I was attracted by the blackboard at the entrance that they offered grilled nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch, aka 紅喉魚 in Taiwan) and kinki (broadfin thorny head, aka 喜知次 in Taiwan), so I brought everyone to the izakaya for a fun night out.
San Jiu is founded by a group of friends who are aficionados of Japanese izakaya culture and wanted to bring the authentic experience to Taipei. So they started this small izakaya in the quiet neighbourhood of Anhe Road, a stone throw away from Shangri-La Taipei.
The okami (女将) was originally from Tainan but had spent all her adult life in Taipei in the F&B business. She was running the whole place like clockwork. In the kitchen there was only one person manning the stoves, as this was a quiet Sunday evening.
As it turned out, both fish that I wanted to eat were not available that evening. It was a Sunday night and they sold out over the weekend and the supplier could not replenish in time. Bummer!
山藥細麵 Mountain Yam Noodles with Uni and Ikura
We started with an appetiser that consisted of finely julienned mountain yam (aka yamaimo or 山藥) topped with fresh sea urchin (uni) and marinated salmon roe (ikura). According to the Okami, the ingredients were mainly sourced locally. That explained why the sea urchin tasted stronger than the usual Hokkaido version that I was accustomed to.
海膽滷肉飯 Sea Urchin Rice Bowl
Next up, a small casserole of sushi rice topped with sea urchin and salmon roe, the same formula as the mountain yam noodles but in a larger format for sharing.
醋凍生蠔 Raw Oysters with Vinegar Jelly
The oysters were the best item the whole evening. Plump and creamy, and the vinegar jelly accompanied the fresh oysters so well that we ordered a repeat.
鹽烤櫛瓜 Zucchini | 醬烤高麗苗 Baby Cabbage
Next, the first of the yakitori items. And I was surprised they started with vegetables. The grilled baby cabbage was really good, which inspired me to try this when I host my annual BBQ at home.
醬烤雞心、醬燒雞胗 Chicken Hearts and Gizzards
While the vegetables were delicious, the chicken hearts and gizzards were so-so. I was surprised by how big the portions of chicken hearts were, so the expectation wasn’t there.
午魚一夜乾 Salted Threadfin
The threadfin was salted and dried overnight in a technique called Ichiyaboshi (一夜干し), resulting in a savoury, moist, semi-dried product with concentrated flavour. The fish was then grilled, enhancing its texture and taste without being overly salty.
五花金針菇 Pork Belly with Enoki Mushrooms | 醬烤七里香 Chicken Backside
The Taiwanese have a very nice term for bonjiri (chicken backside) – Seven Mile Fragrance 七里香. Yes, the fattiest part of the chicken does invoked the best fragrance when grilled.
和風鱈魚肝 Cod Liver Wakami Salad
Foie de Morue Fumé or smoked cod fish liver is a popular ingredient in Japanese style salad as a topping. It can be assembled at home as long as you have the canned liver, rehydrated wakami (seaweeds) and a ponzu dressing.
刺身盛和 Sashimi Moriawase
The sashimi was a letdown after all the rest of the food.
蔥鹽牛舌 Grilled Gyutan with Scallions
Princess wanted to try their gyutan, and we weren’t disappointed. Thinly sliced beef tongue was grilled and topped with chopped scallions and garlic.
青甘下巴 Grilled Hamachi Collar Fins
Final item, grilled hamachi collar fins, salted and grilled.
Overall the food was OK, not great, but competent. However it was a nice spot to have a quiet drink, chat with friends and family and enjoy some bar food. The whole meal cost us NTD 5,533 (~SGD 230) for three persons (and 6 drinks), I had to say we had a lot of food.
Jiu San Tanhuo Izakaya Restaurant 酒叁炭火居酒屋
No. 93, Section 2, Anhe Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
大安區安和路二段93號
Visited Aug 2025
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