A-ji-shi (阿吉師) sushi stall, at the Shidong fish and vegetable market (士東市場) in Tianmu, is the place to go if you are looking for adventures in seafood. Here you will find the freshest seafood served with flare, including some very interesting and unexpected denizens of the deep.
Not only do you get the very freshest of fish — thanks to eight full-scale fishmongers surrounding the sushi stall boasting crustacean-filled aquariums fit for an ocean park — you also get creatures you might not expect to see on a dining table, including various sea insects served any way from completely raw and almost kicking to slightly charred with a Bunsen burner-like flame thrower.
I had walked by A-ji-shi many times, but always hesitated, as there was no set menu, no seats, and it seemed that everybody there had a subliminal idea of the price. But as it’s always more or less standing room only, I decided to give it a try with a date.
After negotiating the price — the boss told me NT$800 or NT$1,600 — I accepted the cheaper version and we set about on our eating extravaganza, all the while standing at the stall. This was blue collar dining at white-collar prices.
The first course was a bowl of assorted fish bits to which the boss told me to add soy sauce. This was my least favorite dish, because the fish was cut against the sinew. However, he quickly plopped some very red squares of raw fish on the counter top in front of me — no dishes necessary. Next to me was a bubbling pot of soup where all the fish skin would get tossed, with other vegetables and spices — strictly a self-service affair.
There followed a series of sushi, sashimi, nigiri and slightly cooked fish that filled me up far quicker than I was expecting. The nigiri consisted of much larger slabs of fish than I’d ever seen, with just enough rice to rest on, and a dollop of wasabi in the middle. The couple next to us were eating cracked-open king crab legs — they must have ordered the NT$1,600 set.
The only thing that was missing was a draught of ice-cold Kirin beer. When I asked, the boss encouraged me to go to a neighboring kiosk that sold beer, and voila! problem solved.
When I went to pay the NT$800 bill, surprise, surprise, he had actually meant NT$800 per person, not per couple. So, although NT$1,600 poorer, I was full, feeling healthy, and very satisfied with the quality of the food.
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