A good Japanese food experience on eye level with Taipei 101: Restaurant Ton 28 (同28) (1. June 2017)

The Ton 28 was recommended to me by a friend who has visited Taipei recently so it was the perfect stop for the last evening in Taiwan. I went for the “Dinner Set Menu” (2’580 NTD) which started with “today’s fishman seafood salad” which was a lovely combination of various vegetables and seafood.

Second in line was the “uni with toro homemade toast & pan-fried scallop” which was interesting but the scallop was cooked a bit too much for my gusto. What was super interesting though was the way the waiters acted. There was a guy who seemed to be a trainee who was directed by an older waitress – but not really in a way things would be efficient. He did perfect and then she told him something and things were suddenly way less efficient.

However, with regards to the speed of serving the dishes, they were rather quick. Basically as soon as you had finished your dish, the next would be on the table. The “selected seasonal assorted sashimi with toro” though was absolutely outstanding. Loved it!

And the main wasn’t bad either – “Wagyu Beef with pan-fried foie gras” definitely belongs in the ‘sins’ pot but is worth trying. The wagyu beef was super tender and aromatic and – especially compared to Europe – even affordable! And the foie gras was perfectly fatty and smooth!

Now, the next dish was really not to my gusto. The “Signature Chirashi” was a sea cucumber which was incredibly chewy – it felt like eating plastic. Or almost at least. So after the sashimi selection and the wagyu beef this was really a downer.

The “steamed lobster with Shaoxing wine” on the other hand really made up for it as a next dish. However, given we were approaching the end of the dinner and didn’t really feel like we’d have enough to eat, we ordered something in addition.

The “Soft Shell Crab Rolls” (420 NTD; 6 pieces) were outstanding. Quite large really but mouth-watering!

After that, we got the “daily soup with oysters” which was again rather dull. And frankly, I don’t get why you would get a rather dull soup after such a rich meal – maybe to clean your palate. Else, I can’t imagine why.

For dessert, they served the “Daily Sweet, Soup & Fruits”. Now, the soup is really a unique flavour – not really what I enjoy but definitely unique. The fruits on the other hand were super rich in flavour and definitely enjoyable. If it was for me, I’d just serve the fruits and skip the ‘fruit soup’.

As it was also the birthday of one of our party, we got “Surprise Birthday Cake” which was a super lovely gesture of the restaurant (I let them know before).

What I liked a lot about the place is the decoration of the table – simple, elegant, functional. Really lovely overall!

There is an open kitchen where you could watch the guys work if it wasn’t for a concept of privacy with a huge piece of linen hanging from the ceiling making sure nobody can view your table. A great concept one should definitely adapt in Europe as there is often not enough space and privacy.

The “sake” was the part where service failed – respectively where the ‘supervisor waitress’ screwed it up and made the ‘trainee waiter’ inefficient. But once the sake arrived it was actually quite delicious …

… especially in combination with the “crispy chips” (not sure of what they were made of though).

Overall, I can recommend the Restaurant Ton 28 as the place is lovely, the service is dedicated and the food is really good. With a few exceptions of personal gusto like the ‘sea cucumber’. Still, worth trying – just make sure to book your table in advance.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Ton 28 (?28)

28? Songren Road

Xinyi District

110 Taipei City (TW)

Tel.: +886 2 27 22 28 88

E-Mail: service@bellavita.com.tw

Homepage: http://www.bellavita.com.tw

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.