三虎居酒屋 Izakaya Santora 大安店
Sanhu Izakaya Daan Branch is located in an alley near Section 1 of Daan Road, and it is a standard Japanese izakaya. The actual address is Lane 160, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, but in reality, everyone seems to use Daan Road as the reference point.
Today, we had a group meal, with both individual and shared dishes, totaling 4125 TWD. I will base my review on the dishes we tasted.
Sanhu Platter:
Seven skewers, each with different flavors, visually appealing and incredibly delicious. The pork belly with scallion salt was impressive; the saltiness of the scallion sauce enhanced the freshness of the meat. The bacon-wrapped cherry tomatoes had a unique appearance, and the acidity of the tomatoes balanced the greasiness of the bacon. There were also pork belly with miso, chicken with scallions, and chicken skewers with mentaiko, satisfying both the visual and taste experience.
Grilled Zucchini:
Cut into five pieces, the moisture, sweetness, and seasoning of the zucchini were nicely balanced. Each piece was quite juicy.
Butter Beef Short Ribs:
Tender slices of beef short ribs with butter melted in your mouth; when eaten with sautéed onions, it brought out a more pronounced charcoal aroma.
Corn Shoots with Leaves:
Peeling the corn shoots yourself is quite fun, starting with the outermost tender leaves is an interesting experience. Four were 120 TWD, which means just 30 TWD each—not expensive at all.
Mentaiko Chicken Wings:
Four pieces, fully coated in mentaiko, rich in flavor and tender in texture. After all, they are chicken wings, so there is a bone, but handling it is not bothersome at all.
Sweetfish:
Four pieces for 130 TWD, which is also very reasonable. Besides the aroma of grilled fish and the freshly squeezed sour lemon juice, there's a lot of fish roe, delicious.
Mentaiko Chazuke:
Ordinary chazuke topped with fresh mentaiko. As long as the mentaiko is fresh enough, the taste speaks for itself. Wrapping up the meal with warm, gentle chazuke warms the stomach and makes the meal feel even more complete.
Sours:
I tried two flavors: lemon and umeshu, with a low alcohol content. The slight buzz and conversations with friends elevated the joy of the meal.
Overall, it is quite an affordable Japanese izakaya. It only feels expensive because we ordered too much; there were several dishes I enjoyed and forgot to take photos of.
The interior of the restaurant is quite spacious, and the service is prompt and attentive. The mural was impressive. The main Sanhu store is located on Yanji Street, and it is busier than the Daan branch. If you’re planning to meet someone for a meal, make sure to confirm whether it’s the Daan branch or the main store, as going to the wrong one could be quite awkward.
I recommend it to everyone!