Yu-Cai Seasonal Japanese Cuisine

「Japanese delicacies made with seasonal endowments of mother nature」

Several years ago, Chef Lin decided to settle down in Taitung with his family, including his wife Cindy, for its beautiful natural environment and slow-paced lifestyle. With over 20 years of experience of preparing Japanese cuisines, he opened Yu-Cai Seasonal Japanese Cuisine in 2018 and has run the restaurant with his passion for fine food and outstanding culinary skills. Following the spirit of Japanese food culture, Chef Lin and Cindy use fresh seasonal ingredients to cook their dishes. As the couple diligently search for seasonal ingredients to prepare seasonal cuisines, they have therefore become acquainted with food producers and fish traders in different parts of Taitung. In Spring, loquat and plum are in season and bonito and dolphinfish come to the east coast with Kuroshio Current. Yu-Cai serves bonitos smoked with rice straw to increase the fragrance and crispy fried dolphinfish coated with breadcrumbs to bring out fresh flavor. In summer, the resultant serves delicious fried orange daylilies when they bloom on both the plains and mountains in Taitung. In autumn, it offers fine cuisines made with seasonal catch, including rosy seabass, black marlin, and greater amberjack. The chef buys his fish from fishermen using eco-friendly fishing practices, including pole-and-lines fishing, longline fishing, and spearfishing, in order to ensure freshness of the fish and support ocean sustainability. All the dishes of Yu-Cai, including raw, stewed, grilled, steamed, and fried food, are prepared by a chef with excellent culinary skills and comprehensive knowledge about different ingredients. With extensive experience of cooking, he is highly capable of handling a variety of food ingredients for preparation of different delicacies. According to Cindy, Japanese egg custard and sushi roll, two common side dishes in Japanese food, are surprisingly impressive to their guests. The Japanese egg custard is made with local free-range chicken eggs and broth, which gives the dish a smooth and delicate flavor. The sushi rolls are made with local rice and wild vegetables collected by tribal farmers in their villages, which have unexpected texture and fragrance to their guests. Yu-Cai serves delightful Japanese food made with excellent seasonal ingredients provided by mountains, sea, and fields of Taitung. The chef creates a wonderful culinary experience with a feast of exquisite Japanese delicacies.