What to eat in Chiayi? Grapefruit green tea with pulp and Lin Congming’s Clay Pot Fish Head

Text and photos by /Three Highs Eats Han

Lin Congming Royal Aroma House, a well-known drink shop in Chiayi. Last time I came here, I gave up because it was hard to find parking nearby. This time, I was determined to try it and it didn’t disappoint~ (Should I... clench my fist now?)

For the first meal of the evening, I went to Lin Congming’s Guanghua branch. Actually, I had tried their home delivery from a company group purchase before—the taste was a bit oily and overly sweet, but eating it in moderation was okay. It was more for record-keeping and nostalgia; I probably won’t get to eat there much in the future~

Currently, Lin Congming Royal Aroma House only has this flagship store in Chiayi City. There were quite a few people buying drinks, and I had to wait in line for a number for a while. I heard they plan to open several franchise stores in central and southern Taiwan counties and cities in the future.

There aren’t many types of drinks, but I heard they focus on quality over quantity. The ingredients are said to be carefully selected, often using fresh, seasonal fruits from various regions. It reminds me of the frequent food safety incidents these days—many problematic items we can’t even taste or necessarily understand. If Royal Aroma House really does prioritize quality as they claim, then for both taste and safety, at least they have conscience and effort.

The Red Diamond grapefruit green tea isn’t available this season—it’s only sold from around May to October—so I bought the regular version of grapefruit green tea (NT$60) and a Lemon Roselle (NT$45) for the J-girl.

I rarely drink sweet bubble tea in daily life, though I make an exception when traveling. I usually order drinks with very little to half sugar. Even though they’re so busy, the staff’s attitude didn’t worsen because of that. This grapefruit green tea even had a preserved plum added inside for me~

I think many people trying it for the first time, like me, would think of the word “genuine ingredients.” About half the cup was filled with tart, slightly bitter, and crispy grapefruit pulp. The preserved plum added a nice salty-sweet touch, making me drink several sips before stopping. The other lemon roselle drink was also good—the taste felt natural. The shop said they used roselle from Taitung. Anyway, I think I’ll definitely come back next time I’m in Chiayi.

The evening temperature wasn’t really cool. I had originally planned to eat some fried eel noodles from Ah Ji nearby, but when I got there, they were already packing up. I guess I left too late. That little dampened my mood for the evening—I wasn’t sure what to eat. I wanted some of the “cold side dishes” from Chiayi’s mixed meat platters, but Lin Congming was sold out. Later, when I went to the Wenhua Road Night Market to try stewed meats, they were gone too. Even the Ah E Tofu Pudding I wanted to grab was sold out.

But at least Lin Congming still had the last serving of fish and veggies left for me—a bowl that was still relatively warm, with fried silver carp, Chinese cabbage, fried tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms, and tofu...

The soup with added satay had a layer of oil on top, the seasoning was a bit sweet with a mild spicy kick. Maybe it tastes better when it’s colder outside. The silver carp still had a slight earthy taste—I actually prefer the cabbage, tofu skin, and other sides. There’s also another place in Chiayi called Beimen Clay Pot Fish Head, but I’ve got so many other small eats lined up, I’m not sure if I’ll get the chance to try it.

I ordered a bowl of turkey rice to go with it. It had a relatively light flavor—it wasn’t bad, but it felt a bit characterless. During this trip to Chiayi, aside from this turkey rice, I only had Dongmen Chicken Rice. Personally, I thought the Dongmen one was better.

The side dish of pig intestines didn’t meet my expectations, and it was a bit pricey. After finishing at Lin Congming, I headed to the Wenhua Road Night Market to check out the next stall~

Lin Congming Royal Aroma House
No. 321, Zhongshan Road, West District, Chiayi City
AM10:00–PM10:00 (Irregular holidays)

Lin Congming Clay Pot Fish Head (Guanghua Branch)
No. 122, Guanghua Road, Chiayi City
PM 3:00 – PM 11:00 (Until sold out)

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