Overview
⭐ Name: Tartaya Japanese Izakaya-Beitou Branch (蔦燒日式居酒屋-北投店)
📍 Location: No. 24號, Lane 30, Wenquan Rd, Beitou District, Taipei City, Taiwan 112 (Gmaps)
🗓️ Date of visit: 6 May 2024
Introduction
It was dinnertime and we weren’t sure what to eat. We didn’t do much research about the food in Beitou and the few things we had pinned were not open for dinner. We looked around and saw this Izakaya on Google Reviews with a very impressive 4+ stars and thousands of reviews. it wasn’t too far from the hotel so we decided to check it out.
Experience
The place was quite small and we were seated at the bar since there was only the two of us. The house rules were that each patron had to order a drink. It didn’t have to be alcoholic, so I went with a hot tea.
Due to the nature of grilling, orders were prepared quite slowly. After ordering, we spent a good chunk of time just watching the TV in the store. It was showing a Japanese TV series about a guy who goes around eating at different restaurants, which seemed to be part of the store’s theming. Speaking of which, the interior was well decorated and provided the right ambience for an izakaya.
Food
Mentaiko Udon
This was such a delight. I know that this was basically udon with mayo, but can you fault me? I love udon and the pairing of it with the sweet and savoury mentaiko was lovely. The cherry on top was the wokhei (burnt taste) from the torch. 🤤 I would 100% order this again.
Torched scallops
The scallops were tasty. They were slightly drier because they were grilled, but otherwise they were ok.
Chicken
I legitimately couldn’t remember if this was good or not. So I think it was just ok.
Mentaiko Chinese Yam
I loved this. Now I know you’re thinking I just love mentaiko and torched foods, but hear me out. The chinese yam tasted like a cross between a radish and a yam. It had an interesting earthy flavour on its own. Together with the sweet and umami flavour from the torched mentaiko though, I was sold. I could have eaten another plate of these by myself.
Matcha mochi (and the secret is revealed)
In the middle of our meal, the staff checked on us and let us know that if we left them a 5-star Google review, we would get a dessert on the house. This explained the overwhelming number of Google reviews that the restaurant was getting.
I felt a little bit cheated by this revelation, but at the same time, I didn’t mind it because I actually thought the food was not bad. We submitted a review and shared this plate of mochi as a sweet end to our meal.
Final thoughts
I felt a bit catfished by the Google reviews but I’ll give it a pass because the food was still good. If you’re interested in visiting, note that they will take a while to prepare the food since it’s all made-to-order.
I wouldn’t say anything here is mind-blowing, despite what the reviews might say. I do recommend at least trying the mentaiko chinese yam though, I still think about that dish sometimes.
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Travel Series: Taipei, Taiwan – May 2024
In May 2024, Mr Bao and I went on our biggest trip yet to the land of bubble tea! It was a mostly food-focused trip but we also did some sightseeing and a tea tour. CLICK HERE to see all my posts so far.
Credits
- Feature image created in Canva
- All photos are either taken by myself or Mr Bao