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| - I can't really say that I was wowed by Tavernakaya's traditional Asian food, but they make up for it with friendly, accommodating service, fun, hip atmosphere, ambitious fusion dishes, and tasty beverages. And, although I wasn't blown away by the Asian offerings, I found it to be decent enough and certainly enjoyable.
I was the first from my party to show up and everybody else was pretty late, but the friendly host still put our table together and sat me so that I could enjoy a delicious Hitachino Nest draft beer while I perused the menu and waited for my friends. The menu had a good mix of Japanese and Taiwanese food as well as some Japanese-inspired Wisconsin fare.
I got to try a hamachi roll, Taiwanese pork buns, tempura battered cheese curds, and spicy miso ramen.
The hamachi roll was definitely above average. The fish was not cold or chewy, and the rice was slightly warm and flavorful from the seasoning. I had it with the house sake which actually had some delightful notes of melon and lychee and was only $6.
The Taiwanese pork buns were nice and melty from the braise pork belly with a sweet and salty hoisin-based sauce. The bun was not dry either. This was better than the last time I had Taiwanese pork buns elsewhere, but I can't say they were mind-blowing.
The tempura battered cheese curds are actually incredible. The curds are on a skewer like yakitori chicken skewers before being tempura battered and fried until they're really gooey. The skewers are seasoned with togarashi before being placed on a plate with togarashi mayo with black sesame. These are definitely not your traditional fried cheese curds, but they could be your favorite in Madison if you give them a chance.
The ramen was pretty good, but not to my preference. I found the noodles to be a tad thin and the chashu pork belly to be too thin and relatively flavorless. The menma bamboo shoots kind of just tasted like soy sauce. The ajitsuke tamago marinated egg was on point though with its creamy yolk, soft whites, and tan color. The broth was spicy enough, fragrant and nutty with a strong roasted garlic flavor. Objectively, I have to say the broth was amazing, and most people would probably love it, but I just wasn't feeling it.
Although I probably won't be coming back to have their Asian dishes, I would love to come back for a little sushi or some snacks and drinks. I had a really fun experience, and I would recommend that you give it a try if you've been thinking about going here.
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