Ye Ye Jian Lai Omurice

Review

Ye Ye Jian Lai Omurice sits at No. 200-1 Zhongxiao Road in Taichung's South District, in the middle of Zhongxiao Night Market near the City God Temple. A travel site describes how it grew from a street cart into today's large shop, and a food blogger lists it among the market's popular queue spots. It is a familiar dinner and late-night stop for nearby residents and students.

The signature is omurice, ketchup fried rice wrapped in an omelette. A blogger records the headline shrimp omurice at NT$110, with onion, corn and shrimp in the rice, a golden egg, a strong tomato aroma and plump, springy shrimp. Another frequent order is the stir-fried noodles with eel, NT$100, with fresh eel and noodles that soak up the sauce. The menu also covers noodle soups, greens, soups, cold plates and all kinds of Taiwanese stir-fries, and a travel site mentions Japanese sushi and sashimi as well.

Fans praise the large portions and fair prices, calling it filling, comforting home-style food, and note that it stays busy late into the night. Critics find the flavours middle-of-the-road rather than memorable, and some have had fried rice that was too wet and not stir-fried dry enough; there are queues at peak times, and the restroom is cramped.

According to the blogger and online maps, it opens daily from about 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. with no fixed closing day, but it is still worth checking before you go. Both dine-in and takeaway are busy at mealtimes and waits are longer at weekends, so arrive before 5 p.m. or after 8 p.m. to queue less. Inside are wooden tables and red plastic stools, turnover is quick and staff are friendly; parking around the market is hard, so come by scooter or on foot.

Good for anyone who wants to sit down to a hot plate of rice at the night market, or a few friends sharing stir-fries with rice. First-timers should order the shrimp omurice and share a plate of eel stir-fried noodles; mixing the table chili sauce into the rice adds depth. Expect to spend about NT$100 to a little over NT$200 per person.