Snack shop next to Keelung’s Ren’ai Market serves dry noodles fragrant with meat sauce and satay!

Text/Photos byXiaohu’s Food Dream Net

In recent years, people who know me might think I’m from Banqiao, but I’m actually a native of Keelung. Even though I have many complaints about Keelung (mostly about local governance), I have even more nostalgia—especially when it comes to flavors. A while back, Xiaohu’s Foodie Group hosted an event that unexpectedly shot this article to the top of search rankings for quite some time. Someone asked me if there were any regrets or omissions in the article. Of course there were, and this place was one of them, but...

Funny enough, ever since that foodie group event, I’ve rarely had the chance to return to Keelung. I go back far less often than I visit Japan. Yet, for some reason, I ended up not being able to eat here three or four times in a row (it was closed), which is why it took me three whole years to finally come back and try it.

The other day, I was just back in Keelung running some errands and happened to walk by. To my surprise, it was open. Overjoyed, I stepped into the shop, but something felt a little different—though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what. It was just a feeling, you know?

Though it’s a small shop near Ren’ai Market, it has air conditioning and is generally quite clean. A well-behaved little boy in the shop takes orders. These days, it’s rare to see kids willing to help out at home, though I’m not entirely sure if he was “coaxed or bribed” XD. Anyway, his cheerful face is pretty adorable.

After glancing at the menu on the wall—somewhat familiar yet a little unfamiliar—I ordered “satay noodles” and a few pork slices and offal dishes I couldn’t quite recall having tried before.

When I was a kid and didn’t have much money but wanted pork slices and offal with noodles, I’d usually order “pig lungs.” If I had more cash, I’d go for “pig heart.” When trying to act cool like the adults, I’d order “soft tubes” or “hard tubes,” which I actually didn’t like. As an adult, I almost always end up ordering “pork large intestine” and “pork mouth meat.”

The pork intestine soup—if I may add “pickled vegetables” to the name—had a broth somewhat similar to Taipei’s milder pig blood soup. To be honest, it was quite good, though I’m not entirely sure if I’d had it before. The intestines were also washed very clean, with no off-putting smell. Most importantly, they hadn’t washed away all the fat, so the texture was soft on the outside, tender on the inside, with a slight melt-in-your-mouth feel that was awesome. The unique sweetness of the intestines was just right—it was really delicious.

Alright, now the main highlight arrived. Though the scent jogged some memories, it felt a bit jumbled. Yet, just by looking at it, I couldn’t figure out what was different.

The first bite told me that this long-craved flavor seemed a little less intense, but it was still undeniably delicious—especially the satay aroma mixed with the meat sauce, which was particularly enchanting. This flavor is something I seldom encounter in Taipei. But the texture told a completely different story; it reminded me of “Liulangtou’s” Shantou fried noodles. Only after finishing the bowl did I suddenly realize what was different... “Wasn’t it from Kong Xiaobao? Back then, I used to eat it at the old store, which had a certain intensity of spiciness. Maybe it’s because the noodles here are a bit different. Perhaps it’s mainly due to the unique sweetness of the offal and the slightly thicker sauce.” That theory doesn’t quite hold, though. Honestly, I just felt it wasn’t quite the same.

Keelung Shantou Satay Pork Noodles
Address: No. 21, Ai Yi Road, Ren’ai District, Keelung City
Phone: 02 2427 7405
Business Hours: 11:00–21:00 (Closed on Sundays)

"Xiaohu’s Food Dream Net
If “eating” is just about filling your stomach, then “food” would be far too boring~~~"