Let's dig in with Jingbian: The Sinfully Delicious Black Gold Braised Pork Rice of Huaxi Street

Located next to Longshan Temple in Taipei’s Wanhua District, Huaxi Street has long been a beloved food hub for locals. It was once home to the world-famous snake soup, and also boasts many ultra-authentic street snacks. This traditional braised pork rice eatery even earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation this year. Today, let’s enjoy a meal here with readers and Jingbian alike!

Little Wang’s Stewed Melon is located on Huaxi Street in Wanhua, near Xiyuan Road. Established in 1975, this old-school eatery has been delighting Wanhua locals for nearly 45 years, and is especially renowned among foodies for its “sinful” black gold braised pork rice and clear melon meat soup.

When Jingbian arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon, the place was still bustling with people, and many were getting takeout. Apparently, the original shop was smaller, but after a renovation, the space expanded significantly, offering plenty of seating, a brighter atmosphere, and a cleaner dining environment.

Little Wang’s Stewed Melon is known for its black gold braised pork rice and clear melon meat soup, as well as its tempting pork belly rice and fresh fish soup. There are also various side dishes such as cabbage stew, shredded bamboo shoots, sweet potato leaves, fried tofu, and braised duck eggs. The options aren’t numerous, but they’re all classic, traditional Taiwanese street food staples.

Unfortunately, Jingbian isn’t a fan of melon meat soup, so she opted for braised pork rice, pork belly rice, fresh fish soup, along with cabbage stew and fried tofu. The table was filled with a generous spread. Of course, traditional snacks come at friendly prices — the whole meal for two cost just NT$250, and that’s only because they ordered the slightly pricier fresh fish soup.