A Battle of Traditional Tainan Snacks: Pig’s Heart vs. Beef Soup — Which Will You Choose Tonight?

Text & Photos bySan Gao Eats Han

Many of Tainan’s delicious traditional snacks are mostly available in the morning. By evening, you need to pay attention to opening hours, as some places sell out by closing time if you go too late. After previously trying Ah Ming and Da Pang’s pig’s heart, this time I went to check out Big Bro Ah Wen’s version for a comparison, then headed to the nearby Fucheng Beef Soup — a place that surprisingly won me over.

Ah Wen’s Pig’s Heart is located on Dazhi Street, a rather lonely-looking little shop. Like Ah Ming, there’s no menu — just order whatever you feel like. This meal was fairly restrained, but I did manage to snag the last serving of brain soup, along with pig’s heart glass noodles, dried kidney, and garlic-flavored pig’s trotters. The portion wasn’t huge, but my cholesterol levels definitely soared again.

The flavor at Ah Wen’s is quite similar to Ah Ming’s, and the pricing — well, the feel when paying is also pretty alike. These kinds of shops aren’t meant for filling you up, but are great for an occasional treat. Eating them too often might get tiring. I started with a bite of the crispy kidney — rich and without any off-putting taste.

The boiled leg meat, sliced with garlic just like at Ah Ming, had a spicy kick and good flavor, plus a tender texture. My impression remains the same as before: I’d prefer it if it were from the pure mid-section, slightly chewy, with this seasoning — that would be even better. But the meat really pairs well with rice; I probably should’ve ordered a bowl of plain rice to go with it.

I only had a few slices of the pig’s heart glass noodles — the lady next to me had most of it. It was okay. In the end, I finished with a bowl of brain soup to nourish my own brain. There was a surprisingly large amount of pig brain in the soup — more than I’ve ever had before. Did the boss think I really needed a brain boost? (Reminder: this dish is super high in cholesterol!)

When I arrived near Fucheng Beef Soup, I saw a crowd queuing up. Curious, I went over to check it out — turns out it was the old shop Dou Nai Zong. Unfortunately, it didn’t appeal to me, so I focused on eating meat and drinking soup instead.

All I knew was that Fucheng Beef Soup was on my must-try list, though I hadn’t done any specific research. When I saw how big the shop was, I thought I had walked into a seafood stir-fry joint. It wasn’t until I got home after the meal that I learned their beef rice with meat sauce is apparently quite well-rated — too bad I didn’t try it.

Fucheng Beef Soup serves late-night meals, and I heard the beef is even delivered by taxi. As for the beef soup itself — it’s hard to describe, as it doesn’t have any particularly standout features. The broth is relatively sweet and clear, but I happen to like that. The fatty-edged beef slices added a layer of oily sweetness to the whole bowl. The texture of the meat I had that day was quite good — tender yet with a slight springy bite.

I also ordered a bowl of beef offal soup, which had some basil and scallions in it — perhaps meant to balance the flavors. Although the taste was familiar and pleasant, it wasn’t quite what I was craving.

The portion of beef offal was actually quite generous, which made for a satisfying meal, especially when dipped in a bit of fermented broad bean paste. The texture was quite elastic. I also had a side of sesame oil-fried beef liver — a bit greasy but very fragrant. Both stalls from tonight were great finds.

Ah Wen’s Pig’s Heart
Address: No. 92-1, Dazhi Street, West Central District, Tainan City
Business Hours: 4:00 PM – 12:00 AM (until sold out, irregular hours)

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