Changhua’s Classic Snacks: The Perfect Combo of Savory Pork Fried Rice and Wanggong Oyster Soup

Text & Photos bySan Gao Chi Han

It’s been over half a year since my last trip to Changhua City & Yuanlin. This time, our two-day, one-night adventure is all about the ubike tour. Riding an ubike around the city with mobile navigation makes eating and exploring super convenient (though my phone battery drains super fast...), and tonight’s first stop is at Oyster Ren to try their pork fried rice — a great start to the trip~

I’ve passed by Oyster Ren many times — it’s a well-known spot in the city area. Finally got the chance to try it. After this ubike trip, I’m convinced that biking is the way to go when visiting Changhua in the future. Driving and finding parking is just too much hassle. Oyster Ren doesn’t use a ordering slip system; you just order directly, but there aren’t many side dishes, and they sell out pretty quickly...

The pork fried rice here uses skin-on pork belly cubes, varying in size and chopped somewhat irregularly and casually. They melt in your mouth without any greasy or off-putting flavors, and the texture can even hold its own compared to the famous pork fried rice from Tainan.

But the flavor is quite different. In southern regions like Tainan, the dish might have a deeper soy sauce flavor or a sweet touch from rock sugar. This bowl from Oyster Ren is saltier and more savory than sweet, but it also doesn’t have the herbal-spiced aroma you often get from pork fried rice with diced pork belly in Taipei. It’s familiar, but I couldn’t place it at first. Then it suddenly hit me — it reminded me of the aroma from the Song Fa Bak Kut Teh spice pack a friend once gave me. That’s what this tastes like, doesn’t it? Anyway, I found it appetizing, rice-friendly, and delicious.

The blanched sweet potato leaves are also drizzled with fragrant pork fried rice, and the leaves are quite tender~

The side dishes — tomato and egg, and cabbage stew — cost just 20 NT each, and the taste isn’t bad either~

A bowl of oysters for 70 NT comes with plenty of small, pearl-like oysters from Wanggong. They’re bouncy on the surface and full of flavor. You can definitely enjoy tasty oysters even in the city area. After finishing the first stop, it’s time to hop back on the bike and keep going!

Oyster Ya Ren – Pork Fried Rice
Address: No. 234, Huashan Road, Changhua City
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

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