Sho 承 (Kaohsiung, TAIWAN) ★★★★☆

Sho (承) marks the second highly anticipated meal of my getaway, following an earlier lunch at Haili this afternoon. One of the most sought-after reservations in Kaohsiung these days, Sho is the first overseas outpost of Tokyo’s two-Michelin-starred Den (傳), led by Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa (長谷川在佑).

Obviously, every guest is treating this as a very special culinary occasion. Fifteen minutes before the restaurant officially opened, there were already a small crowd gathered in front of Sho patiently awaiting its door to open.

Not surprisingly, I was the only solo diner this evening and they thoughtfully put me at the far end of the N-shaped counter table away from the crowd.

The restaurant serves one omakase menu (NT$3,500) daily based on the freshest produce available. 

Shrimp taro (海老芋) from Shizuoka Prefecture (靜岡縣) was dipped in a homemade dashi and deep-fried to a point where it was crispy on the outside while moist inside. These worked so well with the miso dip.

Squid from the Pescadores Islands (澎湖小卷) cooked with sake was matched up beautifully with a homemade pineapple sauce. The lovely fragrance from pineapple, infused with shiso and there was the quinoa adding to the texture. Yum~!

The chicken wing (手羽先) stuffed with glutinous rice and chestnut, was first cooked in chicken stock, before spending time on the oven and finally finished with a quick torch for some nice smoky flavors. A delicate dashi and a touch of chrysanthemum provided the finishing touch. Almost perfect except for a missing job with the debone.

Two types of sashimi were next. The first was Japanese seabass from Tokyo Bay (東京灣真鱸), offering pleasantly sweet and fresh flavors. The second, striped bonito (齒鰹), had an intensely fishy taste that I didn’t really enjoy.

I didn't realize that the meat course was already on deck. This was veal from Holland which has been expertly cooked. The flesh was very lean but meaty and flavorful pairing well with the thick and powerful sauce made with chocolate and sancho.

Next to put on a show for us was Den (傳)'s signature salad featuring more than 10 different types of vegetables prepared with various cooking techniques (fried, steamed, ground and pickled). I have to admit, while the dish didn't sound all that exciting, it tasted much much better than it looked at first glance. The pickled beetroot, dragon fruit and deep-fried lotus root, those were some of favorites.

After a flurry of dishes served in rapid fire, we finally got a break in action and some of the patrons took the opportunity to visit the bathroom while the team continued to focus getting our soup ready next.

A clear fish broth was served up just before the restaurant's signature clay pot rice. A closer look reveled that a fillet of red Sea bream from Nagasaki (長崎真鯛) was hidden under a sheet of cabbage (高麗菜).

For a meal that was otherwise flawless so far, this was really the first disappointment. The fish broth was slightly salty and peppery at the same time, perhaps from the Madeira vine (川七) and sardine oil, and I thought the sea bream was a bit on the hard side.

Pickles were presented to us signaling that the clay pot rice was almost ready.

Tonight, we had not one but two clay pot rice (釜飯) served by the kitchen. The first featured the famous sakura shrimps from Donggang (東港櫻花蝦) with crunchy bamboo shoots. This smelt so good!

It was followed by another rice dish, made with silver fish from Yilan (宜蘭吻仔魚) and what looked like bean sprouts.

These came piping hot and I could smell the amazing fragrance from distance away. 

The sakura shrimps really added some enticing bite to the rice. 

Just when I thought this would definitely pale in comparison to the sakura shrimp rice, it actually came out as winner here! 

The silver fish came through nicely with its lovely texture, complemented brilliantly by the crisp bean sprout leaves and what I thought were strips of fermented yam. All these combined to make this one of the tastiest thing on earth!

Time to enjoy my red miso soup at last.

Pre-dessert was a small tartlet with pear, coffee and nuts crowned by a scoop of hōjicha ice-cream.

Our "real" dessert was monaka with matcha cream, red bean paste and a bit of mochi (麻糬). I thought that's a lot of food to consume in around two hours.

Food Rating: 7.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: 806 Zhonghua 5th Road, Cianjhen District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Shihjia

Tel: +886 7 334-6709

Website: www.sho.com.tw

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:00pm (Sat - Sun), 6:30pm - 9:45pm (Wed - Sun)