[Zhongli, Taiwan] - 壹等品『霸王豬腳』/Yī děng pǐn bàwáng zhū jiǎo

One of my favorite comfort foods is pork belly over rice. It's called 魯肉飯 in Chinese, but in English I just refer to it as pork belly rice. It's pork belly stewed for hours to get it extra tender. Other items can be stewed in there also which are great like eggs, bamboo, tofu, or seaweed. The ones in the States, for reasons I just don't understand, use ground pork. There's less flavor when not using the pork belly. In Taiwan though, pork belly is primarily used, and it's delicious. On a random day off while I lived in Longtan, I took the bus from one end to the other (Longtan to Zhongli). The ride itself is about 35-45 minutes depending on traffic. If you are already in Zhongli, then it's much easier for you to reach. It's about 3 blocks away from the Pacific Sogo Mall, and two blocks away from a big movie theater. 

The main thing they are known for here are the stewed pigs feet. I had just walked by one day and gave it a try. Every time I passed by, it was busy. The pork stewing in the cauldron near the front so as you pass by, you can smell the fragrant stew. The pork belly rice is really good, but because they are known for their pig feet, I went with that. They do a pretty good job of cleaning it, so it's not gristly. I hate it when restaurants don't pick all of the hairs off. Either way, the food here is really good. Now that I have no reason to go to Zhongli, I actually miss this place. A few times I have tried to make it out before heading to the airport, but it's just so out of the way that I haven't been able to make it happen. 




You can also take it to go. The prices are pretty good, and it tastes like it did in the restaurant even after a long bus ride home! And, if you need it piping hot, you can always take it to 7-11 and ask them nicely if they'll microwave it for you.


Address:
No. 168, Xinsheng Rd, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan 320
(Nearest big landmark would be the Sogo just a few blocks away)

Comments

Post a Comment

I would love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

[Kaohsiung, Taiwan] - 桦達奶茶 Huada Milk Tea (Original Location Only)

Image
If you are a milk tea fan, this is a must go spot. It's one of the oldest tea milk tea shops in Southern Taiwan, and from the looks of it, do everything the same as they always have. This post is only about the original location. They have many other locations around the island, but this was the first. I'm told the other locations aren't that great and some people even told me not to try it. But, I like trying the originals, and I have loved milk tea since the summer of 1992 so no harm in throwing down 30NT for one, right? When I mentioned to the local milk tea shop owner that I was going to Kaohsiung, he said I have to try Huada also, so that was definitely good enough for me! Located close to the Yangchengpu KMRT station and in a smaller road, remember to watch out for those scooters! They have a good variety of drinks, but I ordered the original milk tea. They shake it with ice so it's cold, but probably not cold enough for American standards. This milk tea is d
Read more

[Kaohsiung, Taiwan] - 查理布朗咖啡店 | Charlie Brown Café Taiwan

Image
I have been a huge fan of Snoopy for as long as I can remember (which is a long, long time). Having already been to one of the Charlie Brown Cafes in Hong Kong, I figured why not also go to the one in Kaohsiung? If you want to go, it's pretty easy. Kaohsiung has an MRT system like the one in Taipei. Take the red line to the Hanshin Arena KMRT stop and walk up Baoi Road 2nd to Baoi Road 3rd. You should see the Hanshin department store on the left. Just walk a few blocks and you'll see the Charlie Brown Cafe on the left side of the road (same side as the department store) with the cross street of Zhizhen Road. It's pretty hard to miss! If you're lucky, it's not too busy and Snoopy is available to join you for some afternoon coffee, tea, sparkly drinks, and/or snacks. Lemon mix blue curacao/檸檬藍柑氣泡飲 When I went to pay at the counter, I saw that there were these super cute waffles in the shape of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Woodstock. How often
Read more

[Taipei, Taiwan] - 富宏牛肉麵/Fuhong Beef Noodles

Image
This is currently my favorite beef noodle restaurant in Taipei. It was on my list for a while (like so many other places, but always so many places and so little time!). So what makes it so special in a city like Taipei? I judge by noodles, broth, and meat. Some people care about the location, cleanliness, and service also, but I'm willing to overlook most of that for a fantastic bowl. Which is exactly what this is, at Fuhong Beef Noodles. Incredibly simple, extremely beefy, and supremely hot and satisfying. For now, this is it for me. Of course, I intend to keep up the search because there are just too many shops there and I think unless I lived in Taipei and had nothing else to do, I wouldn't be able to get to every single beef noodle restaurant! Bowl of beef noodle soup (medium size) with some seaweed and pig ears Accoutrements:  辣牛油 or "spicy butter," 辣椒粉 or special chili sauce, 辣椒醬 another chili sauce, and pickled veggies As soon as I sat down I
Read more