He Ji Fool's Noodles

Review

He Ji Fool's Noodles is at No. 119 Taiping Road in Taichung's North District, beside the Yizhong shopping area. It used to be called Dong Ji, moved from Taiping Road to Yucai North Street, then returned to Taiping Road at the end of 2021; the current shop is slightly smaller than the old one but looks much the same inside. Many Taichung First High School alumni have eaten here from their school days into working life. On weekdays the customers are mostly students, while weekends bring tourists and families. The name "fool's noodles" comes from a Taiwanese pun that simply means cooking up a bowl of noodles.

The noodles are served dry without minced pork, just scallions and two pork balls in a small bowl, and diners add soy sauce, black vinegar and chili themselves from the table. One blogger's formula is two and a half circles each of soy sauce and black vinegar, plus a spoonful of chili if you like heat, and staff will remind first-timers how to do it. The noodles are soft yet springy and plainly seasoned, which is exactly where the nostalgia comes from. The signature tofu is century egg tofu with chili bean paste and cucumber, eaten as is or mixed together, and the radish and fish ball soup has soft, well-stewed radish in a clear, sweet broth. The preserved mustard braised pork rice costs about NT$100 and comes with a braised duck egg, a pork ball and bamboo shoots.

Most write-ups praise it as cheap, quick and easy to eat often; they differ on the details. Some find the braised pork tender with a good fat-to-lean balance, while others say the lean meat is dry and the portion small. Some call the century egg tofu refreshing, others admit it looks plain once mixed, and the fish balls are described as unremarkable. The small bowl has risen to about NT$50 from earlier prices, which long-time customers lament.

Hours are roughly 10:30 to 19:30, and recent articles list it as open daily with no closing day mentioned, so check before you go. Soup is self-serve and the blanched greens change with the seasons. On seating, sources disagree: one says the shop is small and full at peak times, another says there are plenty of seats and tables turn over fast. At peak hours even scooter parking is hard to find.

It suits anyone after a simple, nostalgic student-style bowl of noodles, or visitors wanting a quick bite while exploring the Yizhong area. Order fool's noodles with the signature tofu and radish soup, and add extra black vinegar to cut the richness; bigger appetites can add the braised pork rice.