I came for lunch one day and I loved it so much I booked for second round the next evening for omakase.
Mii Japanese Food is run by a husband and wife team, with the husband/chef busy behind the itamae, and the wife/boss managing the service and small-chatting with the clients. She seems to know everyone, obviously this was a place frequented by regulars.
The place is decorated by calligraphic work by Taiwanese artist, a form of writing that took inspirations from the ancient scripts and the artist’s creativity.
I was seated at the itamae and had full view of the action and the ingredients that I was about to partake. After I ordered the lunch omakase, I rubbed my hands in anticipation (with the warm oshibori).
The first course, an appetiser that at first I thought was simply a chawanmushi with a dollop of sea urchin. Then I realised there was more underneath – bits of tofu with egg custard in a truffle glaze. A very delicious starter.
Next, an aburi hotate (scallop) sushi seasoned with some yuzu kosho. pepper and julienned deep fried shiso leaf. You can taste the sweetness of the scallop, but the aburi did not add any dimension to the sushi.
It looked like a simple cold appetiser of a piece of abalone with some asparagus and sliced red onions, Kewpie mayo as condiments. Then as you unraveled what was underneath, the highlight of the plate revealed itself.
Salted mullet roe or bottarga or in Taiwanese: 烏魚子 has been an international luxury for centuries. In the West, it’s commonly used as a seasoning to add a hint of ocean brine to a fine pasta or soft scrambled eggs, but in Taiwan it is a dish by itself only for the most important guests. Rather than grated, a cured slab of mullet roe is soaked in Kaoliang, a liquor made from fermented sorghum, before it’s toasted, sliced, and served with spring garlic. Here’s it was accompanied by abalone.
The sushi segment started with two pieces of nigiri sushi – ika (squid) and negitoro (minced tuna belly). The squid was flavoured with a dab of miso, which was quite surprising. The tuna belly had some grated ginger and scallions. Both needed some shoyu to round up the flavours.
Next up, the sashimi platter of a couple of pieces of hamachi (amberjack), tai (sea bream) and a large Hokkaido oyster topped with ikura (salmon roe) in ponzu dressing. Good high quality fish on service.
The grilled fish for the omakase was a piece of tachiuo (belt fish). I love belt fish, and often buy it to pan fry at home. The grilled version with sweet miso glaze was equally outstanding.
When this came out, I thought it was shirako tempura – it was agedashi tofu. And two pieces of nigiri sushi – hirame (flounder) and anago (conger eel) sushi. What was really interesting was the small bite of Japanese cucumber with aburi mentaiko.
Boiled for more than eight hours with big bones, dozens of vegetables and a variety of healthy ingredients, the stock used to make the miso soup was really unique. From the stock, clams were added and it elevated the umami and satisfaction of the soup by another notch.
Final course, a green tea jelly that tasted like Pokka green tea with pieces of papaya and melon (local versions not Japanese), half a sakura mochi 桜餅, a chewy, light pink glutinous rice ball filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a salt-pickled cherry blossom leaf. Delightful.
The lunch was a triumph, great value (NT$ 1,500) for the high quality and variety of courses. I arrived almost towards the end of lunchtime, so the crowd was not there. But I highly recommend a reservation to avoid any disappointment. I know the lunch wasn’t.
Mii Japanese Food | みいにほんりょうり｜御景日本料理
台北市中正區林森南路2號1樓之4 (喜來登飯店後方 善導寺站 2號出口)
Tel : +886 2 3393 7717
Visited Sep 2023
#miijapanesefood #御景和風
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