Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice

Review

Jin Feng sits on Roosevelt Road Section 1, right beside Nanmen Market and a few minutes from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station. A 2018 report said it had been open for over thirty years and went through about 240 kg of rice a day. It has long been a lunch and late-night spot for old Taipei residents, and is now a regular on foreign visitors' lists too.

The pork is pork belly cut into strips and slowly braised with more than ten seasonings and several soy sauces, so fat and lean alternate in a sweet-salty sauce that soaks into the rice. The soups are popular too: the bitter melon rib soup is light, and the pork thick soup uses handmade pork paste. Prices in the 2018 report were NT$30, 40 and 50 for small, medium and large rice, NT$60 for bitter melon rib soup and NT$50 for pork thick soup; they may have changed, so check on site.

Fans say the pork melts in the mouth, the sauce is fragrant, the greens and braised eggs are good, and the food is cheap and quick. Detractors find it oily and ordinary, more famous than great, and some mention small tables, slightly greasy surfaces, and crowding at peak times.

Sources disagree on hours: an older report said 8 a.m. to 1 a.m., while recent listings show 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday, until 11 p.m. on Sunday, and closed Monday, so confirm before going. Lunch and late-night hours are busy; one diner beat the crowd by arriving right at 11. Parking is hard, so the MRT is easiest.

It suits travelers on a budget who want real Taiwanese comfort food, and anyone hungry late at night. A good first order is a medium braised pork rice, a bitter melon rib soup and a plate of blanched greens; fans of bold flavors can add a braised egg.