Street food from night markets, bubble tea, and soup dumplings are some of the more famous food items that tourists will try in Taiwan. However, there is one that you can’t miss out on: braised pork belly with rice.
Suggested read: Hang Zhou Xiao Long Bao 杭州小籠湯包: Michelin-approved dumplings in Taipei
For a taste of local fare in the day, one of the best places to visit in Taichung is definitely the Taichung Second Market. The 100-year-old market is located on Sanmin Road and Taiwan Boulevard. It used to a place to buy expensive, extravagant merchandise during the Japanese colonial period.
Arguably, any food vendor you find here will give you a fantastic experience. However, Arashi Braised Minced Pork Shop, tucked away in one of the alleys, is definitely one of the most popular stalls.
It’s easy to miss the stall if you’re not paying attention, but you’ll definitely take notice that that the small stall is always crowded. Very crowded.
As the name suggests, Arashi Braised Minced Pork Shop makes a few signature dishes with their own Arashi sauce. This is a Taiwanese braised minced pork sauce that you can literally eat with anything, from rice to noodles and even just meatballs.
Between the three of us, we ordered and shared their best-selling dishes:
- Egg noodles
- Braised pork belly with rice
- Braised meatballs with rice
Not sure if you can tell from the photos but the portions are actually pretty small.
Every dish comes generously slathered with their braised minced pork sauce. It’s a little salty, but the flavour is balanced by the rice and noodles.
I’m not usually a fan of meatballs, but I did enjoy these ones served by Arashi Braised Minced Pork Shop. There were tender, chewy, without being dry and tough.
Although the bowl portions were not big, we realised that the minced meat can actually be quite filling. This is especially when you wolf it down with the starchy rice and noodles!
Is it worth visiting Arashi Braised Minced Pork Shop?
Touted by many locals as the best braised minced pork shop in Taichung, I could understand why the tiny stall constantly attracts long queues.
Other than the tasty dishes, another plus point is that the dishes are actually really very affordable. You can expect to pay between NT or TWD 40 to 70 per dish, which translates to about USD 1 – 2 only.
That means you could potentially order 5 – 6 dishes with just USD 10!
If you’re thinking about souvenirs that you buy back home, you can also consider getting jars of their braised minced pork belly sauce. However, do make sure that you’re allowed to bring meat-based items past your country’s immigration.
DIRECTIONS
Address: 400, Taiwan, Taichung City, Central District, Section 2, Sanmin Rd, 87號第二市場內36、37號
Opening Hours: 9.30am to 3pm (closed on Mondays)
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