Taipei Tokyo

Connoisseur Tom and I were hanging out and decided that we needed to eat lunch at a place that neither of us had tried before. 

I was craving Chinese food and was feeling a bit lazy, so I suggested Taipei Tokyo, a Chinese food and Sushi place in Davis Square, about a five minute walk from my house.  Tom agreed and we walked over to the establishment.

I have seen Taipei Tokyo many times while just passing by, and I was always a bit skeptical about it.  The other two Chinese places in Davis Square look wicked sketchy, so I assumed the same about Taipei.  However, it had been remodeled in the last couple of years and was certainly worth a chance.  I am glad we took this chance because it paid off in a big way.

We entered the restaurant and were immediately taken aback by the atmosphere. The design inside was very modern.  There was a nice bar and a sushi counter displaying fresh fish on a bed of ice.  Aside from the wait staff, we were the only ones in there, and we were seated immediately.  The service was prompt and attentive, and after a minute or so with the menus, Tom and I ordered.  I chose Taipei (Chinese food), while Tom chose Tokyo (Sushi). 

We both started off with a cup of miso soup.  It was steaming hot and tasted quite good.  Tom did note that, although it was good, the broth was supposed to be clear and it was cloudy.  You cannot boil miso soup because it will cloud like this soup had.  Despite this, it was tasty. 

The soup was followed by an order of crab rangoons.  You could tell that these were made in small batches upon ordering because they were very hot, crispy, and delicious.  They were some of the best I have had in the city for a long time.  Our entrees soon followed, and both of us were immediately impressed by the presentation. 

I had sesame chicken, and Tom had a bento box.  My food was served on a long rectangular white china plate with a small bowl of rice and a plate with the chicken and broccoli.  The plate also housed a spring roll and some duck sauce.  The food was all fresh and hot, and tasted top notch.  Lots of times, when I order sesame chicken, I know that the food has been scooped out of a large vat of food and plopped onto my plate unceremoniously, but there was care taken in the arranging of the food on the plate, and it had been made in a small batch.  I was grateful that my chicken was extra saucy, so I could use the sauce on my rice.  I was pleased. 

Tom was also impressed with his bento box.  It was a black box with red bowls imbedded in it.  Each compartment held a different treat.  He enjoyed the shrimp and crab dumplings, but was not a fan of the seaweed salad.  I don’t care for seaweed salad either, so I can’t blame him.  The California roll looked quite good, and Tom liked its fresh taste.  His favorite part of the meal, though, was the sushi.  He was very impressed by the taste and texture of the fish, saying it ranked up there with some of the best he had tasted.

We got our bill and left the restaurant happy, contented, and surprised.  This local joint had proven to be a gem of a restaurant, and we will certainly return.  Taipei Tokyo wins my vote for best Chinese food in Somerville at the moment, and it ranks among the leaders in sushi.