Houzhuang Old Shop Braised Pork & Pork Chop Rice

Review

Houzhuang Old Shop Braised Pork & Pork Chop Rice sits at the corner of Zhongqing Road and Houzhuang Road in Beitun, a long-standing stall that many people around Shuinan have eaten at since childhood; accounts of its age range from thirty to fifty years. Business is brisk day and night, and it stays open until 2:30 a.m., making it a familiar late-night stop for Beitun's night owls.

The signature braised pork chop is fried and then braised, thick and tender, with a fragrant sauce that is not too salty; two bloggers both rate the pork chop rice above the braised pork rice. The braised pork belly arrives on a bamboo skewer so it stays intact, with gelatinous fat and soft but slightly stringy lean, served with fried tofu and greens; one writer is not fond of the braising sauce and suggests adding spicy preserved radish. The freshly stir-fried preserved radish with chili is fragrant, spicy and great with rice, and often sells out quickly. The mixed soup (NT$40) has large intestine, pig blood, fried tofu, white radish and pork balls, with a light pickled-cabbage aroma.

Praise centres on the well-seasoned pork chop, the punchy radish and chili, and the late hours. The main complaint is rising prices: braised pork rice has gone from NT$65 a few years ago to NT$90, and pork chop rice is about NT$100, which some feel is no longer cheap. It is also said that different people run the day and night shifts, so the taste may vary slightly.

Expect a queue at mealtimes; going off-peak cuts the wait. By day the seating is only under the arcade, and the indoor room opens in the evening. Parking nearby is difficult, so park along Zhongqing Road and walk over. Sources disagree on opening sessions (some list lunch and evening with Sunday evenings only, others evenings only), so check before you go.

It suits anyone after a late-night Taiwanese rice plate: order the pork chop rice with a mixed soup and a side of stir-fried preserved radish with chili.