If you’re looking for some great value Japanese omakase in the city but don’t want to break the bank, this is the place for you. LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu is one of the highest quality omakase sushi sets you’re going to find for $1800 anywhere in a Taipei restaurant. There, I said it.
If you check on their FB, you can see their menu is beautifully simple. You’re talking about $1800 for either sushi, or shabu shabu. Both feature fish of varying seasonal varities, and Wagyu beef, too.
Surf and Turf porn for the win.
LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu
Sushi – $1800
16 courses
Yeh, so seaweed never really did it for me before shipping over from England to the land of Formosa. I don’t even know if it does it for me now, to be honest, but this was the right amount of sour and salty to get those tastebuds open for what was to come…
I didn’t care for this plum-infused daikon radish as much as I usually do for the sweet and vinegary daikon usually served by sushi spots. But, it still went down easily enough.
At LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu, Flounder was the first course up, and it was delicious. The flavour was delicate and the texture allowed a melt-in-the-mouth feel from the outset. That orange dollop on the top isn’t the fish egg that you think it is, it had a slight chilli flavour. Yes, chilli with nigiri – a shock to my tastebuds at the time, but tasty, nonetheless.
We often buy these tilapia fillets from costco and it’s a firm favourite of mine in cooked form. I can’t say as I have had it much in nigiri form, however, it was delicious. Another tick in the right box for a delicious Taipei sushi restaurant. The yuzu peel brushed on top was a delicious kick of citrus that helped the dish come alive.
Japanese sweet shrimp is hiding underneath that white kombu seaweed right there. The seaweed had a delicate flavour that still allowed the shrimp to be the main feature, which allowed this piece of sushi to melt in the mouth without even biting down. Delicious flavours – one of the stand-out dishes at LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu, for me.
Some sushi master skills for your viewing pleasure ^
Hokkaido scallops are prized for their size, sweetness, texture, and overall flavour. So, with wide eyes, I welcomed this beauty on my plate. The Itamae made a series of tiny cuts crossways on the scallop, then dabbed it with the house special sauce, and topped it with some dried seaweed. It was delightful, however, I love scallop so much for its delicate flavour, and this was slightly marred by the fact that a dab of wasabi separating the scallop and the rice was constantly fighting to be the main flavour. The scallop did slightly edge it out in the end, but it was a battle.
This arrived looking like a mackerel mousse but smelling like a middle eastern market. What the hell was going on in this sushi restaurant?!
Homemade tofu with nuts – big win for LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu. To the point where I wanted (but pulled out last minute) to ask if they sell it to take out.
Smooth textures separated by occasional crunches of nut, with an ever silky tofu texture that just melted in your mouth. The creaminess surprised me a lot, too. I really, really enjoyed this.
Get ready, because this was the best dish of the meal at LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu. So this fish is often prized all over Japan as being the best cut of the tuna. Can you guess it? Yep, blackfin tuna belly is prized for its fat:flavour ratio.
Essentially looking like some wagyu beef/fish hybrid, the fat running through this slice of tuna just melt in your mouth while simultaneously delivering incredible flavours. One of the best things I have ever put in my mouth.
Mackerel here served with a smidge of freshly ground ginger that just popped in your mouth. Perhaps my least favourite fish dish of the day, here, though. Why? Mackerel has a very distinctive flavour, and I just don’t think it’s best suited to sushi…
Flounder was served up here with some freshly sliced shallot on top. My wife adores this nigiri, and we search for it on menu’s before we go anywhere to eat sushi. This place didn’t dissapoint. The flounder wing has this incredible fat content that melts in your mouth with this oily texture that pops with flavour. Big love for this.
Steamed egg isn’t my favourite thing in the world – mainly because it has some hidden fish that impart a lot of flavour into the egg from the bottom of the bowl. This one didn’t, but it still had an overly fishy flavour that I didn’t much care for. The texture of the egg was spot on, though.
Get ready for uni porn, peeps.
Drool central for the uni buffs among you. To those haters out there – leave now.
Uni sandwich presented at LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu with a very generous amount of Hokkaido-sourced uni. Loved everything about this.
Tempura corn, mushrooms, and squid were up next. I don’t often eat tempura anything, so this was a treat. I was shocked at how crispy the batter remained whilst the vegetables inside remained juicy and flavourful. The mushrooms were delicious and that squid was greaaaaat.
Ever had tempura fried corn? I will definitely be looking for this again!
I want to say that this is something like a pilchard, sardine, or even a mackerel. The whole fish had been poached in a rich broth and then sliced and served to us cold. It was surprisingly delicious. Sweet, salty, fishy, and full of that umami flavour that we all search for.
WAGYU beef as well?! What kind of sushi restaurant is LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu!
Flash fried wagyu beef with an egg yolk on top, served over rice with this incredible soy based sauce with delicate onions. Oh wow, this was unreal.
Miso is often served at the end of the main meal at sushi omakase. It wasn’t the strong salty flavour that can often overpower miso. It was good.
Panna cotta-style pudding here with some brown sugar syrup on top was a delightful way to end.
I can’t recommend LiXiu Sushi Shabu Shabu enough. For $1800 I challenge you to find anywhere else around TP that offers this value with these incredible flavours.