High Quality Sushi on Linsen North Road

One of our favourite places for Japanese food is Linsen North Road, an area of Taipei that caters primarily to Japanese businessmen and, shall we say, their nighttime adventures. The neighbourhood can be a little questionable at times, but its hectic energy can be charming and fun, and there are enough Japanese people around that sometimes you forget you’re still in Taipei. Prices around here can be a little inflated — they’re catering to tourists, so we’d expect nothing less — but there’s also some really great, authentic Japanese food to be had. We’ve sampled Okinawan food, yakiniku, and takoyaki, and recently stumbled across 秀壽司, a lovely little sushi spot often frequented by Japanese businessmen. We went with high expectations after reading some of the glowing reviews promising the best sushi outside of Tsukiji and were pleasantly surprised at how much it lived up to the hype. Would we say it’s the best sushi outside of Tsukiji? Well, no, that’s a little over-the-top. But, is still an awesome place with some awesome food? You bet.

The first thing we ordered was the sashimi platter, which comes in three sizes: ume (small, $450), matsu (medium, $550), and take (large, $650). We got the large size, which was enough to share between three people. The sashimi was delightfully fresh and delicate, using the highest quality fish available that day. This does mean that the selection of fish will change daily, so if you were about to order some sashimi because you really want one particular thing, you may want to rethink your decision.

We also ordered a large sushi platter, which was the exact same price as the sashimi ($650). This was another great choice, as the rice was beautifully seasoned, the seaweed freshly toasted, and topped with fish that melted in our mouths. This was harder to divvy up since there was a wider selection of options, but that made this platter a little more exciting than the first. We were pleased to see that the sushi platter contained all the classics we’d hoped for: egg, salmon roe, sea urchin, salmon, tuna, and squid on here, though the selection changes seasonally. Everything was delicious but the slight hint of yuzu on the squid gave it a delicious, exotic twist.

Craving a little more roe, we also ordered the salmon roe hand roll ($150). This was very simple but still fantastic — once again, the seaweed was freshly toasted until it was perfectly crispy and fragrant, making for a nice balance of textures between the soft rice and the roe that literally popped in your mouth. Divine.

Next, we ordered the mackerel in miso ($250), which ended up being one of our favourite dishes of the night. The fish was cooked perfectly: simmered in a perfectly balanced sauce of miso and mirin until it was saturated with the flavour, but not enough to make it soggy. We’d definitely go back for this.

The mozuku ($100), a type of edible seaweed, that we ordered was also very nice. The sauce was a lovely balance of freshly grated ginger and high-quality vinegar, though we do feel it could have done with a bit of yuzu to liven it up.

Though we were almost full, we made room for some fried oysters ($250). These were wonderfully crispy, though if we’re being honest we liked the ones at nearby Fei Qian Wu a little better because we found those to be much juicier and heartier. Still, these were delicious and a little more refined than usual.

Last but not least, we got the nikujaga ($150), where meat, carrots, and potatoes are stewed in a sweet soy stock with glass noodles. This is a dish commonly made at home, but this version was exquisite, probably one of the best we’ve had. The balance of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi in the sauce was absolutely perfect, and we liked that it wasn’t as sweet as it can be in Japan. Our only gripe would be that we would have preferred a little more onion, but it was still great. We actually ended up ordering another bowl of this as soon as we were done with the first.

Unfortunately, their menu is only in Chinese or Japanese, but here it is down below for your viewing pleasure:

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to 秀壽司. Everything we tried was exquisite: you could really tell that it was made with care, using only the freshest, best quality ingredients. This place was extremely authentic, and made for a great experience for people who are well-aqquainted with Japanese food. That being said, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this place for someone who isn’t: purists may love the fact that the sushi and sashimi selection will change according to season or freshness, but others may leave feeling disappointed that they missed out on eating their favourite variety. The same goes for the other dishes: these were beautifully crafted versions of classic Japanese foods, but you may find that you’d appreciate them just as much if they cost half the price. So, even though we enjoyed our visit and thought the food was great, we wouldn’t recommend this place to everyone.

What’s the vibe?

Sleek sushi restaurant tucked away in an alley off of Linsen North Road. Customers are mostly Japanese businessmen, although we saw some locals too.

Worth it?

That depends. It’s definitely not cheap, and though the ingredients and quality of food make up for it, it’s only worth it if you’re in the mood for something a little more premium. If not, there are plenty of Japanese restaurants nearby with killer food.

Would you go back?

Maybe. We really enjoyed the food, but we’re not sushi purists. It’s more likely that you’d find us at Addiction Aquatic Development, Hi Sushi, or even Sushi Express.

Last updated January 2020. 

秀壽司

Hours: 6pm – 12am Closed Sundays

Phone: 02 2563 0117

English Address: No. 40, Lane 85, Linsen North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City

Chinese Address: 台北市中山區林森北路85巷40號