garnish on top of the uni. The green onion complemented the sprig of cypress leaves, perilla leaf and clam shell that also decorated the dish, but the taste and texture distracted from the very delicate, slightly melon-like flavor of the urchin roe.

For NT$190, we got a not-insignificant heap of cod liver (鱈魚肝) on top of sauteed onions and topped with grated daikon radish and yet more green onion (all of our dishes had slivers of the vegetable sprinkled on). The liver itself was smooth, rich and had a slightly nutty flavor that was enhanced by the vinegar-seasoned radish. The beef sashimi (日式生牛肉, NT$290) also came on a bed of onion and topped with grated radish and scallion. The deep crimson, paper-thin slices looked promising, but were the least memorable part of the meal, probably because the beef was served so cold that part of it

was frozen and we had trouble separating the slices from

one another.

As a counterpoint to our cold dishes, we ordered the garlic clam paper hot pot (蒜頭蚋紙, NT$260). The paper itself is thick, flameproof and nestled into a small mesh colander over an open flame. The Japanese cooking method makes the garlic so tender that it literally melts in the mouth. Much of the two main ingredients’ flavor and aroma had already settled into the broth, which was soothing to drink on a rainy evening.

Like any good izakaya, Sashimiya has an extensive list of alcoholic drinks. Bottles of sake range from NT$250 to NT$1,800 for a 2 liter bottle of White Crane sake (白鶴清酒).

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