Lequn Handmade Vermicelli

Review

Lequn Handmade Vermicelli is a small stall at the Lequn Street entrance to the Fifth Market. Business Today reported that the owner, Mr. Liao, started on Meicun Road in 1987 and moved to Lequn Street two years later, and has been at it for over thirty years; on opening days he begins prepping at 4:30 a.m., washing oysters, cleaning and braising the intestines and marinating the pork for the meat potage himself. It opens only four days a week, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, making it the market's famous limited-edition breakfast.

The noodles are handmade and only lightly thickened, so the texture is clean and springy rather than mushy; a bowl is about a medium paper cup. Toppings are pork intestine, meat potage and oysters, ordered as intestine-and-pork, intestine-and-oyster, oyster-and-pork, mixed or plain; in 2023 a mixed bowl cost NT$60. It is finished with a dark braising sauce fragrant with fried shallots and fresh basil to cut the richness, with chili sauce for those who like heat; stir the sauce in before eating.

Reports and diners praise the generous toppings, plump oysters and sweet broth, with the basil making the whole bowl fresher. The owner himself is modest, saying it is just okay and down to personal taste. The main complaints are that the chili sauce overpowers everything and that the wait is long.

Queues are the norm; one writer said they had never seen the end of the line. Regulars often take away five or six bowls at once, and ten or more is not unusual, so the line moves slowly and a half-hour wait is common. Sales start around 7 a.m. and stop when it sells out, usually around 12:30 p.m. Sources differ slightly on times (opening at 7:00 or 7:30, closing between 1:00 and 1:30), so go by what you find on site. Seating is minimal; it is mainly takeaway.

It suits anyone exploring the Fifth Market early who wants a hot Taiwanese breakfast. First-timers should order the mixed bowl to get intestine, meat potage and oysters together; try a little chili sauce first, avoid Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the earlier you arrive, the shorter the wait.