I’ve heard so much about Taipei’s Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan (金峰魯肉飯) near Zhongshan station from my fellow Singaporean friends, and I definitely wasn’t going to miss out dining at this quaint neighbourhood joint on my first trip to Taiwan.
I arrived at the post-breakfast, pre-lunch block of time when there was no queue. Still, the place was no ghost town as it was already packed with hungry diners at various tables. Thankfully, we were quickly shown to our seats at a shared table with a couple of friendly Singaporeans who gave us their recommendations for the must-tries on the menu.
This slice of Braised Pork Belly (TWD$35, approx. S$1.58) was melt-in-your-mouth heavenly. Don’t let the fatty parts scare you though – it tastes superbly well balanced when eaten with the leaner parts of meat, and the pork is so soft, that it melts in your mouth. Forget the calories, this is worth it!
The Pork Soup (TWD50, approx. S$2.26) was really comforting on a chilly morning. The thick soup wasn’t too starchy and was flavourful. It came along with generous chunks of soft pork, mushrooms and bamboo shoots, topped with cilantro. This soup worked really well with the noodles to give it more depth of flavour.
The Dry Noodles (TWD30, approx. S$1.35) featured springy egg noodles, bean sprouts and braised meat. If you prefer having noodles to rice, I’d suggest going for this dish.
The one drawback though, is that the noodles tend to get congealed quite quickly, so do order this with a portion of pork soup. A couple spoonfuls of the hot soup should be able to loosen the noodles up so you can mix up the dish before chowing it down.
I ordered a large portion of Braised Pork Rice (TWD50, S$2.26) with an additional Braised Egg (TWD15, approx. S$0.68). The bowl came with perfectly cooked white rice, topped with a generous portion of braised pork and a piece pickled radish at the side.
The pork was a balance of fatty and lean meats, and the fatty bits melted nicely into the piping hot rice making it even more fragrant. The richness of the dish was evened out by the pickled radish and before I knew it, I had wolfed down the entire portion by myself!
Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan has definitely lived up to its hype from locals and Singaporeans alike. If you’re around Taipei, I highly recommend coming down to this place for a meal, because you definitely won’t find any braised pork rice dishes comparable to Jin Feng’s back in Singapore.
Be prepared for queues especially during lunchtime and come hungry. I am already looking forward to my next trip back to get my braised pork rice fix!
Expected Damage: TWD30 – 50 per pax (approx. S$1.35 – S$2.26)
