Taichung Retro Diner TJB!: The Dreamy Flavors of Yangzhou Fried Rice & Shrimp Spring Roll

Text & Photos byGui Xiaosun

There’s truly an endless amount of food to try on Taichung’s Gongyi Road, so this street gets crowded with cars and people on weekends—it’s hard to find parking too, XD. But the restaurants here are perfect for family outings or bringing along the elders. So if you have a specific place in mind, remember to make a reservation in advance. This new spot, ‘TJB Diner,’ just opened recently, and I totally missed their opening promotion of 50% off. I finally made time to check it out not long ago.

It was the long-awaited rainy season these days, with rain falling continuously for several days... Unable to go out and play, we naturally decided to enjoy some great food instead, XD. We wandered over to Gongyi Road and came to this ‘TJB Diner’ for a meal. We’re big fans of Hong Kong-style diners, so we had already bookmarked it and were waiting for the right time to visit. We arrived early, around 5 PM. To our surprise, there were still quite a few people enjoying their ‘afternoon tea’?! Actually, having dinner a bit earlier on weekends is a smart move sometimes—gives you time to digest that big meal, and somehow the guilt feels a little lighter, XD.

As we stepped inside, the design was quite nice. The first floor isn’t as large as I’d imagined, but the ambiance really gave off that relaxing vibe of a classic Hong Kong-style diner where friends can sit and chat. The tables are mostly set for around four people, which works well whether you’re a couple or a small family. I also really liked the paintings on the walls—they added a strong traditional Chinese feel to the space.

This ‘TJB Diner’ is from Taipei, and they also have a clothing brand called TheJeansBar, which has a store at Zhongyou. As soon as we sat down, I noticed the placemat, which even had cute little designs showing where the plate, spoon, chopsticks, and coaster should go. The menu prices were about what we expected, and you can even upgrade your main dish for an additional charge. We only ordered a few light items this time, and it turned out to be the perfect amount—we were full but not overstuffed, XD.

While waiting for our food, we wandered around the restaurant a bit. The staff were all very friendly, polite, and courteous. The place had a retro vibe, with a strong atmosphere reminiscent of a traditional Hong Kong tea house. The black wooden cabinets and green paneling near the entrance immediately caught the eye with the prominent sign for ‘Diner.’ The floor tiles and simple yet well-matched chairs all contributed to that classic Hong Kong teahouse charm. Often, taking a closer look at the little details in your surroundings can reveal a lot of interesting things.

Hey, here comes our dinner!

One dish we spotted immediately and knew we had to order: the Yangzhou Fried Rice. The moment it was served, the aroma hit us, and the first thing we noticed was how each grain of rice was perfectly separated. It was exactly the kind of fried rice texture we love. With shrimp, Chinese cured meat, and chopped scallions, the flavor was simple—and honestly, we’d even say it wasn’t too salty. It made you want to keep eating bite after bite, and it wasn’t greasy at all. You could also taste shredded cabbage mixed in, adding a refreshing and delicious crunch.

We’re huge fans of fried rice with clearly defined grains, and we especially love that subtle hint of scallion fragrance. This Yangzhou Fried Rice was right up our alley. The more we ate, the better it tasted.

For an extra 100 NT upgrading your main dish to a combo, you can choose any drink for 90 NT (price difference applies if needed) and get to pick one from crispy pineapple buns, ice-fire pineapple buns, or butter pork buns. We went with our favorite—the ice-fire pineapple bun. The hot, fluffy pineapple bun filled with butter was absolutely divine. Watching the butter slowly melt into the hot pineapple bread inside... it was seriously addictive. Anyone who’s tried it will understand that mix of hot and cold, crispy and tender, all with the aroma of butter—just thinking about it makes your mouth water again, XD.

It’s actually really wonderful when two people have similar tastes. We tend to like the same kinds of food, and even when it comes to Hong Kong-style teahouse cuisine, we usually want to order the same dim sum, rice, or noodle dishes. Take this ‘Soy Sauce Spare Ribs’ for example—we always want to order it together. Back when we went to all-you-can-eat buffets, we’d even get several servings to share slowly. Maybe it’s because we both love spare ribs but prefer ones with less meat. We like the texture with cartilage and leaner cuts, XD.

These soy sauce spare ribs felt pretty familiar (though to be honest, most soy sauce spare ribs do taste somewhat similar, XD). The flavor was fresh, with a subtle fermented black bean aroma. The meat wasn’t dry at all and was actually quite juicy. And of course, there were those cartilage pieces we love—the satisfying crunch with every bite was so good, XD.

For drinks with the set meal, we chose milk tea with coffee (Yuan Yang) and also ordered a lemon tea. The lemon tea had a whole lemon in it, with a strong tea flavor. It was a bit sweet, but it paired really well with the meal. The other drink, Yuan Yang, is coffee mixed with milk tea. You could taste the coffee, and the milk tea was mild and quite pleasant—though it did have a bit of sweetness.

Then, while I was busy taking photos, I caught the highlight moment—my friend had already started digging into the ice-fire pineapple bun. @@ ... You can tell how much they wanted it and how good it was, XD.

This was the ‘Shrimp Spring Roll’ from the larger portion section. As you’d expect, it’s one of my personal favorites. Whenever I see shrimp or seafood, I can’t resist. This dish took a while to come out, but when it did, it was steaming hot—even a bit too hot to handle, XD.

We absolutely loved this one. To be honest, I’m not always the biggest fan of shrimp, but even my friend couldn’t resist having a second one after the first bite. The fried bean curd skin was crispy and flaky, and when you bit into it, the crunch gave way to a tender filling. A quick reminder: be careful, it’s super hot, XD. Inside, there were shrimp and veggies, so the flavor wasn’t overly salty or greasy. It was so good we wanted to order it again. Huge recommendation for this dish.

There are really more and more restaurants popping up on Gongyi Road—I probably haven’t even tried them all yet, XD. This time, after trying out ‘TJB Diner,’ I wanted to share it with everyone. Fans of Hong Kong-style diners, take note. Also, on June 8th, ‘TJB Diner’ is opening a new branch in Taoyuan—folks nearby can go check it out too.

TJB Diner:
No. 168, Section 2, Gongyi Road, Taichung City
04 2320 9732
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