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.
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