Eating Out: [台中市] 櫻屋 (Sakura, Taichung, Taiwan)

One of the best restaurants that I tried this time while staying in Taichung was Sakura, a small Japanese restaurant specializing in both sushi and cooked foods. Located in a nondescript alleyway in the Xitun district, Sakura is a bit difficult to find but well worth the search.

The storefront:

Once you are seated, you’re presented with a small tray of pickled daikon, one of the specialties Sakura offers. Served chilled, the daikon is pleasantly crisp; it’s marinated in soy sauce and vinegar yet still manages to preserve the natural sweetness of the vegetable. Each time I visited Sakura, I couldn’t help but eat the entire plate.

Getting sashimi in Taiwan is hit or miss; the raw fish here is always extremely fresh.

I ordered a Wafu Salad; a refreshing blend of lettuce, sprouts, corn, thinly sliced apples, raisins, cucumber and tomatoes in a light vinegar-based dressing.

Next came something that my grandmother was dying for me to try: these are deep-fried spring rolls, hefty with the addition of both fresh durian and taro root. In addition to the durian and taro, these were stuffed with real crab meat and asparagus. As you might have guessed, these were pretty darn rich but delicious. It was actually my first time eating durian (I have heard stories about its stink before but never got a chance to try it); and while there was a hint of stinkiness, there was none in the taste. Durian is delicious; its texture is creamy and if you can get past its smell, you’ll discover it’s actually very sweet. All in all, this spring roll was a good first introduction to this much maligned fruit.

My grandpa ordered the grilled sanma (秋刀魚, or saury), served with grated daikon and ginger. This was perfectly done; broiled so that the skin was crisp yet the flesh was still juicy and moist. The sanma was not gutted; some people choose not to eat the intestines as they’re pretty bitter, but my grandpa and I find that this is often the most delicious part.

A beef dish; this was also exceptional, tender and served with an addictive garlic sauce. I’m not a meat eater by habit but I’ll admit this was very good.

Fresh greens, stir-fried and topped with deep-fried shallots and a light soy broth; this was on-the-house and was a good break from the protein-heavy dishes.

The last dish to come was the special futomaki and inari. In Taiwan, non-raw futomaki (fat maki rolls) are very popular, with fillings that usually include tamago (a sweetened egg omelet), cucumber and pork floss. However, the sushi chef at Sakura is quite innovative with his version, choosing to fill them with unagi (broiled eel), crabmeat, deep-fried shrimp tempura and asparagus tempura, pickled vegetables, pork floss, and deep-fried yam. Additionally, some of these futomaki were rolled up in a very thin layer of taro root (how he managed to cook the taro root so that it was pliable and creamy without being mushy I’ll never know), which offered an additional level of richness to these “upscale” futomaki. It seems like a crazy amount of food to stuff into a roll, but all the tastes and textures were there: sweet, savory, sour, crunchy, tender, and chewy. They were huge so I could only eat one but if I could, I would have polished off the entire platter.

Omgz deliciousness.

At the end of the meal, freshly cut oranges and sweetened, chilled azuki bean soup were served for dessert. A nice ending to a wonderful meal.

I ended up coming to Sakura four times in the course of two months. There are several reasons why I believe Sakura is an exceptional restaurant:

1. Many Japanese restaurants may have exceptional sushi but horrible cooked offerings or vice versa. Sakura does their sushi/sashimi and their cooked dishes equally well.
2. Their cooked dishes are different and innovative; it’s not your standard run-of-the-mill bentos, teriyaki and donburi. Additionally, you can tell that the food here is artfully crafted and carefully prepared; not only is it delicious, it’s presented in a beautiful way.
3. Exceptional service, the waitstaff is attentive and polite, which is not standard in Taiwan.
4. Good value; one can dine very well without having to spend much cash here.

There you have it; I’ve basically written an online love-letter to this restaurant; if you’re ever in the area, please do go and try it, you won’t be disappointed. I will try to post photos of my later visits if you need more convincing . . .

櫻屋日本料理
台中市西屯區大墩十九街193號
04-2327-2625

Sakura
No. 193, Dadun 19th St., Xitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan
04-2327-2625