Jin Feng (金峰) is a very popular hole-in-the-wall restaurant easily recognized by the long line(s) that form outside, as well as the aroma of braised pork that permeates the surrounding area. It’s one of the most popular places for a famous Taiwanese dish known as Lu Rou Fan (魯肉飯) or braised pork rice.
I arrived there on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, and the wait time for two was just 10 minutes if you don’t mind sharing a table. They also offer to-go ordering at the front. On hot days, a cooling spray of mist relieves customers standing in line.
A waiter will shout from inside in Mandarin Chinese, “how many!?” - so pay attention! A simple gesture with your fingers should suffice, followed by yelling from within to come in and sit at a table just cleared.
I’ll admit, its a bit awkward to suddenly arrive and sit face to face next to someone busy stuffing their face with delicious noodles, savory rice dishes, and braised beef – but the service is fast, so the awkwardness ends when you join in the fray.
Like most informal places to eat, I advise you find the nearest tissue dispensary (and grab a few) before chowing down. It’s likely to get fast and furious when they place the food in front of you and run off to help the next customer find a seat.
The menu is a simple check-list, paper based – completely in Chinese. Its the same list shown at the front of the restaurant so even if you just sat down, you have a pretty good idea what you want, the price you pay, and can make quick work filling out the order sheet.
After our order was placed, the food came out in about 1-2 minutes. Everything was ready to go, making a fast and efficient operation.
From our order of 5 items, the Braised Pork Rice arrived first, followed by a popular accompanying tofu dish. It was came hot off the pan, with perfectly cooked rice and doused with the right amount of salty, sweet, fatty marinade topped by the braised pork and cubed radish on the side. The sauce was thin with the right amount of fat, and finely chopped shiitake mushrooms. The pork tasted top notch, with a decent amount of delicious fatty pieces. I felt the pork to rice ratio was a little slim, but appropriate given how little seemed to go so far with the rice.
I can’t say its the best Braised Pork Rice I’ve ever had, but its definitely the best I’ve had so far in Taipei. I’m definitely coming back, and recommend you drop by for a taste too.
