Zhongshan District, Taipei City｜憨人灶咖

At 10:00 pm most places around here close, so I threw caution to the wind and walked in this place not knowing what I’d find. It was all Chinese speakers and I asked if they served Japanese food and received blank stares. Luckily the waitress got the owner, who speaks flawless English. Wow was I surprised by the meal I had in this little joint! He asked me what types of food I liked and then prepared a meal that blew my socks off. Three types of nigiri that I’ve never had (some local fish), super spicy noodles, and two steak skewers that rival any Wagyu I’ve had in Japan. Highly recommended. Worth going out of your way. I ate most of the noodles and all the beef before I took the picture — sorry. :-)

Small restaurant with great atmosphere. We had the 1500$ omakase (around 7-8 courses with sashimi, crab, prawns, and beef), which gets a 4 stars from me. the 5th star is for the all around good service and passionate owner.

Lobster pot, scallop burger, chicken drumsticks, grapefruit wine, must order, super delicious