子元 - Japanese

Address: 台北市民生東路三段113巷7弄7號 No.7, Alley 7, Lane 113, Section 3 Minsheng East Rd. Songshan Distract

Telephone: (02)2713-1233

Hours: Mon-Sat: 11:30AM-2:00PM, 5:30PM-10:00PM

And I'm back.. in so many ways.  My time in the R.O.C military has come to an glorious end and so has my hiatus from trying to fatten up all the English readers who happen across this hobby of mine.  Pardon me.. but .. DAMN it is good to be alive.. high fives are definitely in order.

My trip to 子元 actually occurred during my last vacation, but as the diligent solider in charge of a nation's safety.. can't really begrudge me on finally catching up on some writing.  Appropriate that I shake off the accumulated rust in the form of Japanese food, and let me tell you.. 子元 is every bit worthy of the praise that I'm about to chuck its way.  Let's not waste time and get to the pictures and words.

Tasteful

This was a random lunch date with the mother and sister wrapped up in the guise of a pre-bday celebration meal for yours truly.  Basically it was everyone's way of telling themselves it was okay to enjoy a nice meal that was going to cost a pretty penny.  I wasn't going to argue.

子元 has a nice modern feel to it with a hint of old Japanese decor thrown in.  With the use of lots of wood and the charming little garden out front.. the ambiance of the establishment falls in line with many of the Japanese restaurants around town.  It is neither spectacular nor disappointing, but just something you take in without really noticing its there.  It's clean and more than suitable for our needs, basically everything anyone could hope for.

Let's get started!

This was my first trip to 子元 and like almost all Japanese restaurants of this nature and quality I highly recommend sitting at the bar.  It is almost nice to get chummy with the chefs and overall I just think service is better this way.  You probably give up a bit of comfort and privacy, but what you gain I think outweighs the negatives.

Omakase options. Some vinegrette dipping sauce.

The family and I decided to order a set meal and let the chef wow us with whatever was fresh that day.  I always enjoy coming to Japanese restaurants with the sister and mother because typically they offer if not differing views from me, they at least give me a slightly different perspective in what it is that makes a meal enjoyable to them.  

Like anything else in life, it's usually a good thing to have people to bounce opinions off of... even if it might make you want to strangle them at some point.

This meal took place nearly 2 and a half months ago, so perhaps there is much I don't remember, but one thing still rings as clear as it did on that day... the food was without question, amazing.  

Halibut wrapped uni.

Scallops

Toro.

Now, what really goes into making sushi amazing? It doesn't seem like the chef would have a lot to do in just simply slicing up pieces of raw fish.  But of course describing it so simply would be doing a huge disservice to these skilled chefs.

More than just acquiring tremendously fresh fish (a must obviously), I feel like a sushi chef has to infuse his own personality into the food that he prepares.  Its a lot about presentation and the little touch ups that brings something we can do ourselves at home with the right budget to something that takes years of experience to master.

子元 was clearly more than capable in all these aspects and the food more than showed that.

The fish that was served just looked like it wanted to be eaten.  Everything was fresh and the old chestnut of it melting in your mouth applied wonderfully to all the nigiri and sashimi that I had the pleasure of eating.  Our meal was left in the hands of our very capable chef and he made sure that our palette followed a path that ended with deliciousness.  A good combination of cooked food and sushi made it way onto our plates and I must say I enjoyed every item that was offered.

Pretty.  Seems a lot of these meals end with their version of a chirashi finisher.

Perhaps I'm a little out of practice here, but I just wanted to be brief with my review and give the basic nuts and bolts and let the pictures do the talking for once.  子元 was wonderful.. and it really is as simple as that. Was it the best I've had in Taiwan? If not.. then it was pretty darn close.  It's been months since my taste buds have had the pleasure of enjoying the food from 子元, but I'm not really exaggerating when I say that my face is lit up in a grin right now at the mere memory of the meal.

I'm glad to be back dear reader.

Overall 子元 receives:

-Til Next Time-

I wanted more... extra ordered Negitoro.

花彘醺

Address: No. 8, Alley 15, Lane 345, Section 4, Rén'ài Rd, Daan District.  台北市仁愛路4段345巷15弄8號

Telephone: (02)2777-1479

Hours: 5:30PM-1:00AM Daily

Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer in strong traditional values and consider myself prideful in both countries I can call home (Taiwan & the U.S).  But that's the point isn't it?  In this world where a person (such as myself) can have dual nationality, doesn't it make sense that our food moves along in that same direction?  I love my food simple at times.  On occasion all we need is that piece of cooked meat with all those familiar spices, or that one homegrown dish that we've loved and longed for our entire lives.
At other times? Some flair, some panache, a new take on old food is what will get us to say wow.  This is all the say that we want different things at different intervals in our lives, and these new breed of fusion restaurants do a good job of offering that curve ball in our dietary habits.

花彘醺 is fundamentally a Japanese restaurant, but they offer up dishes not in the traditional vein that one would expect.  They infuse their food with flavors and style from other regions of the world and the end product is both a visually appealing brand of food as well as one that is full and rich in flavor.

Get the meal started off right.  Some beer and salad... not sure what kind of message I'm trying to send here.  Tofu mixed salad was very delicious, and the dressing was spot on.  Although like many of the dishes here, some people may find the flavors too strong, but something like that plays directly into my wheelhouse.

Raw beef slices on a bed of sauteed onions. No raw taste at all. The beef was oh so tender and paired with the garnishes magnificently. (280NT)

If you are looking for a traditional take on Japanese food... then for the love of God, avoid 花彘醺 at all costs, because you'll only be staring disappointment in the face.  What little I know of true Japanese food is that the balance of flavors lies towards using the natural oils and such of each ingredient instead of infusing it with your own concoction of sauces.  

I realize that that is a rather wide generalization, but it is something I feel that has some merit.   Much of my favorite dishes from Japan are about the delicacy and texture and not necessarily the actual flavoring.  

Their take on tuna tartar.  Definitely on the spicy side.  Enjoyed the dish although possibly on the salty side.  One of the signature dishes of the restaurant. (260NT)

Some of the favorites of the night.  Lovely to look at.. even better to eat. (Halibut, salmon, uni) Good enough to order seconds.

花彘醺 is about the flavors in my opinion.  When the food is as colorful and as vibrant as what is presented here, I expect the flavor to almost literally jump out of the dishes.  To this point, 花彘醺 does not let you down in the slightest.  

Everything is punctuated with its own garnish and sauce, and like I said, I love my food to be flavorful and I love sauces even more... so I was basically in ecstasy for the duration of the meal.  This clearly is not for everyone however, and someone like my cranky old school mother would find the flavors too be almost too taxing and a chore to get through. (love you mother)

Breaded oyster and mushroom combo. (280NT)

Beef cooked on a heated stone and leaves? I'm sorry, the best description I could come up with.  Again, this was another visually stunning dish that wasn't lacking in the flavor profile either.  The spoon of salt on the side for those that needed a little extra something something.(420NT)

We had trouble deciding what to order, so we asked our waitress to mix and match some of the restaurants best dishes for us into a dinner that was fitting of our palettes.  They were very accommodating in this, and put together a meal in which offered a bit of everything that 花彘醺 does impeccably well.  

I'm not precisely sure whether it was just the pacing of the restaurant or their desire to bring out a dish at a time, but at times I felt that there was too much of a lull in between the dishes and that somewhat slowed the momentum of the dining experience as a whole.  But that is a small gripe in what I thought to be an overall very pleasurable meal.

The prices are not cheap, but I would say they are very reasonable and someone can expect to pay about 1000NT+  for a complete experience of 花彘醺.  The atmosphere is hip and modern but the restaurant definitely isn't large and sometimes it's a burden to avoid bumping into the waitstaff, furniture or other hungry people (you skinny ones won't understand this pain).
The selection of alcohol is diverse and many of the sakes will go wonderfully with the food.  I was surprised to find that although we came here on a Friday night and made a reservation, the restaurant wasn't that packed.  Perhaps this has something to do with the difficult location (located in a tight alley), but perhaps it was just mere happenstance, as I'm sure the food wasn't the culprit.

Simple Finisher

Fried Mochi Dessert. Not too chewy.. just right.

The damage... tip included.

As always the question is: did said restaurant make enough of an impression to warrant a return trip? And for  花彘醺, the answer is a resounding yes.  For me, this place hit a solid triple and is rounding its way home.  But I will repeat again that all the strengths of 花彘醺 play directly into my sweet spots of dining, so heed my warnings, but if you are even remotely interested, please search this place out and give it a try.

There is much and more on the menu that I have yet to try and I eagerly anticipate my next food sabbatical back home so I can pick apart the rest of the delicacies here.

Overall 花彘醺 Receives: 

-Til Next Time-