Old New Taiwanese Cuisine Jiuru 2nd Road 老新台菜 九如創始店 (Kaohsiung, TAIWAN) ★★☆☆☆

I had quite an adventure tonight, first at the CX counter at the Hong Kong International Airport and then Kaoshiung’s immigration office. I’m not going into details with what happened but the fact remained that I was about an hour late emerging from the arrival hall in Kaoshiung. Thankfully, I wasn’t too late for my dinner reservation.

Old New Taiwanese Cuisine Jiuru 2nd Road (老新台菜 九如店) wasn’t my first choice to begin with but a few restaurants have turned down my reservation as a solo diner. One place actually recommended Old New Taiwanese Cuisine to me noting that they have customized menu for solo diners. So, that’s how I ended up here.

As the name suggests, Old New Taiwanese Cuisine focuses on traditional Taiwanese dishes with a modern twist. They offer an omakase-style menu tailored to each guest’s budget (starting from NT$800, to NT$1,000,  NT$1,200, NT$1,500 and up). I went with the price tag of NT$1,200 without really knowing what’s coming. 

Winter melon ice with sherbet (雪淇冬瓜冰) – Apparently, it's a type of old-school Taiwanese desert drink, made with different ingredients. This one was made primarily with winter melon.

Assorted sashimi (海港生魚片拼盤) – Dinner started off with a small plate of assorted sashimi.



Sautéed scallops with mixed vegetables (什蔬炒干貝) – It was followed by sautéed scallops served with mixed peppers, mushrooms and broccoli. Decent wok hei there.

Sautéed Prawn with Shaoxing wine (紹興泡泡大蝦) – The sautéed tiger prawn was crowned with a Shaoxing wine foam which was pretty light in flavor. The mushrooms and green beans added some pleasant crunch to the dish.

Seared beef cubes with potatoes and crispy potato straws (骰子牛馬鈴薯) – The beef cubes were pretty succulent working well with the confit potatoes and crispy potato straws.

Glutinous rice with salmon roes and dried conpoy (鮭魚卵干貝米糕) – The fragrant glutinous rice topped with dried conpoy and salmon roes was moist and flavorful.

Steamed tiger grouper with salted meat (鹹肉蒸虎斑) – Thought the grouper was slightly overcooked but the real culprit of the dish was the chewy salted meat. 



Abalone with crab roes and choy sum (蟹黃鮑魚扒菜心) – Another dish that didn't draw raving review from yours truly. The abalone was pretty tender but the crab roe sauce tasted overly artificial, leaving the glass noodles underneath a bit lackluster.

Double-boiled chicken soup (?燉雞湯?) – Like the dishes before this one, my server rushed to drop it in front of me with no introduction. I thought this was some sort of double-boiled chicken soup with vegetables and tofu. In my opinion, some of the better dishes tonight. The soup was very soothing to the palate.

Taro sago dessert soup (老新芋泥西米露) – A decent taro sago soup to wrap up the meal. Expected a little more from a signature dessert.

While I'm not ready to label this restaurant a tourist trap just yet, it didn’t deliver the hearty modern Taiwanese cuisine I expected when I made my reservation two weeks ago. The service wasn't terrible, but the servers seemed indifferent, often dropping off dishes without a word or glance. Pacing was all over the place, sometimes I had two, three dishes at the same time; sometimes I needed to wait 10, 15 minutes. This didn’t feel like a well-run establishment aiming to provide a memorable culinary experience. With the food being just a little better than mediocre, it’s clear that I won’t be returning any time soon.

Food Rating: 5.4/10

Price: $$$$

Address: No. 227, Jiuru 2nd Road, Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Kaohsiung Station

Tel: +886 7 313-3077

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:00pm, 5:30pm - 9:30pm daily