RAW! Sushi Bistro

Train hard, eat harder. That's probably the motto of the dear ol' Murtabak karate gang. The reward after a few tough karate sessions is the satisfying Murtabak, or Naan, or Masala.

I joined this dojo at the right time. It was time for their annual makan session, where current/past/budding students show up and MAKAN. The "crime-scene" was set at Raw Sushi Bistro, this atas upmarket fusion japanese food place near Taipei 101. The sin of gluttony's about to be committed (25 times over: total attending)

Beetles, if you're all reading this. This is where I'll give the next treat to you guys. Our kinda place, or maybe only for one particular B.

It was a subdued start. I was new, so must 樸素 and act shy abit. Orange juice it is. Friendly cordial chat. The trees, the sky, the moon, the birds... A good 1hr. Almost all late-comers arrived.

Now we're talking. gloves come off. Let's makan! Bring on the Asahi! Ahhhhhh, that's more like it. Ice cold beer... We alternated between black and normal Asahi. Black Asahi's slightly more bitter than the usual stout.

The dishes came out in timely fashioned, with nice breaks in between. Not too rushed, but yet fast enough to maintain the pace.

Appetiser was pan-seared tuna salad. Good. Then honestly? I lost track... hahaha. Grilled Kurobuta pork. Mixed Tempura. Dragon-roll sushi. Sashimi. Sushi sushi and more sushi. I don't mean this in a bad way, just that it's still all sushi.

Breaded prawn. Succulent and fresh. I finished the basil leaves and everyone though I was weird.

Beer & more beer during the pauses between each dish.

I always admire how the chefs manage to get the right-sized portion to sufficiently whet your appetite and still satisfy. Haven't really got much fine-dining opportunities but I'll take em when they come.

Good conversation is lubricated by the flowing beer. Before we knew it, we've come to the end of our gastronomic extravaganza at RAW!

Not before we washed down our meal with more BEER. Too much good food to describe each dish with gusto.

The overall experience was fantastic. It's always nice to pamper yourself at these atas places occasionally.

No ratings for this post =) Because I ate too much! it's off the charts!

ACK! Nightmare before Karate

It was a sunny Saturday morning. Was taking a leisurely stroll to Karate training. Decided to try out a new breakfast place. Wrong choice... *Thunderclap* Nightmare before Karate.

Harmless looking breakfast setting ain't it? Sun-chairs, Umbrella, Lush Greenery (the works). Went in, got a HARMLESS looking cucumber/salad sandwich. Sat down to enjoy.

*chew* not too bad. cucumber's fresh and cruncy. *chew* Cheese nicely grilled, not too overwhelming. *chew* ham's a nice thin slice with fresh lettuce... wait for it... *WAIT!* what's that taste?

PEANUT BUTTER! (see the last thin layer at the bottom?) Kao! If I want peanut butter in my sandwich, I'd ASK for peanut butter. You don't conceal and smuggle it into my nice cucumber sandwich!

Very weird! So weird! Too weird! *Shudders* Call me a traditionalist, old fogie. I just don't like these new-fangled food "experiments". Mutations!

Healthnut Rating:
Comments: Overreacting? Maybe. But you don't mess with this health nut's food.

Tor-San. Local Cat-Fish?

It's October! I apologise to my loyal and ardent reader *singular*, Z*e. [Her name is kept confidential for safety purposes, as if one * is enough to conceal her identity =). Hey at least I tried]. Haven't wrote a single thing for the month of September. It's been a roller-coaster ride here, already busy enough trying to blend in.

I'm well for all concerned, just maybe not been eating enough "exciting" food (eg. Rooster testicles) to crow (pun intended) about. So without further delay, let's start of the month of October with some catty issues.

Tor-San, is a local delicacy here in Taiwan. It's a very common fish, so common that it's overpopulating the waters. So we all know what do Chinese do when creatures try to invade our territory, we cook em!

To me, it looks like the catfish, but the locals here say it's not. Come on, just look at those whiskers and tell me it's not a catfish? Maybe just a Taiwanese species.

Anyhow, I've tasted catfish in Bangkok, especially those grilled ones found at those road-side stalls. The texture's abit rough, tastes abit muddy, but quite good. HOWEVER... Tor-San... ho ho ho... I tell you... tastes like PORK! You probably won't believe me but it really does.

The first dish that we ordered was Tor-San with Tang-Gui (some chinese herb) My first thought was, since when did i order Bah Kut Teh? The fish came in huge (porky) chunks, infused with the fragrant herbal stock that it's cooked in. It's fish meat after all, so the texture is like the tender-est of pork yet with the sweetness of fish that I appreciate. The meat slid right off the bone. Yum yum! (Minghui, this might be able to cure your fear of fish, because it's Fish Kut Teh!)

Taiwan loves its squid, and almost every meal at the 熱炒店 must have a 花枝 dish. This squid was fried in pepper, spring onion, garlic. A tad too oily for my liking. But what I like about this dish is that the squid is not the QQ and springy type that ALL squid connesuirs will swear by. This squid heretic here likes it tough, then proves that the food is cooked thoroughly mah!

Everyone had a main-course for their own. I ordered fried lamb noodles (it was supposed to be beef but the waiter must have been sleeping and counting SHEEP, took the wrong order). Nothing fantastic here, just that they seem to like their stuff soupy & wet here. I prefer my fried noodles, well, fried... not stewed.

Healthnut Rating:

Comments: It was just a simple meal that turned out something special in the form of a PIG-Fish. Had to travel quite far for this meal so I doubt I'd be returning here. Hopefully I can have this Fish-Kut-Teh some other place.