So good it might be eel-egal but it’s not. Illegal, that is.
Rain drops are dropping faster than mixtapes in the summer. There’s even a little thunder and lightning going on. So why am I braving the elements with my family and a few umbrellas on this dark night through a supposedly haunted park? Well, I’m trying to get to some delicious Japanese food! Wait - Japanese food in Taiwan? Yeah! Taiwan, over the recent years, has become more and more like something resembling America—a mixing pot of people from around the world doing business. And as the international influence and populace grow, international cuisine naturally starts to take prominence in the region (see: San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles). The same has happened here in Taipei, where there is one whole road dedicated to Japanese cuisine. Nearby is a whole set of stores that cater more to the Japanese tourist populace.So as I stepped and splashed through the ever-enlarging puddles, our little group ended up in front of a traditional style Japanese restaurant: inside, all the furnishings and walls were made of lacquered wood. Surprisingly, there was only a short wait for their famous eel rice. At this point in time, I actually had not eaten eel in a while; I think the last time I ate it was at Sumika <link previous post here>. And since Sumika is Michelin-recommended, it’s tough to beat the eel there. Naturally, I had high expectations coming into the restaurant. Luckily, I was mostly satisfied with the offerings: 4 or 5 thick strips of eel laying over some steaming hot rice covered in some thick and savory sauce. Along with the eel rice plates, we got some sashimi and veggies to round out a nice and healthy dinner.
So here I was on a relatively cold rainy night, my chopsticks slicing through the eel like a knife through butter, though still solid enough for my wooden grip to pick up the eel. It had a brilliant brown color that edged on maroon in some places, with some stripes running in a pattern along the skin. The glistening of the sauce communicated a certain salty, savory flavor that hid a certain sweetness only discernable after tasting. In that first bite, I could taste the sharp, salty flavor of the sauce coupled with a lingering sweetness, then the soft and warm texture of the eels meat, ending with the gentle crunch of the eels bones. Looking to the sashimi, the cool and calm flavor of the fish balance nicely with the warm and exciting flavors of the eel. This creates balance in the meal – where I can undulate from one side of the taste spectrum to the other as if I was on a giant pendulum swinging back and forth from warm to cool; exciting to calm.
While the sashimi and eel were great, the rice was still steaming. For some reason, this was the thing that got my attention the most - I had finished the eel that was draped atop the rice, but the rice apparently still had enough heat to be steaming! This leads me to a few conclusions, one being that the rice is served beyond steaming hot – so hot that it continues to cook the eel. But wait, wouldn’t the rice’s temperature be rapidly falling? Maybe, if it weren’t for the eel draped across the top! So just like that, it seems that a seemingly simply designed plate actually has a methodical and scientific reasoning!
Or I could just be taking shots in the dark and be completely wrong. Either way, Fei Qian Wu is a viable dining option if in Taipei so make sure to check them out and take a bite of their delicious eel rice!
You can find me on Instagram as @stumpyeatsfood and on yelp at theplumpcat.yelp.com. You can also check out more of my photos on Flickr! If you've got a restaurant recommendation or even a recipe that you think I should try, send it to me at ryanjchen2@gmail.com! Thank you for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment