As soon as I got off work, I had to indulge myself with some salty crispy chicken! 😤
After searching around, I found this place that was still open past midnight.
My first impression was that the store was very clean—both the food displayed on the counter and the frying equipment.
But maybe it's also because the oil is very clean, the food lacked a certain richness. 😆
To get to the conclusion:
#You can add them on Line to place orders and pay
#The overall seasoning is salty but lacks aroma
#Paper box packaging, the ingredients include pickled cabbage, onions, and sliced garlic
Ordering time: Wednesday at 00:30
Waiting time for food: 10 minutes
Payment methods: Cash / Online ordering with LinePay
Below are the items ordered and their prices 🔻
🔺 Salt Crispy Chicken (Large) $60
You can choose boneless; the meat is tender, but I feel the overall portion isn't very large.
🔺 Silver Thread Roll (with sweetened condensed milk) $25 👍🏼
Three pieces per order, fried to perfection—crispy outside and soft inside—pairing it with condensed milk is just sinful. 🥰
🔺 Sweet Potato Ball $35
Generous portion, the fried texture is similar to fish skin, but unfortunately, it's not my favorite and turns mushy when cold.
🔺 Chicken Skin $35
Crispy and dry, it has a good chicken flavor.
🔺百頁豆腐 (Baiye Tofu / Thousand Layer Tofu) $25
Retains its texture, the skin is soft but cut a bit large.
🔺柳葉魚 (Willow Leaf Fish) $40 👍🏼
Three pieces per order; the fish balls are plump but a bit over-fried, especially the tails which are dry.
🔺Chicken Heart $30
Four pieces per order, fried too dry.
🔺Scallion Beef Balls $40 👍🏼
Four pieces per order; you can't really taste the scallions, but the beef flavor is strong, very juicy.
🔺Green Pepper $40
One whole pepper, served separately in its own takeout box from the fried items.
(This was my first time using the camera feature, so I remembered to take photos the second time I came back! 🥲)
On the main street of Wanluan, there are many pig's trotters stalls, but it seems that many people come to eat at this authentic Lin family's old brand. I still remember the first time I came to Wanluan to eat pig's trotters was at this place, and I was really amazed because I never thought that pig's trotter dishes could have so many variations and be so delicious.
Their pig's trotters are divided into braised and roasted styles, and regardless of which one you choose, the meat is incredibly tender and melts in your mouth—this really makes a difference in its crispness. Moreover, once you dip it in their garlic soy sauce, you won't be able to stop eating; one bite after another, the pig's trotters taste even better when eaten hot. Wanluan truly deserves its reputation as the birthplace of pig's trotter cuisine.
Besides pig's trotters, Lin's family also offers a variety of catering dishes that you can order, such as white shrimp, chicken soup, stir-fried water lily, and many other dishes. On average, everything is above average in taste, and the prices are cheap. A table full of nearly wedding banquet-quality dishes costs only around 5000 TWD—what a great value! If you have the chance to pass through Wanluan or the nearby area, it is definitely worth stopping by to try it out.
Environment
Compared to most shops, the lighting inside is very bright, making it beautiful for photos without needing special adjustments. The environment is also very clean and doesn’t feel dirty.
Dishes
📍 Shark Fin Meat Soup (Large) 💰75
📍 Shark Fin Meat Noodles (Large) 💰85
The meat soup is one of the must-try dishes at this shop. The portion is very generous, and the flavor is just right—not too salty. Adding a bit of vinegar enhances the taste even more. The highlight is the shark fin, which doesn’t have a distinct flavor but adds a different texture!
📍 Braised Pork Rice (Large) 💰50
I’m a big fan! The braised pork is extremely tender, and mixing it evenly with the bamboo shoots makes it delicious—rich without being greasy and very aromatic!
📍 Pork Belly Rice 💰85
I think the shop’s pork belly is exceptional. The saltiness is perfectly controlled during the braising, and the cut used has a good balance of fat and lean meat, especially the piece with soft bone for a better texture!
Parking
Scooters 🛵 can be parked at the front of the shop.
Cars 🚗 I parked this time in the white line on the roadside.
Service
Enter the shop and choose your own seat. Order and pay at the counter, then receive a number. Once the dish 🥘 is ready, your number will be called for pickup. Sauces and utensils need to be taken care of on your own, and after dining, please return the trays to the collection area!
❗️The shop currently has many promotions! ❗️
Leave a Google review for a free black tea ☕️
Join as a Line friend for buy one get one free on large meals, and a point-collecting activity for purchases over a hundred.
They also have a new delivery service:
Spend 💰600 within 2 kilometers
Spend 💰1200 within 3 kilometers
Spend 💰2400 within 4 kilometers
Payment Methods
Cash 💵
Line Pay
While passing through the Gongguan area, I came across a Japanese-style dining place that specializes in eel rice, where you even have to use a self-ordering machine outside to pay.
However, this is actually a Taiwanese take on Japanese cuisine. Fooday just happens to have this type of restaurant!
I ordered the grilled eel set meal (small), and the rice was plentiful. The eel sauce was rather sweet, and the texture was not soft enough; in fact, it was a bit bouncy. This seems to be a common interpretation of Taiwanese eel rice? There were small bones, but the main issue was that it wasn't hot enough.
My basic understanding of Japanese grilled eel is that it should be grilled at high temperatures until the meat is extremely tender, easily falling apart when picked up with chopsticks. Even if there are fine bones, they should be grilled to the point of being soft enough to swallow without getting stuck in your throat. Unfortunately, this dish did not meet those standards.
Dine-in customers can help themselves to warm tea, and the set meal also comes with apple vinegar and Taiwanese side dishes. The music playing in the restaurant was all Mandarin pop music.
"Cao Lin Fried Chicken" is a mobile stall-style fried chicken shop, and I happened to encounter it at an event on Kabo Road. Such mobile stalls seem to be rarely fixed in one place, and there aren't many opportunities to chase after them to eat.
In terms of the experience at the time, the portion of fried chicken isn't large, with three small pieces in each order. Although the price is somewhat acceptable, it doesn't have any particularly shocking elements. The taste is quite standard and doesn't wow anyone. The chicken is reasonably tender, but it lacks any unique flavors. The hot dog was a bit disappointing, as there was noticeably less meat, and the casing was particularly thick, making the proportion of meat feel insufficient and not very satisfying.
Overall, it isn't a stall that would make someone want to visit it specifically, especially since it is mobile and harder to find in a fixed location. Perhaps for the passersby who encounter it by chance, it can be a little snack to satisfy hunger, but if someone doesn't happen to come across it, they probably wouldn't go out of their way to seek it out. In terms of cost-effectiveness, it's not particularly high, but also not low enough to be unacceptable; it’s more of a "eat when you come across it" type of place.
Reviewer comment: No restroom provided.
This snack shop located in Xindian is open only during dinner hours and specializes in braised pork rice and lamb soup with skin. During weekdays, the dinner time is often crowded. Upon arrival, customers need to fill out an order form and pay first, then take a number and wait to be called for their food, with a smooth flow of service. The braised sauce for the pork rice has a southern flavor, slightly sweet and savory, mixed with the aroma of Chinese herbs. The thoroughly braised, tender pork paired with distinctly separate white rice, allows the shiny sauce to seep into the rice, delivering a smooth and rich texture with every bite. Adding a braised egg makes it even more delicious. The lamb soup with skin is a must-order dish. The broth is rich, with a little ginger to remove the gamey smell, and the chunks of lamb skin are tender, fresh, and melt in your mouth. It's especially suitable for winter, warming you up from the inside out. I recommend dipping it in some chili sauce for added depth of flavor. The shop is located under the arcade, and parking on the road is limited, so it's recommended to ride a scooter there. Friends who love lamb with skin should arrive early; if you come late, you might miss out. Personally, I will definitely return! 😋
Eel noodles are a must-try dish in Tainan, and there are many options in the city. Having lived in Tainan for a while, I have lost some of the enthusiasm for famous restaurants that require long lines. Sometimes, the ordinary places you encounter on the street are actually very delicious and not much inferior.
Xiangxing is just such a place. The restaurant has been renovated and is comfortable and clean. As for the food, the eel meat is very tender and tastes quite fresh, without too much sliminess. The noodles themselves are not overly sweet; some restaurants have a sweetness that overpowers the saltiness, making the dish unappetizing.
However, a drawback of dining in is that the functionality of the exhaust hood seems poor. When frying the eel, the indoor space fills with a strong stir-fried aroma, which can become unpleasant after a while. Friends who care about this suggest taking it to go.
I was looking for a good restaurant in the Shilin area when I came across a place with an unusually high Google rating😅. It was introduced on social media, so I decided to check it out for lunch on the weekend!
[Atmosphere of the Restaurant]
It was a local Taiwanese restaurant located next to the MRT. Personally, I really liked the retro and unpretentious vibe! Since it had a good Google rating, I thought it might be a popular spot, but there were only about three groups inside, so we were able to enter without waiting! The ordering style was to write down the names of the dishes on a piece of paper and hand it to the staff. We paid in advance.
[Food Evaluation]
The menu had a wide variety of dishes, from typical Taiwanese cuisine to original creations! We chose grilled meat and a rice dish with a thick sauce from the main menu options.
The taste of the food was quite standard, but the abundance of ingredients was a positive aspect. The rice dish I had included mushrooms, eggs, deep-fried tofu, and water spinach (?).
The Eight-Treasure Soup had a strong herbal flavor, and it also had plenty of ingredients!
[Overall Evaluation]
I had somewhat heightened expectations because it had a Google rating of 4.9, but it was just an ordinary Taiwanese restaurant. The staff mentioned that if you add them on LINE or something, you might receive some kind of service, so perhaps the high Google rating is also tied to a promotion... However, there were many comments from customers on the wall, and since I didn't try the number one popular dish, I'd like to order other items next time and check the flavors! 😅
Translation:
Braces Person Review: There is a restroom, 👍
Xinhuaxi Beef Rice Noodles is located near the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Station in Guishan. During peak hours, you have to wait for a table; we waited for nearly an hour. We ordered the tomato sour soup grilled pork belly rice noodles (190 TWD), tomato sour soup grilled beef belly rice noodles with beef shank (260 TWD), fried egg tofu (60 TWD), and a three-star platter (60 TWD).
The tomato sour soup at this shop is rich and has a sour and spicy flavor, complemented by the grilled slices of meat. There is Sichuan pepper powder and chili powder available on the table for self-service, which enhances the flavor even more. The rice noodles have a chewy texture and are similar in thickness to noodles; the tomato grilled pork belly is particularly recommended. The appetizer, fried egg tofu, is refreshing and not oily, with tofu and century egg paired with fried Sichuan pepper and garlic. The shop offers hot barley tea and water. There is a parking lot in front of the store, and it is close to the airport MRT, making transportation convenient.
I have tried several braised pork rice places in Changhua City, but none met my expectations. Recently, a YouTuber visited Changhua City and tried this old shop, so I decided to go back to Changhua and give it another shot.
Ah Quan Braised Pork Rice is only open from morning until 1:30 PM. It seems unavoidable to queue on weekends, but the inside space is quite large, and I waited about half an hour. The shop does issue receipts.
I was amazed after my first bite! The skin of the braised pork is extremely tender and melts in your mouth, not greasy at all. The lean meat of the braised pork is not dry; it's heated well inside, making it very enjoyable to eat.
The white rice is distinct, and the braising sauce is not too strong, complementing the dish well without being greasy or overly wet. Even just considering the plain rice, this is the best braised pork rice I have tried in Changhua City so far.
The blanched vegetables and braised bamboo shoots were rather ordinary but cooked until quite soft. The sausage has a unique flavor, with a coarser lean meat texture inside, and it noticeably carries a hint of sorghum wine. I recommend giving it a try.
Later, I found out that starting from 2023, the United Daily News organized the "500 Bowls" of Taiwanese snacks, inviting 50 celebrities, chefs, and food critics to each select 10 shops. "Quan Braised Pork Rice" (the signature name of Ah Quan Braised Pork Rice) won the first season in 2023 and made it onto the list in 2024 as well, truly deserving of the recognition.
