[台北] - 上閤屋日本料理 - Jogoya Seafood Buffet (Taipei)

Jogoya 上閤屋 is a buffet that specializes in Japanese cuisine and seafood, and is exclusively a chain in the Taipei area with at least 3 locations and one in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. It is said that a conglomerate (Formosa group?) that owns hotels runs Jogoya, as well as a local shabu shabu chain Kolewa. Makes sense because they have the funds to get resources, training, and food in bulk at lower cost.

This particular location is in the area where Taipei 101, Warner Village (movie theater complex), and the multiple J-dept store Mitsukoshi buildings are. As a result buffet prices are a tad bit higher than others. To give you an idea, lunch here comes to about US$21, $25 for dinner. And you come here for late night snack too, they close at 2:30 am.....On weekends and public holidays you are given a 2 hour time limit to finish. But what mortal is able to spend more than 2 hours at a buffet?

When you walk in, and explore the area, the only thoughts that come to your mind are:

OMG WAFOF!!!!!!! (OH MY GOD WHAT A F*CKLOAD OF FOOD).

Especially for 20 bucks!!!

Fresh seafood, steamed or fried to order!

The selections here are SCARY. So much food, so little time (2 hours that is) Todai and other Bay Area Asian buffet owners, please fly to Taipei and eat here, then SUCK AND SWALLOW IT. And take notes and learn what a REAL Asian buffet should be!

After taking quite a few pix, I was then told by Jogoya employees that I was not allowed (lots of Japanese food business owners don't want you to "steal" ideas for the competition, such is life).
Glad I got away with whatever I could!

Hakka style salted pork

Cakes and desserts galore

More and more cakes

Sayori or needlefish, steamed to order (don't worry they have it for sashimi too!)

California bass!!

Dobinmushi and Chawanmushi

Taiwanese fruit

More fruit

Dragon fruit

Cantonese Turtle Jello too... 

Yes, alkie bevs are included in the price! Red wine and Tsing Tao too! 

Various grilled fish

From what I remember (and I'm sure I missed out a ton of stuff)

Sashimi section: needlefish (sayori), hamachi, escolar (super white fish), kajiki (swordfish), salmon, mirugai, scallops, some sort of local clam, oysters on halfshell, and what looked like a Kyoto style prep of saba embedded in a kazunoko like yellow fish egg! Nearby was yamamomo (mountain peach) but the locals call it Yang Mei (a plum variant).

Also various sushi rolls but did not touch those. Inari with black bean, kimchi, and ikura versions were seen nearby.

A made to order handroll section - crispy as hell nori, then choose from toppings - "matsuba" Japanese crab meat, sake marinated ikura, J-mayo (like kewpie), tobiko, local aspargus, peanut powder, rice, shredded lettuce. Specify whether you want rice or lettuce.

Whole fish steamed or deep fried to order (including needlefish)

dim sum section - Steamed to order XLB. Decent but these mofo's were quite big. Canto dim sum offerings were chicken feet, fried daikon cake, cha shiu bao.

Beverages (yes included in the price! SUCK this Todai and friends) - OJ, soft drinks, SIX kinds of tea leaves/bags, icee slush drinks, RED WINE, Tsing Tao Beer, cocktails (self pour)

4 kinds of ice cream. I heard they used to stock HAAGEN DAAZ, but switched to something low tech recently (when I went, bastards!)

Nabemono section: self help mini hot pot with Chinese herbal broth and veggies, a clay pot that had uhmmm...sesame oil rooster testicles (a local specialty) which they aptly label as hip fruit (ie the "fruits" by the hip, get it?), supposedly contains tons of collagen and great for ladies skin (I bet you can easily find and get women to eat this over swallowing for their men or performing fellatio for that matter)

Agemono section: lots of lesser interesting deep fried and tempura style offerings from fish, meat, to veggies

Yakimono section: grilled to order beef, chicken, pork slices and more mounds of meat.

steam table section: of note were local small crab (with tons of meat inside the head), steamed abalone (canned?), and more seafood. And that f**king rooster cock ballsac stuff shows up again in sesame oil sauce at the steamtables....damn it's everywhere!

ACYE Dobinmushi and chawanmushi. Not high end quality but hey!!!

Veggies - pick from a variety of local vegetables, stir fried to order and brought to your table

8 kinds of local fruit offerings at the fruit bar: honeydew, dragonfruit, starfruit, oranges, tomato

Dessert section - 4+ flavors of cheesecake, 4+ flavors of mousse cake (eg green tea, kiwi, strawberry, mocha etc). On the opposite end of the restaurant were green tea jello, and the Cantonese hardcore black jello (made with real turtle)...

Out of the three buffets I've been to in Taipei (Wasabi in Taipei 101, Hsin Yeh across from Taipei Train Station, and Jogoya), Jogoya easiliy wins hands down. All of them cost about the same, and competition is fierce. The one who offers the most at the best quality for the least wins.

Feeling stuffed afterwards? No problem, tons of shops and places to walk around in the area to burn it off, until the next eating adventure.

Apparently gluttony is not one of the sins in Taiwan...

Website: http://www.jogoya.com.tw/

Taipei locations:

台北市信義區松壽路22號 - 02-8789-5678 (Xinyi District, Song Sau Rd #22)

台北市大安區大安路一段170號 - 02-2325-5255 (Da An District, Da An Rd 1st portion #170)