Yitunghsien is a Japanese-style curry and grill restaurant that opened two months ago in an alley close to National Taiwan Normal University’s exercise track. With the Shida area witnessing a slew of burger joints opening up recently, it’s refreshing to see some Asian alternatives.
Unadorned concrete walls painted gray and a sparsely decorated interior give the restaurant a vaguely minimalist vibe. The front section features a few tables located below French-style windows that offer unobstructed views of the alley’s passing traffic. A second room of equal size leads back to a bar with a few tall stools that face the open kitchen.
Yitunghsien’s appetizers are served on heavy ceramic dishes of monotone colors — a soy sauce brown glaze with an expressionist swath of white on the margins. It’s a nice touch. The fiery orange of the carrot balls with osmanthus (NT$39), the emerald green of the miso cucumbers (NT$39) and the buttery yellow of the pumpkin in passion fruit sauce (NT$39) looked like delectable still life paintings.
Photo: Noah Buchan, Taipei Times
The food’s flavor, however, was hit and miss. The miso cucumbers were sweet with a vaguely metallic finish, as though they had been sitting in a cheap metal bowl for too long, and the carrot balls tasted like cheap candy. The eggplant with ginger served with stringed tofu (NT$39) was much better because of the subtle hint of ginger. The dish of pumpkin slices marinated in passion fruit juice stood out for its tanginess and crunchy texture, which made it an excellent palate cleanser.
The two skewers of grilled beef marinated in apple sauce (NT$80) were a little gamy and yet had relatively no flavor. There was little to suggest that they had been cooked on a grill or marinated. Other grilled options include pork, shrimp and lamb — all cost the same price.
For an entree, I ordered the energy donburi (NT$138) — donburi meaning “bowl” in Japanese — after my server said it was the restaurant’s most popular dish. What arrived was a little more exotic than I had expected: oysters, shrimp, seaweed, century egg (皮蛋), mushrooms and cubes of soft tofu were cooked together and served piping hot over a bed of white rice. It was topped with a dollop of neon-orange fish roe and garnished with spring onions.
The aroma of egg, similar to the smell of a freshly made omelet, was immediately appealing. After digging in, I was pleasantly surprised by the blend of robust flavors and unique textures. Be warned, however, that this is probably a dish that only seafood lovers could enjoy.
Yitunghsien also offers an extensive variety of fried dishes, rice stews and Japanese-style curries. If you go, give the donburi and curry dishes a try, but avoid the grill and don’t put too much faith in the appetizers.
May 18 to May 24 Pastor Yang Hsu’s (楊煦) congregation was shocked upon seeing the land he chose to build his orphanage. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to access it was to cross a river by foot. The soil was poor due to runoff, and large rocks strewn across the plot prevented much from growing. In addition, there was no running water or electricity. But it was all Yang could afford. He and his Indigenous Atayal wife Lin Feng-ying (林鳳英) had already been caring for 24 orphans in their home, and they were in
On May 2, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), at a meeting in support of Taipei city councilors at party headquarters, compared President William Lai (賴清德) to Hitler. Chu claimed that unlike any other democracy worldwide in history, no other leader was rooting out opposing parties like Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). That his statements are wildly inaccurate was not the point. It was a rallying cry, not a history lesson. This was intentional to provoke the international diplomatic community into a response, which was promptly provided. Both the German and Israeli offices issued statements on Facebook
Even by the standards of Ukraine’s International Legion, which comprises volunteers from over 55 countries, Han has an unusual backstory. Born in Taichung, he grew up in Costa Rica — then one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — where a relative worked for the embassy. After attending an American international high school in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, Han — who prefers to use only his given name for OPSEC (operations security) reasons — moved to the US in his teens. He attended Penn State University before returning to Taiwan to work in the semiconductor industry in Kaohsiung, where he
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered an address marking the first anniversary of his presidency. In the speech, Lai affirmed Taiwan’s global role in technology, trade and security. He announced economic and national security initiatives, and emphasized democratic values and cross-party cooperation. The following is the full text of his speech: Yesterday, outside of Beida Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽), there was a major traffic accident that, sadly, claimed several lives and resulted in multiple injuries. The Executive Yuan immediately formed a task force, and last night I personally visited the victims in hospital. Central government agencies and the
RSS