Between Wagyu and Uni at Nikukappou Yuu
I’ve been wanting to come to Nikukappou Yuu for some time. After seeing their preparations of wagyu and uni on my Instagram feed I needed to look a bit closer. They weren’t just beautiful, they sounded like the combinations worked. And when I started seeing the wagyu katsu sando appearing on their menu, we had to make an actual reservation, three months out for a Friday night.
There are various costs for their prix fixe menu. The courses change throughout the year and even the pricing. We went with the $4200NTD offering that was the second most expensive. I’m not sure what’s included in the top pricing, but this was more than enough from us (see pictures below). And better yet, it included all the items we wanted to try. Keep in mind, this was considered a steakhouse. To me, this felt a bit like your typical sushi omakase restaurant. Spacious interior, though limited seating. Everything is at the kitchen counter and you’re up front and personal with the chefs as they prepare your meal.
The food comes out at a moderate pace and there was plenty of wait staff to tend to your needs. And of course, that meant getting bottles of sake and beer to enjoy with the delightful dishes. The food was top quality and each dish, while including A5 wagyu, felt they were handcrafted in the hands of an skillful sushi chef. For the high price point, I’d say you get more than what you’d expect.
Nikukappou Yuu
No. 15號, Alley 33, Lane 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road
Da’an District
Taipei, Taiwan 10686
+886 2 2711 2080
Verdict: Yes! A must try.
Finally, there was dessert. Not to worry. It was light with the exception of the small mochi ball.
As usual, to close out the savory courses was their miso soup. Honestly, I was so full by then I couldn’t even finish the bowl.
This was our individual serving. We needed to what was left in the larger bowl home for one gansta ass midnight snack.
Just in case we weren’t full yet. Our course came with a rice bowl for two topped with, you guess it, cut of wagyu and deep fried shallots and king mushrooms.
There it was. What I have been waiting for so long after seeing this craze make it to America with limited availability and a hefty price. And here’s it’s done with perfection. A5 wagyu, breaded, deep fried, and put in between two toasted slices of bread. It was heavenly. And yes, the meat was softer than the bread. Go sando!
So are we taking a break from the uni and wagyu with this duck liver egg custard dish? Well, not exactly. Tucked underneath that seared foie gras were some cuts of wagyu buried in that custard to keep the party going.
So this cut of wagyu was cooked more than medium rare to give it more of a char. Top that off with Hokkaido sea urchin and the hits just keep on coming.
To follow up the last dish, was simply these cubes og A5 wagyu with a good helping of sliced black truffle and a soft poached quail egg. All I had to do was decide on the three ratios of magnificent to mix with each other.
Here’s what you may have caught on Instagram. The wagyu tartare topped with a large helping of uni, wrapped in seaweed. And for you uni and wagyu lovers out there, this was as good as you’d imagine it to be.
While one may have this as a whole meal altogether, we were treated to a course of it. Two generous slices of A5 wagyu served in a delicious mushroom broth.
This was a combo you don’t see much of, sweet shrimp and sea urchin together. It’s probably uncommon because it’s a bit difficult to pick up with your chopsticks. But the two flavors and even textures together worked great for me!
Two cuts of medium fat tuna belly topped with their own in house sauce. Not too much sauce which was great to let the flavor of the fish come out.
Next up was a semi cured cut of fish which I didn’t get the exact name to. I just knew it was a local variety.
We start off our meal with a tofu in a light soy based sauce. The texture was firmer than you’d expect and almost gelatinous.