千草商號

🚩 Japanese-style home-cooked restaurant with great flavors

📍 Location and Transportation: Qincao Merchant is located in the southwest of Dunhua Circle in Taipei City. The nearest MRT station is Daan Station Exit 6, which is about an 8-minute walk away. There are a few motorcycle parking spots in the alley.

🏠 Space: The exterior is made of warm wood, creating a cozy atmosphere. You walk up two steps and push the door to enter the restaurant. The dining area is very small, with only 15 seats. The walls are adorned with yellow tiles, and there are wooden tables and chairs. The environment is clean, and there is a very tiny restroom. The kitchen is at the innermost part, and there is only one owner handling the ordering, cooking, and checkout.

💰 Ordering and Payment: Fill out the paper menu to order, and pay after the meal. Both cash and digital payments are accepted.

🍽️ Dishes:
Matsusaka Pork Bento: This is a business lunch with fixed side dishes that cannot be chosen. The pork slices are cooked just right, with an okay thickness. Sprinkled with black pepper, the seasoning and aroma are nice. The side dishes include a half-cooked egg, dragon beard green, burdock, and crispy bamboo shoots, all of which are satisfactory. The amount of rice is standard, with some soup at the bottom so it doesn't taste dry. The deliciousness matches the price.
I shared some of my colleagues' orders:
Vinegar-pickled wild mushrooms: The flavor is quite sour, suitable for pairing with rice, and is a bit more sour than regular pickles.
Simmered mackerel: Cooked very tenderly with just the right amount of saltiness.

💬 Conclusion:
A small shop recommended by a colleague, it’s a bit far from the company so you have to walk a bit, and the restaurant is very small, so you need to test your luck for a seat at lunchtime. Even though it’s a one-person operation, the wait for food isn’t long, and the quality of the dishes is quite good, definitely worth recommending.
There was a little incident today where I ordered pasta, and the owner came out from the kitchen to say he forgot to cook the noodles today 😂, but I feel like that’s probably not the norm. The owner’s attitude is also very good, so I won’t take it to heart.