Kao Yu 高玉, Taipei
What is 高玉 高玉 or Kao Yu is a sushi restaurant in Taipei with 2 locations. They also have 小高玉 also known as Sushi Express, which is the more inexpensive restaurant chain with the ever popular conveyor belt sushi.
But tonight, we splurged for the real thing. The Ming Sheng spot is at the bottom of an office building, which might seem a bit strange. Though, once you walk in, you’ll be transported to an sublime Japanese restaurant with unvarnished wood panels and the sound of crashing water. The unexpectedly magnificent outdoor waterfall creates the steady stream of crashing water. Water is also apparent when you sit at the sushi bar. This water, a steady almost drip, from the top of a small slit, provides the traditional Japanese eaters a place to wipe their hands clean. Traditionalists use only their hands to eat the raw fish.
What did I eat? Tonight, Miss M and I choose to have Omakase お任せ. An Omakase お任せ meal, which means in Japanese “Leave it to you (the Sushi Master) or I entrust you”, allowed us actively watch and guess what was next up. I could barely understand Japanese let alone Chinese to decipher what fish was being served. This allows the sushi master to engage the patrons by providing fish he felt they would like and enjoy. While they stand on a raised platform, they are able to measure the success or lack thereof with eat bit. Sometimes I think omakase, is a set menu in which the chef, just makes without the observation. I sometimes order omakase when I visit a new restaurant and haven’t established the rapport. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what was being served and presented. I did recognize the Uni, the Toro, and Hamachi Kama.
The Last Word Its interesting to note that in Japanese drinking bars, the bartender is positioned lower than the patrons at a bar, to be able to look at customers straight in the eye as a sign of respect and also be part of the experience. In sushi restaurants, the sushi masters are positioned much higher to be look down toward the diners to oversee the experience.
Rating 3 Pigs Price Range 3 $/¥/NT
Links Wretch Food, Cuisine Map, Eileen and Fish, TW Lifestyle Yahoo Blog, A Yam Blog Post, Lica’s BLog, Shop Cool, I Hao, Pixnet Blog
高玉日本料理 Kao Yu 台北市民生東路三段8號B1 No. 8, Ming Sheng East Road, Section 3, B1 +886 2-2503-2215
