The inspiration behind Rainbow Roll (紅彩壽司) follows a boomerang trajectory. The chain was founded eight years ago in Tokyo, but its menu features “American-style” sushi-like avocado-and-crab meat stuffed California rolls and, of course, rainbow rolls (the restaurant’s version is made with a colorful assortment of vegetables). Taipei’s branch of Rainbow Roll is located in the three-month-old Sogo Tianmu; the sleek and elegantly decorated space is on the department store’s eighth-floor food court.
Diners who were first introduced to American-style sushi in the US might find Rainbow Roll’s versions surprisingly light (and perhaps a bit bland). The spicy tuna filling in some rolls doesn’t sear the nostrils and the California roll is crafted with only a smidgen of mayonnaise, as opposed to a giant dollop. But even though Rainbow Roll’s American-style sushi isn’t particularly American, the carefully balanced ingredients in each meticulously crafted roll are as pleasing to the palette as they are to the eye.
The freshness of the ingredients recommends itself. Even on a slow Monday evening, there were no browning chunks of avocado, wilting lettuce leaves, mushy sashimi or congealed sushi rice. We began with the deep-fried Hiroshima oysters (NT$290), which came as part of a set meal with rice, salad and pickles. Each of the plump oysters was lightly breaded and fried, and served on top of a pile of shredded yam crisps. The shellfish was mild and sweet and the crunchy coating was rich without being oily.
After we finished the oysters, Rainbow Roll’s efficient wait staff brought our sushi rolls in quick succession. The California roll (NT$220) came first, stuffed with imitation crabmeat, julienned cucumber, avocado, lettuce and sprinkled with crunchy red tobiko roe. The imitation crabmeat managed not to be cloyingly sweet and the cucumber added some welcome texture against the soft, rich avocado.
Our next two rolls, the spicy tuna (NT$180) and tuna tempura roll with spicy miso sauce (NT$220), paled in comparison to the rest of our meal. The minced tuna was not particularly spicy and seemed lost amidst sushi rice, sesame, cucumber and carrot. The tuna tempura roll was very pretty (sliced okra in the middle of each piece looked like little blossoms), but was just as lackluster. The tuna tempura roll was supposed to be served hot, but came lukewarm. A layer of fried tempura batter, which in turn was wrapped in seaweed, surrounded the tuna; both layers were moist and chewy instead of crisp. Fortunately, the intense flavor of our last roll, made with scallop, avocado and spicy-mayonnaise sauce (NT$280), made up for its blander cousins. Each piece was carefully topped with a slice of sauteed garlic and a dot of very spicy mayonnaise, which brought out the sweetness of the scallops and avocado.
In addition to its signature rolls, Rainbow Roll also serves sashimi and appetizers, including amberjack carpaccio with tomato salsa (NT$280) and citrus marinated salmon with yuzu pepper dressing (NT$260). The restaurant has an abbreviated drinks menu — just a few domestic and Japanese beers are available, along with a short list of sake brands.
May 6 to May 12 Those who follow the Chinese-language news may have noticed the usage of the term zhuge (豬哥, literally ‘pig brother,’ a male pig raised for breeding purposes) in reports concerning the ongoing #Metoo scandal in the entertainment industry. The term’s modern connotations can range from womanizer or lecher to sexual predator, but it once referred to an important rural trade. Until the 1970s, it was a common sight to see a breeder herding a single “zhuge” down a rustic path with a bamboo whip, often traveling large distances over rugged terrain to service local families. Not only
Ahead of incoming president William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20 there appear to be signs that he is signaling to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the Chinese side is also signaling to the Taiwan side. This raises a lot of questions, including what is the CCP up to, who are they signaling to, what are they signaling, how with the various actors in Taiwan respond and where this could ultimately go. In the last column, published on May 2, we examined the curious case of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) — currently vice premier
The last time Mrs Hsieh came to Cihu Park in Taoyuan was almost 50 years ago, on a school trip to the grave of Taiwan’s recently deceased dictator. Busloads of children were brought in to pay their respects to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), known as Generalissimo, who had died at 87, after decades ruling Taiwan under brutal martial law. “There were a lot of buses, and there was a long queue,” Hsieh recalled. “It was a school rule. We had to bow, and then we went home.” Chiang’s body is still there, under guard in a mausoleum at the end of a path
Last week the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released a set of very strange numbers on Taiwan’s wealth distribution. Duly quoted in the Taipei Times, the report said that “The Gini coefficient for Taiwanese households… was 0.606 at the end of 2021, lower than Australia’s 0.611, the UK’s 0.620, Japan’s 0.678, France’s 0.676 and Germany’s 0.727, the agency said in a report.” The Gini coefficient is a measure of relative inequality, usually of wealth or income, though it can be used to evaluate other forms of inequality. However, for most nations it is a number from .25 to .50