Tucked into a corner of Neo19’s first floor, Ton Sushi (同壽司) features a thoughtful and interesting menu with delicacies like foie gras sushi, while the restaurant’s decor, replete with ambient lighting, orchid arrangements and tiny curtained private dining areas, makes the most of its relatively small space.
Ton Sushi’s service is friendly and efficient (though we had some trouble flagging down a waitress from our back table). Dishes were brought out in the prescribed order from appetizer to main course, one after the other. Our first dish was Ton’s version of the rainbow roll (NT$420). Despite its name, the roll was topped only with salmon sashimi and thin slices of avocado; the inside was stuffed with tempura flakes, crabmeat mixed with mayonnaise and ikura roe. The sushi was surprisingly light in taste, despite the mayo, but I could have done without the very sweet teriyaki sauce dabbed on top of each roll.
Our toro (NT$700 for two pieces) and salmon stomach nigiri sushi (NT$240 for two), both lightly grilled with a butane torch, were served next with instructions from our waitress to eat the salmon before the more flavorsome toro. Our waitress also explained that grilling made each slice of fatty fish juicier, which was true. The final dish of the night was broiled sea bream (price depends on season), which had been roasted with heap of salt, but the melt-in-your-mouth meat’s flavor was nonetheless delicate (if a little bit oily).
On a previous visit, we ordered the soft-shell crab roll (NT$300), which distinguished itself by having a higher crabmeat to tempura batter ratio than variants of the dish we’ve tried in other sushi restaurants. We also ordered oysters on the half shell (prices vary), which were also good but pricey (we paid NT$250 per oyster). Ton Sushi has an ever-revolving off-menu selection of fresh seafood; if you are feeling adventurous, make sure to sit at the sushi bar and give one of the chefs there free reign over your order. On one visit, the couple next to us did just that and were served a sashimi platter that included two different fish heads, which they seemed to enjoy.
Address: 1F, 22 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路22號1樓)
Telephone: (02) 2345-6879
Average meal: NT$1,000 to NT$1,500 plus 10 percent service charge
Open: 10am to 2pm and 5:30pm to 10pm Details: Chinese and English menu
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