若竹 WAKATAKE

Overall Review: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Dickson's Fooday Review #212

This time, I'm introducing a relatively new teppanyaki restaurant located in the Eastern District. It's different from traditional teppanyaki establishments, leaning more towards a light meal and simple style.

Unlike typical teppanyaki places that serve large portions of meat and seafood or have an extensive menu, this place has a limited selection of dishes. You can think of it as a café that uses teppanyaki techniques to prepare food.

The menu includes limited items, with food categories divided into omurice, pasta, and desserts. For drinks, just like in a café, there are options for coffee and tea. If you're looking to have some alcohol that day, you can ask on-site!

Since there's only one chef in the kitchen, the overall serving speed is not too fast, but it's perfect for enjoying a meal and chatting with friends.
Additionally, the space isn't very large, accommodating about seven to eight customers at a time. This helps the chef manage the workload.

It's evident that the restaurant is quite new, with a fresh and modern decor featuring a somewhat Japanese style.

The dishes are categorized into omurice and pasta, and of course, you can communicate with the chef to customize certain aspects before preparation.

Dining here is relatively quiet, likely because the chef doesn't engage in much conversation with customers.🤣🤣🤣

Food: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Drinks: 🌕🌕🌖🌑🌑
Atmosphere: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Service: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Price: 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑
Location: 🌕🌕🌕🌘🌑

⭐️Food:
👉Omurice $280
I think the handling of the egg in the omurice is quite good. The egg is laid over the rice, making it enjoyable to eat, and the smoothness of the egg is excellent. The sauce is decent; personally, I find it above average, but it’s not particularly remarkable.

👉Pasta $280
I quite liked the pasta, as it has a somewhat stronger flavor, and the sausage's taste is also excellent. It's very refreshing and has a rich texture. However, the portion isn't very large, making it a good dish overall.

For the main dishes, I feel they are above average, but none left a particularly strong impression.

For desserts:
👉Crispy Caramel French Toast $240
This dessert comes with a cute scoop of ice cream on top, and it’s my favorite among the three. The caramel flavor is quite sweet, and the toast is quite thick. However, the sweetness of the ice cream might overshadow it. The portion is substantial, making it quite filling for a dessert.

👉Thick Pancakes $260
I found the pancakes a bit disappointing. They had a slightly dry texture, and the small fruits on top made it feel disconnected. The pancakes themselves weren't particularly tasty, so I rated this dessert poorly.

👉Pudding $150
I thought the pudding was pretty good, especially since the other two desserts were cheaper and fulfilled their roles. It's refreshing as a concluding dessert.

On that day, I ordered everything from the menu. For the main dishes, the portions aren't large, but they are satisfying in flavor. However, it feels like typical omurice and teppanyaki pasta, and I didn't come away feeling eager to return.

I think the desserts are the restaurant's intended specialties, but unfortunately, they didn't particularly carve out a unique path.

Nevertheless, I believe the food and flavors here are still worth trying since it’s a relatively new establishment with plenty of room for future growth!

⭐️Drinks:
👉Ginger Ale with Whiskey $200
This ginger ale with whiskey has a typical taste and flavor, making it refreshing on a hot summer day.

👉Special Iced Black Tea $120
I prefer the iced black tea over the ginger ale as it has a stronger tea flavor. On a hot summer day, being able to sip a cold, sweet drink is just enough. The iced black tea doesn't have much special, being slightly sweet and tasty.🤣🤣🤣

⭐️Atmosphere:
The atmosphere inside is quite calm. The seating area surrounds the open kitchen, allowing customers to see the process of food preparation and ingredient handling by the chef.

The decor is very modern, leaning toward a clean white Japanese style. While the seating is side-by-side, the arrangement doesn’t feel too cramped.

⭐️Service:
I don’t recall any particularly extra services. Generally, you can communicate your needs with the chef before your meal, and the chef will briefly explain each dish when serving.

⭐️Price:
For a teppanyaki restaurant in the Eastern District, I find the prices to be quite reasonable. The main dishes are under $300, which isn’t a lot of food.

Though the dessert prices might be slightly higher, the quality justifies it. Overall, I think the price reflects good value.

⭐️Location:
Although it’s also in the Eastern District, it’s closer to the vicinity of National Taipei University of Technology, so there might not be as many stores around compared to the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall or the Zhongxiao Dunhua area.

However, it’s lively on these streets, despite being somewhat inward in the alley. You’ll need to walk a bit further from the MRT or bus stop.

Nonetheless, it’s still acceptable; along the way, you'll pass other small shops or cafes, making it suitable for a stroll before dining here.

⭐️Overall:
Overall, it’s a different type of teppanyaki restaurant, with a more refined style. The owner seems to have high expectations for the establishment, changing the menu occasionally or offering limited-time options.

Even though my last visit didn’t leave a profound impression on the dishes, you can sense the owner’s ambitions for the restaurant.

If you’re curious to try the food and desserts here, I think it’s worth a shot. The transportation is convenient, and the total expenses aren't high.

It's a great place to check out this unique style of teppanyaki!