Sasa Sushi in Taipei, Taiwan

Yes, I'm on a sushi tear here in Taipei tonight. That same guy who told me about Fresh Station was raving even more about another place on the other side of the city: Sasa (6 Zhongshan North Road Section 2 Lane 42, 2561-1246). And since I'm only here for one night, I'm trying to pack in as many places as I can. After all, it's just sushi, so it wasn't going to be that filling, especially if I told the chefs to go light on my meals.

Now, as much as I was unconvinced about Fresh Station, this place I liked a lot more. The quality and care were clearly on a very high playing field, such that I could see why my colleague liked it so much. Many of the things that the chef put in front of me tonight made my eyes open wide and my throat make an "mmm!" sound, including some rich and creamy cod sperm, some fish that was mildly smoked in some kind of reeds, as well as a number of other pieces with just the right amount of citrus, salt, or some other seasoning to make it work, like that kinmedai above.

The pinnacle of the evening, however, was one specific item that my colleague recommended, and he was totally right: the monkfish liver, which was a pretty big slab that interestingly was tied up with a slice of pickled melon, presumably to help cut through the richness of it all. Yeah, it tasted like foie gras sushi, and I liked it. I closed out my meal with a helping of uni, chutoro, and clam soup, with the clams in particular bursting with the fresh taste of the sea. Granted, the meal cost me NT$4400 (US$150), but I'm sure that it would have cost much more in Japan.