藝奇新日本料理 竹北光明店

Yiqi New Japanese Cuisine
A restaurant under the Wang Pin Group
I would say I have about a 50/50 like and dislike for the restaurants under Wang Pin XD
It might also relate to the type of restaurants.

The restaurant in Zhubei has a large area,
with a deep blue decor inside.
The lighting is comfortable,
and the seating space is ample.
On Sunday evenings, it is about 70-80% full.

Since I don’t eat beef, I ordered the basic 780 set.
It starts with small appetizers
which are black beans, white radish, and cold marinated scallops.
All of them are seasoned.

The "Tobin" steamed dish tastes similar to concentrated clam soup.
Inside, there are super tiny clams (?).
It feels a bit empty while eating,
but the soup makes you want to keep drinking it. 👍

The assorted sashimi is served directly on crushed ice.
There is a temperature difference that affects the texture of the sashimi,
which I found a bit disappointing.

The rice fragrant grilled pork on a stone plate
has a slightly sweet seasoning and can be a bit greasy if eaten too much.
However, the meat is grilled just right,
with a crispy outside and tender inside.

The cherry duck has just the right sauce flavor.
The staff suggested a medium-rare cook,
but compared to other Wang Pin restaurants,
the duck meat is on the tougher side.
It feels more than medium-rare.

The most impressive part is the dessert,
Shizuoka Matcha Parfait.
It uses many ingredients, including the best mochi, fern cake, ice cream, and red bean paste.
The texture is rich and delicious ❤️
It's definitely worth the extra charge.

The portion is enough to make you feel full,
but the overall performance of the dishes is a bit lacking QAQ.