You Sushi 游壽司 @ Taipei

In recent years, sushi omakase is getting more and more popular. Although the price per person is generally not low, there are still endless gourmands seeking the next new experience. Taipei has some of the best Japanese restaurants outside of Japan, and I chanced upon this sushi restaurant near Yongkang Street.

Yongkang Street 永康街 district is Ground Zero for food, where world-class eateries and restaurants that cater to every level of the budget can be found. For a restaurant to survive here is quite something, not to mention if it has two branches within walking distance to each other.

You Sushi 游壽司 is one of the most popular and longest-running in the Yongkang Street district. It has become so successful that they have three branches, two of which are within walking distance to each other, and one for in Zhongshan district.

All seatings are around the counter. One itamae takes care of about 4-5 customers, and they can really engage in smalltalk. Everyone needs to order at least one drink, but very soon you will find yourself having more than one.

Once the itamae understood our part’s preference and allergy (which we have none), the otoshi was served. It was a homemade tofu with boiled prawn.

Omakase or “I leave it to you” is a chef-curated dinner, where the chef will decide what you have and in what sequence. Good omakase is like a well planned concert; you have an overture, followed by the concerto and then the symphony, ending with a couple of encores.

Overture – 5 Types of Sashimi (Madai, Awabi, Amoeba, Aori-ika, Hotate)

We started with some sashimi – madai 真鯛 (sea bream) from Kagoshima, awabi 鮑 (abalone) from South Africa, amaebi 甘えび (sweet prawn) and aori-ika アオリイカ (bluefin reef squid). Very fresh, very delicious, except for the madai, the ingredients are from Taiwan.

Interlude – Deep fried shredded burdock hand roll 炸牛蒡絲手卷

And before serving another sashimi, we were handed a hand roll with deep fried shredded gobo ごぼう (burdock) and apple. The crunchy burdock and apple with contrasting taste (savoury and sweet) worked together harmoniously.

And then the last, but I think the best, sashimi – hotate ホタテ (scallops) from Hokkaido. It was served as two ways.

Half the white adductor muscle of the scallop (the white part that we normally eat) is scorched with white hot binchotan and sprinkled with shichimi toragashi, the other half is served as-is with a dip of yuzu sansho. I preferred the one that was served as-is as it allows the sweetness and umami of the bivalve to come through.

1st Mvt – 2 Nigiri Sushis (Kamasu, Shima-aji)

We started tonight’s nigiri sushi omakase with local sourced kamasu 魳 (barracuda) which is called 梭子魚/尖梭 in Taiwan. While you could consider kamasu to be shiromi (white fish), its flesh, oil content, appearance, and flavour profile places it somewhere between hikarimono (silver, shiny fish) and shiromi. Served with spicy radish, which is quite unusual in Japan but very common in Taiwan.

Then, it was followed by shima-aji 縞鯵 (striped jack) or 白甘. This fish signifies summertime, with its shun period from June to August. However wild-caught shima-aji from Japan is very rare, this version is again locally sourced. But the abundance of seafood in Taiwan is just as good as Japan, and it showed in these two nigiri sushis.

Interlude – Hokkaido Oyster in Ponzu Sauce

The interlude, kind of a palate cleanser, was freshly shucked kaki 牡蠣 (oyster) served in a ponzu sauce with spicy radish, ginger (??) and scallions. The whole oyster was cut into two pieces as it was huge!

2nd Mvt – Otoro Avocado Temaki and 3 Nigiri Sushis (Torosāmon, Botanebi, Otoro)

In this movement, these are all their signature pieces. The tuna and avocado roll is one of their signature pieces, and always delicious. Tonight’s version was made with bits cut off from the premium bluefin tuna belly or otoro 大トロ.

This is a crowd-favourite, but salmon is not a neta fish in Japan because of fear of parasites. The salmon used here was farmed Norwegian salmon, so the controlled environment eliminated the risk. Torosāmon トロサーモン (salmon belly) was torched (aburi) to release the oil from the fish. Sprinkled with sesame seeds for more fragrance.

Botanebi with kanimiso from zuwaigani 牡丹蝦配松葉蟹膏 is packed with umami and sweetness, but it is so rich you cannot eat more than one piece. Zuwaigani live in the Japan Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. Its kanimiso is a greyish-green paste made from the internal organs, and has a delightfully sweet smell and pungent taste.

The final cadenza of the movement was the anticipated otoro 大トロ (premium bluefin tuna belly), which scorched using a white hot binchotan to release the fragrance of the oil. Delicious piece of sushi. Totally melted in my mouth as I chewed the whole piece in one bite.

3rd Mvt – Little Bites (Prawn Heads, Ayu, Miso Soup)

In the third movement, we took a break from the nigiri sushi, just like the third movement in a symphony is usually a slow ballad. The prawn head from the amaebi sashimi was lightly dusted with flour and flavouring and deep fried, a wonderful snack while we get ready for the finale.

The prawn head from the botan-ebi was not wasted as well. The botan-ebi head is full of the satisfying brain matters. They took sushi rice, stuffed it in the head and grilled them to a crisp. Delicious.

When my favourite fish, ayu 鮎 (sweetfish), was served as ayu no kanro-ni 鮎の甘露煮, I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting it to be salt grilled. But this version was equally delicious, and you can eat the whole thing, head, bones an all.

The miso soup is cooked from the fish bone stock and has bits of fish in the soup. And then we are off to the finale.

4th Mvt – Finale (Uni, Engawa, Ikura, Kinmedai, Sugi, Hamachi)

The finale kicked off with a gunkan of Bafun uni 馬糞海胆 (sea urchin from Bafun, Hokkaido). This is compact in size and comes from a smaller sea urchin harvested from much deeper ocean depth. This gives the uni a bolder taste that’s rich in umami. 

Usually the flounder flesh called hirame is served as sushi. But sometime the fins of the flounder are also served for the crunchiness and fattiness. Aburi engawa mentaiko 炙り縁側明太子 uses the aburi method to force out the oil in the fins for a delicious sushi.

Next up, futomaki 太巻 (large sushi roll) with a topping of ikura イクラ (salmon roe) marinated in soy sauce. A very messy sushi, this was the only sushi I had to use my chopsticks.

Kinmedai 金目鯛 (splendid alfonsino) is not my favourite neta, but it is always on the list for high-end sushiya. The skin was kawashimo-zukuri 皮霜造り which involves splashing the skin with boiling water to tenderise it, then quickly chilling it with ice.  And then sushi was aburi to gave the sushi a hint of smokiness. Otherwise, it would be quite a boring piece of sushi.

Sugi すぎ (Sergeant Fish) aka 海鱺 in Taiwan is a rare neta, but Taiwan is a major exporter of this fish to Japan, and so many sushiya in Taiwan serve this fish. It has high-quality greasy mouthfeel and a crunchy texture that is comparable to yellowtail and amberjack.

And the final sushi for the evening was hamachi 鰤 (yellowtail) or 青甘 in Taiwan. Buri has been favoured as a sushi ingredient since the Edo period for its delicious fattiness during winter. Two cuts were offered this evening.

The usual cut for the sushi, at the belly as a piece of sashimi. The belly is a very sought after piece of ish and has the highest fat content, which imbues it with rich umami, a soft texture, and signature fruity undertones.

And for the final temaki, I asked for a repeat of the uni and negitori. Delicious.

Encore – Tekka Maki

I always finish my omakase journey with the tekka maki 鉄火巻 (tuna roll). Tekka maki is believed to have originated in gambling dens (called tekkaba), where people used to consume it as a quick snack to eat. The meaning of the word tekka is ‘red hot iron‘ in Japanese, referring to the red colour of the tuna fish.

And for the dessert, we were given a very special mandarin verbena sorbet, which has a lemony, citrusy flavour.

Having visited many sushi-ya in Taipei and tried their nigiri sushi omakase, You Sushi is without question the winner in terms of best value. Definitely comparable with what you can get in Japan and for a fraction of the price. I just cannot understand why Taiwanese itamae likes to complicate the sushi with additional flavours and salts when the freshness and flavour of the fish are sufficient. Nevertheless a wonder place for sushi.

Yóu Sushi 游壽司 (麗水店)
No. 7, Lane 7, Lishui St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Tel : +886 2 2391 9298 (Reservations)

Visited Aug 2024

Michelin Taipei Guide Tables 2018