Jinxiang Taiwanese Snacks: Lu Rou Fan and Pork Rib Soup Near Guang Hua Digital Plaza

I was back visiting Guang Hua Digital Plaza and Syntrend. Just a couple of weeks ago, I ate tacos and picked up a new camera (a great purchase, by the way; I’m very pleased with the results). On this visit, I was looking for headphones because my trusty Bluetooth headphones kept turning off several times a day. I thought maybe replacing the battery would fix them. Still, I couldn’t find anyone selling the small battery for the headphones, so I ended up picking up a new pair of Audio-Technica headphones.

That’s beside the point, though. While taking the Red Line MRT into Taipei from Tamsui, I looked up a little 小吃 shop I’d walked past many times: Jinxiang Taiwanese Snacks. The ratings were pretty good on Google Maps, and they had a lot of standard foods I don’t get often but do enjoy—lu rou fan, crispy pork rib soup, stir-fried veggies. So I stopped by before doing my shopping.

It’s a small shop. It has about 16-20 seats inside and another 8 in a covered outdoor area. The restaurant sits right between the Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT station and Guang Hua/Syntrend. It’s just a few steps from Torikin Ramen, too.

When I entered the restaurant, I waited for them to tell me where to sit, but I think this is the kind of restaurant where you can grab the order sheet up front and take any empty seat. You order by taking an order sheet and marking down the items and quantity you want. I used the Taiwan Table translation app, which is starting beta testing soon; it did a really nice job translating each item and providing a description and context for each dish. I went with the small lu rou fan (NT$40, US$1.23), crispy pork rib soup (NT$75, US$2.30), vegetables with a sauce (NT$45, US$1.38), and something I haven’t tried before: a smoked tofu skin dish (NT$45, US$1.38). As you can tell, the prices are very reasonable here. NT$205, or US$6.30 for four dishes, makes for a well-rounded and tasty lunch.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

The lu rou fan was quite sweet and salty. The small pieces of pork belly disintegrate in your mouth just like at Wang’s Broth. It comes with a little pork floss on top, which is dried pork that resembles brown cotton candy. It’s light and fluffy, but very dry. It blends in with the sauce; it’s a fine addition. There’s also a single slice of pickled radish, for a little vinegar punch. A tiny bit of history: apparently, lu rou fan was commonly served with this type of pickled radish, but many shops have stopped serving it, partly over concerns about the dyes and preservatives, and partly because so many people left it on the plate.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

The crispy pork rib soup was my favourite. It’s a light, very clear broth with fat floating on top. It’s quite salty, which I like, with a nice umami flavour. I think they coat the pork with sweet potato starch, fry it, then add it to the soup and boil it for a while. So the crispy pork and daikon leach their flavour into the soup. Despite being called crispy pork soup, the fried pork isn't crispy anymore; it comes out soft and tender. The daikon was also very soft, bordering on overcooked; it was just a step away from being very mushy. But the flavours are wonderful. The small bit of cilantro on top really rounds out everything, I love cilantro.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

The blanched water spinach was crunchy and pretty decent. The sauce on top has a strong soy flavour, but it’s surprisingly sweet. It really coats everything and becomes the dominant flavour. I’m a little torn; it was a bit too much for me. But the alternative on the menu is unseasoned blanched vegetables. So while that sounds healthier, I don’t know how I get on with blanched vegetables and no seasoning.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

Finally, the smoked tofu skin dish. The tofu skin was cut into strips, along with plenty of carrot cut similarly. A faint smell of smoke permeated the dish, but I wouldn’t call it very strong. At first, the tofu skin had a slightly plastic texture and, I thought, even the flavour reminded me a bit of plastic. That seemed to fade as I ate it; I think it may just be the texture of tofu skin. Still, this dish wasn't high on flavour punch; it was fine, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.

These shops are great: four dishes for only about US$6. It’s fun to try multiple things, and there are plenty of choices, though nothing on the same level as a 熱炒 with over 100 dishes to choose from. It is a nice happy medium: dishes come out quickly, it’s affordable, and it's delicious overall. Look for 小吃 restaurants when you’re in Taiwan.