Late-night diner near Taipei University of Science and Technology: Happiness in soju and Matsusaka pork!

Text & photos /San Gao Eats Han

This izakaya is very close to Taipei University of Science and Technology, and we heard the quality is quite good. The two of us booked dinner right when they opened at six—having had quite a bit of wine earlier in the afternoon at VINOZA, we ended up here again at night. Could not escape alcohol this day, haha~ From the moment we entered until we finished our meal, Chuan He left a great impression on me: warm and welcoming atmosphere, good food, and no unreasonable service charges. If I lived nearby, I’d definitely come back often.

● 《ETtoday Eastday News Cloud》 reminds you: Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drive after drinking.

There are plenty of parking spaces along Xing’an Street, so parking shouldn’t be a problem. The shop isn’t big and has limited seating, so it’s best to make a reservation in advance. As soon as we sat down, we noticed there were lots of Japanese sake bottles on the wall~ Some items on the menu are marked as “market price,” but the blackboard above the food counter lists some pricing ranges. Then came the ordering—staff were friendly and happy to answer any questions and gave appropriately timed dish recommendations.

The tomatoes in plum sauce had a very rich flavor with a unique plum powder taste—it was different from what I’ve had before and I thought it was delicious. The sweet daikon radish probably comes as a complimentary side, but now whenever I eat this kind of radish, it reminds me of Korean fried chicken~ Just had a couple little bites to whet the appetite.

The blackboard above the food counter said “Japanese sea urchin,” but after asking, I found out it was actually Canadian sea urchin (they should probably update the sign...). It’s served with a larger piece of Canadian sea urchin laid on nori, rolled with chopped scallions and wasabi. The sea urchin itself is quite sweet and not fishy even when eaten plain.

Tonight’s wheat-based shochu wasn’t as strong as expected. We originally wanted to order Qing Geng Yu Du (Clear Farming Rain Reading), but they were out~

● 《ETtoday Eastday News Cloud》 reminds you: Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drive after drinking.

The pork quality was excellent, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled to just the right level—the texture was crisp yet tender, and the more you chewed, the more the savory juices came through. A bit of sesame sauce added even more flavor. This was my favorite dish of the night.

It had a somewhat Hong Kong-style crispy chicken feel—a thin-crisp fried chicken thigh that was still pretty juicy and tasty.

These lamb chops were grilled over charcoal, though calling them “French lamb chops” felt a bit odd. Cooked to a nice rare-red level, the texture was incredibly tender and soft. A good lamb chop, though it didn’t quite hit the exact flavor I was expecting. I’ve heard the lamb chops at Eagle Castle 52 are also really good—might try them next time.

Served to me by a lady who might be the owner (though she wouldn’t admit it), this was a refreshing sweet potato shochu—very tasty~

The cartilage and edge meat were well marinated, and with a bit of mustard salt, it was simple but enjoyable~

With mentaiko mayo, the asparagus had a decent texture this day but wasn’t very sweet—I didn’t particularly like this dish.

Felt like the salt wasn’t applied quite enough; the texture was a bit off, but still okay~

A great way to fill up. As soon as I ate this one, I instantly felt full.

The vegetable soup at the end, like asparagus, felt a bit lacking in sweetness today.

The served dessert, soft and sweet, makes you crave some shaved ice — truly an excellent pairing~

This meal cost 2,800 NT dollars. For two people, the portion was slightly on the larger side; I think it would have been even better if we had ordered all the right dishes. I heard they are planning to open a branch — business is really quite good.

Chuanhe BBQ Izakaya
Address: No. 92, Hejiang Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Business Hours: PM 6:00 ~ AM 1:00 (Closed on Sundays)
Phone: 02-25169957

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