The crispy exterior and juicy, tender meat of the fried chicken are truly impressive—take a bite and it even squirts juice.

Photos & Text byXiao Hu’s Food Dream Web

If you see a shop that’s always packed, even with a long line, do you expect it to meet a higher standard? This place on Yongkang Street is often bustling with customers. Every time my friend YouShang and I pass by, we say we’ll come eat here, but we always end up giving up because of the long wait. So, I have to admit—I had pretty high expectations before even walking in...

It’s normal to see a crowd of people sitting at the entrance like this, and that’s not even all the people waiting—their system isn’t a traditional line but a sign-in sheet.

There’s a sign-in board at the entrance, or you could call it an automatic waiting list. Customers write their names and party size, and the staff will call them in order. But don’t expect them to call your phone... Make sure not to wander too far after signing in, or you might lose your spot and have to go to the back of the line.

The shop isn’t very big, divided into a counter area and regular seating. It can probably fit around twenty people. With just three or four staff members, they’re clearly a bit swamped, haha.

The dish most recommended to me here is the noodles—various dry noodles with different flavors. After looking around for a while, I ended up choosing the most ordinary one: dan dan noodles, because I remembered quite a few people recommending it to me.

Besides noodles, the shop also offers several well-reviewed side dishes. We picked the “crispy fried chicken nuggets,” though I was actually more in the mood for the “tough skin, tender meat” dish—but someone unexpectedly said they wanted fried chicken...

Each side dish costs 40 NTD and is self-serve.

We also ordered mushroom chicken soup... but it wasn’t until we scooped it up that we realized it should probably be called “mushroom chicken leg soup.” Before even tasting it, the aroma of mushrooms was already making our mouths water.

The chicken leg meat was incredibly tender, almost falling apart with just chopsticks. Especially the skin—it was soft and literally melted in your mouth, really delicious. The mushroom chicken soup was just as I imagined: the sweetness of the mushrooms paired with the richness of the chicken fat, making it wonderfully tasty.

Then there was this bowl of dan dan noodles, which were also delicious. They had a lighter sourness and spiciness than I expected, along with a subtle numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns. The noodles were cooked to perfection—not too hard, not too soft—with a good chew and texture. When mixed up, the crushed peanut powder added even more layers of flavor. Absolutely delicious.

And then there was this piece of fried chicken, which was the biggest surprise of the night—even for someone who doesn’t usually like fried chicken. First, the crispy, oily, fragrant chicken skin was incredibly satisfying—similar to the skin from a street vendor’s salt-and-pepper chicken, but not overly greasy. And the chicken beneath the skin? It actually squirted juice in your mouth. The chicken juice was sweet and incredibly flavorful, way better than I expected. I’d honestly say it’s in my top three best fried chickens ever.

The pork skewers were super chewy, with a simple, sweet Pork flavor and rich oiliness. The hint of black pepper salt sprinkled on top was just right. It was the kind of deliciousness you can easily imagine—just really good, you know? =)

Overall, I think this place is really tasty, but if I had to wait that long and that much, I might give up, haha.

[Narcosis Workshop]
Address: No. 37-2, Yongkang Street, Taipei City
Phone: 0989-464-152
Business Hours: 12:00-14:30, 17:30-22:30

Xiao Hu’s Food Dream Web
If “eating” is just about filling your stomach, then “food” would be way too boring~~~