Layer upon layer of shredded cabbage with grilled pork — Kaohsiung’s late-night session of plump, juicy grilled pork egg crepes

Text & Photos /Shadow

Most breakfast shops usually open in the morning, but this one actually has two operating periods, offering not only breakfast but also a late-night menu. This is Zhongnanhai Soy Milk Shop located in Gushan District. It was closed for a while before reopening. I had seen an online review about it a long time ago and had always wanted to try it. It wasn’t until my last visit to the newly opened Black Dog Cafe that I finally spotted this place. I immediately jotted it down and planned to come back for a late-night meal.

We came for late-night eats, but it seems we arrived a bit early and ended up having dinner instead. The owner explained that the place gets livelier the later it gets, with most regulars showing up around 10 PM. No wonder when we came at around 7:30 PM, there weren’t many diners—just a few takeout customers, most likely students from nearby National Sun Yat-sen University.

Turns out this shop was once featured on “Foodie Paradise.” Back then, it was the Tomato Brothers who came to introduce it. As for Shadow, I don’t know much about this place, only that students quite recommend this breakfast shop. As for why it closed for a period and then reopened, that remains a mystery.

There were so many items on the menu that we didn’t know what to choose at first. The grilled pork egg crepe is the shop’s specialty, so we ordered one. Curious about what a Zhongnanhai egg crepe is, we also ordered one to try. We asked the owner why they named the shop “Zhongnanhai,” and she said that back then not many people used the name, and it was chosen simply because it was easy to remember and rarely used.

Stir-fried radish cake with egg – NT$35
The stir-fried radish cake with egg was rather ordinary. The flavor was nothing special and didn’t have any standout qualities. Stir-fried with the egg, it didn’t bring out the aroma of the eggs, which was a pity.

The radish cake itself didn’t have much taste, though a bit of the shop’s homemade soy sauce added some flavor.

Zhongnanhai egg crepe – NT$30
It turned out to be a vegetable egg crepe. The crepe skin wasn’t handmade but rather mass-produced factory-made crepe skin, which was a bit of a letdown as we had hoped for a handmade one.

Inside was simply some vegetables, eggs, and the crepe skin. Without the dipping sauce, the flavor was rather plain, which might not suit those who prefer stronger tastes.

Grilled pork salad egg crepe – NT$40
We pinned our hopes on the grilled pork egg crepe. The plump, juicy grilled pork salad egg crepe had already been cut into several pieces for easy eating.

With grilled pork, a generous amount of shredded cabbage, and a drizzle of salad dressing, the overall flavor of the crepe was pretty good. No wonder it’s so popular with students—the grilled pork egg crepe is truly the shop’s signature dish.

Iced black tea – NT$20 (large), Hot soy milk – NT$15
The black tea wasn’t overly sweet and had a decent tea flavor—pretty nice to drink. The hot soy milk had a balanced sweetness, not cloyingly sweet like some street vendors’, and had a strong bean flavor. The soy milk was delicious.

There’s a corner in the shop with homemade sauces provided by the owner, and we used some to dip the radish cake.

From our experience, this shop is actually quite similar to a typical Chinese-style breakfast spot. Though the grilled pork egg crepe tasted good, it’s not something you’d necessarily go out of your way for. Of course, staying open until the wee hours is a unique feature, and perhaps it’s the nearby students’ love for late-night snacks that made the shop famous. A breakfast shop that doubles as a late-night diner—if you’re passing by, it’s worth a try. That sums up our dining experience—sharing it with everyone.

Address: No. 28, Jiexing 2nd St., Gushan District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-5312146
Business Hours: 07:00–11:00, 19:00–01:00
 

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