Overall Rating: 🌕🌕🌖🌑🌑
Dickson's Fooday Review #268

This time I visited a Japanese eel rice restaurant. Dickson has always been fond of eel rice, even keeping a saved list on Google Maps for places to try eel rice slowly 😂😂😂.

So, I decided to try Edo River eel rice located on Linsen North Road. This restaurant indeed specializes in eel rice and mentions in its menu that they serve Edo-style grilled eel rice, a Tokyo specialty.

All main dishes and set meals revolve around eel rice, with various ways to enjoy the eel rice, including different types and techniques. Most of the options can be found here.

The ordering method is done via set meals, which include some carbohydrates and side dishes.

In addition to eel rice, you can also order some basic Japanese snacks or light dishes from the menu!

If you need some Japanese sake to pair with your meal, you can order that as well.

However, for me, it might be because my expectations were too high, so I didn't find anything particularly impressive. I feel like I could have tasted better eel rice elsewhere 😂😂.

In summary, it’s not that it's bad, but it feels like I didn't experience any special flavors. It's a bit disappointing considering I came specifically to enjoy eel rice.

Personally, I don’t think I would come back here, but of course, friends who love eel rice might want to give it a try. After all, it does have a bit of fame among eel rice restaurants in Taipei. So it’s worth a shot!

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

⭐️ Food Section
👉 Eel Rice in Three Ways $630
Since I’m at a dedicated eel rice restaurant, I obviously wanted to try how to enjoy the so-called eel rice set properly! When the meal was served, the restaurant thoughtfully provided a small note explaining the three ways to enjoy eel rice and how to eat it. So basically, you just follow the steps on the note to try these three eating methods.

If I recall correctly, the first way is to enjoy the eel rice in its original flavor without any additions! The second way is to pair it with wasabi to see how it tastes differently. The third way is to add broth, creating a soup rice experience.

That's how I remember it 😂😂😂. It’s quite special, but overall, it didn’t leave me particularly amazed. It felt more like a combination of eel and rice 🥹🥹🥹.

Moreover, I found the overall flavor a bit too bland, so I ended up adding a lot of extra sauces to enhance the taste 😂😂.

Of course, I considered the eel here to be quite fresh and delicious, but as I mentioned, it lacks that special feeling, missing that excitement when the eel rice hits the palate!

Since this is a set meal, there are also other side dishes and soup included. The side dishes and soup were standard, just like any typical Japanese meal set.

The portion of rice isn’t too large either; for an adult male, it might feel a bit insufficient and not very filling. However, in terms of nutritional content, I think it should be sufficient.

As for the flavor, I feel it’s a bit regrettable; it felt more like having just a piece of eel and rice together. In my mind, eel rice should have a magical charm. Unfortunately, I didn’t experience that here.

I hope to find that feeling at other eel rice restaurants in the future!

👉 Wasabi Octopus
When I visit a Japanese restaurant, I want to try the wasabi octopus! The wasabi octopus here is similar to other Japanese dishes and doesn’t have any particularly special characteristics 😂😂😂.

⭐️ Atmosphere Section
The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is a mix of Japanese and Taiwanese styles. The dining environment is quite bright, but the tables are a bit too close together, so if the neighboring table speaks loudly, it could be distracting!

The dining style here is more suited for family gatherings or corporate meals, lacking a bit in terms of a romantic date atmosphere.

⭐️ Service Section
The staff here seems quite experienced, and I’m not certain if some of them are Japanese. They provide a detailed explanation of eel rice, especially when introducing the three methods, and they are quite enthusiastic to assist with any questions you may have.

However, the ordering method here is through scanning a QR code for online ordering, so the service essentially involves delivering the meal and answering some questions.

⭐️ Price Section
Although I know eel rice tends to be relatively expensive, the portion here isn’t very large, and the flavor didn’t quite meet my expectations. Therefore, the price feels a bit steep to me 😂😂.

⭐️ Overall
I feel the eel rice here doesn’t match the flavor I was hoping to experience. It could be due to the cooking method or other factors that just don’t suit my taste. However, for those who love eel rice, I still recommend trying this place. Personally, though, I don't have a special preference for this restaurant’s flavor, so I probably won’t make a special trip back.

After all, there are other eel rice specialty shops waiting for me!

This is a Japanese-style eel rice specialty restaurant from Japan. There is a 10% service charge for inside use. The service staff include Japanese and aunties who have been in the store for a long time. They are all very friendly!

-Kamayaki Tamagojuge-450-The part of the eel is very soft and tender. The sauce part is mainly salty and not so sweet. You can still see some small thorns but it does not affect the taste. The grilled part has a nice burnt aroma. The body of the eel-tamagoyaki tamagoyaki is more like egg skin. The egg skin itself has no special seasoning and does not taste very soft and juicy. The taste of the eel in the middle is also lighter than that of grilled eel, making it less appetizing overall. I personally like the clear soup with eel liver, especially the dried eel innards. The soup itself is more peppery and salty.
The side dishes are white radish and ginger juice which tastes pretty good.
The rice was a bit disappointing as it was a bit soft and sticky, not the texture of Japanese rice at all.

• Eel bone pancake - 120 - The bones are fried with a little oil and a salty taste. It is a good dish to go with drinks, but it seems to be no different whether it is eel bone or not, so you don’t have to order it.

There is sansho pepper powder on the table, which is refreshing and relieves greasiness!

Overall, I feel that the price is higher than other Japanese eel restaurants, but the taste may not be particularly to your liking. You may want to wait until there are discounts during the anniversary celebration before visiting again.