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I chose EIKA Taipei to celebrate my birthday with a very important lifelong friend — someone deeply passionate about international gastronomy. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a special evening turned into one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had.
My friend, who has dined extensively around the world, described it in his exact words:
• Over-intellectualised: dishes that read better than they eat.
• Emotionally flat: lots of craft, not much soul or crave factor.
• Poor value: a long tasting menu with very few truly memorable bites.
• Self-conscious: plating and narratives doing more work than flavour.
Three months later, he still refers to it as the worst meal he has had in his life — which says a lot.
From my own perspective, I had high expectations, especially knowing the chef previously worked at Nihonryori Ryugin. I truly looked forward to experiencing that level of refinement. The presentation at EIKA was elegant and the service polite, but the food itself was surprisingly bland and lacked creativity.
For a restaurant positioning itself as refined and modern, the flavours felt flat and uninspired. Several dishes were overly subtle to the point of being forgettable. There was little contrast, no bold seasoning, and nothing that stood out as innovative or memorable. I kept waiting for a dish that would impress me — but it never came.
The multiple sashimi-focused courses were especially disappointing. Both the flavour and the knife work lacked the delicacy and precision expected in proper sashimi preparation. The texture and cut simply did not showcase the ingredients at their best.
Given the pricing and reputation, I expected much more depth, balance, and originality. Instead, the experience felt safe, predictable, and underwhelming.
Most unfortunately, this dinner — meant to celebrate a meaningful birthday — ended up straining my relationship with my friend, who still brings up weekly how disappointing the meal was.
I sincerely hope EIKA reconsiders its flavour development and focuses more on delivering dishes that resonate emotionally and gastronomically, rather than relying on concept and presentation alone.
