The sole skin and the tender, oily layer beneath are delicious, though unfortunately still dotted with quite a few bones.

Text and photos byXiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

About three years ago, when I first started writing food reviews, I didn’t dare to eat milkfish. My reluctance stemmed from both its fishy smell and the many bones. But after being introduced to the milkfish belly at Ah Cai Milkfish Belly in Ximending and getting a taste for it at Qiu Qiu Milkfish in Nanjing Night Market, I gradually fell in love with milkfish.

After that, many people told me, and recommended to me, that there’s a place called “Lu Rou Fa” between Hualien and Danfeng that serves great milkfish, has a bustling business, and most importantly, their lu rou fan (braised pork rice)—my all-time favorite—is also excellent. That’s how it ended up on my must-visit list.

But back then, the MRT in Xinzhuang hadn’t opened yet, and even after it did, I always felt Hualien was too far away, so I kept putting off the visit. Fortunately, last week I had something to do near the area and took the opportunity to go. If I remember correctly, it was around 1 PM when I arrived, and there was already a line of people waiting to take food away.

For a casual eatery, the place has a decent number of seats, but its extremely long and narrow layout is also one of its features. Just look at how packed it was to get an idea of how popular this spot is.

Whether you’re taking out or dining in, you have to order and pay at the counter first, then carry your food to find a seat. Originally, I had planned to get lu rou fan, fish skin soup, and blanched fish intestines, but they were out of both fish skin and intestines, so I ended up ordering fish belly soup and braised large intestine.

The color of this lu rou fan alone was enough to tell me I’d love it. There also seemed to be a good amount of meat and sauce drizzled on top—simple put, it had an appealing presentation.

The first bite was indeed excellent—the fat and skin melted in the mouth with great ease, and the sweetness of the fat paired with the subtle soy aroma was quite tempting, making me silently think, “This is good.” But for some reason, that enjoyable feeling dropped rapidly starting from the second bite, and halfway through, I no longer wanted to eat… Yet oddly, my taste buds were still sending signals that it tasted pretty good… I’m guessing it’s because the flavor gradually became saltier the more I ate.

Compared to the great presentation of the lu rou fan, the plate of braised large intestine didn’t look as appealing. The main reasons it looked unappealing were first, the shape of the intestines—they seemed a bit overcooked and mushy—and second, there was too much broth, making it appear somewhat crude. Fortunately, the taste was sweet and rich enough, requiring little chewing before it started to melt in the mouth, and after melting, the sweetness of the intestine revealed another level of flavor—undeniably tasty intestines.

As for this bowl of milkfish belly soup, its appearance was decent, but I did find the addition of fried shallots a bit odd and worrisome. Sure enough, once I tasted it, the aroma of the shallots kept interfering with my enjoyment of the clean sweetness of the fish soup. Although the final touch of ginger at the rim of the bowl was quite charming, and the overall soup was still quite good, there was just a slight sense of something missing.

And finally, the star of the show—the fish belly. The tenderness of the skin and the oil underneath truly wowed me upon the first bite. The sweetness of the milkfish meat was also excellent. But this fish belly still came with quite a few bones… and not fine ones either, almost making me choke… Overall, this milkfish was really, really delicious, but I still have to say that the best milkfish I’ve ever had remains the one from Qiu Qiu Milkfish at Nanjing Night Market, which wins with its pure sweetness, even more tender texture, and even the slight springiness of the fish skin.

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