Tender and crispy red-braised pork with refreshing Spanish mackerel rice noodles – a late-night eatery with lines stretching to the street

▲Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the fried tofu retains the original moist texture of the bean curd.

Text and photos by 95 Evil Wife

Although Yan San Night Market on Yanping North Road in Taipei isn’t as bustling as some of the larger tourist night markets, it hides many long-established shops with authentic flavors. A shop selling Spanish mackerel Hsinchu rice noodles located at the entrance of Lane 83, Section 3, Yanping North Road, is one of my favorite spots for a late-night treat.

▲Even past 10 p.m., the shop’s entrance is still lined with customers waiting for takeout.

The noodle shop has a food cart at the front, with several staff bustling about, while a few plastic tables and chairs are set up at the back where customers find their own seats. There’s no menu either – regulars simply plop down and call out to the staff for a bowl of noodles, a portion of red-braised pork, and a few fried items. Newcomers wait for the staff to recommend something or glance at what others are ordering, often ending up with a bowl of noodles, a portion of red-braised pork, and a few fried items. This uniquely local Taiwanese old-shop atmosphere sometimes feels like the comforting feeling of coming home.

▲The rice noodle soup, topped with celery, fried shallots, Spanish mackerel, and Fuzhou meatballs, is light and not greasy.

Many rice noodle soups in Taipei use thick, short noodles that are soft yet chewy. Here, they use Hsinchu noodles, which are thin and long with a slight crispness, soaking up the broth flavored with celery and fried shallots – refreshing, not greasy, with a faint aroma of oil. The shop also adds minced Spanish mackerel and a Fuzhou meatball, which you can enjoy together.

▲Seafood lovers can also order a portion of fried oysters, squid, or shrimp.

But what’s truly captivating are the shop’s fried items – chicken rolls, red-braised pork, tofu, shrimp, oysters, squid, fish slices… each with its own unique flavor, and each loved by someone. But 95 Evil Wife believes that the red-braised pork is a classic dish you’d regret missing.

Compared to red-braised pork from other places, the version here gets the fat-to-lean ratio just right – not too oily, not too dry. The fried skin remains moist without being mushy. Besides the savory-sweet flavor of the red yeast rice, there’s also a smooth richness of the meat fat that lingers on the tongue. Though eating it in the middle of the night might bring a twinge of guilt, once you take a bite, you just can’t stop going for more.

▲The perfectly marbled red-braised pork is one of the shop’s most popular items.

Another dish, the fried tofu, is coated with only a very thin layer of flour, so the skin isn’t too hard or overpowering, allowing the tofu’s natural juiciness and delicate texture to shine through. The same technique is used for the fried squid, so you can easily taste the squid’s springy chewiness, while the crisp crust brings its own oil fragrance and a hint of pepper, highlighting the distinct taste of seafood. Take a bite at night along with a spoonful of noodle soup – absolutely satisfying.

Spanish Mackerel Hsinchu Rice Noodles
Address: Entrance of Lane 83, Section 3, Yanping North Road (at the intersection with Yanping North Road)
Phone: 02-2585-4162
Business hours: 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.
Prices: Rice noodle soup 40 NTD, side dishes starting from 15 NTD (no menu, please inquire with staff)