Taiwan’s hearty and affordable street food: a bowl of duck rice for just 20 NT on the roadside

Text & Photos /Orange Dog Loves Candy

For someone like me who’s always out on business trips, it’s often hard to have lunch on time—usually not until one or two in the afternoon. I think it’s just a matter of eating habits, so I still prefer to go for a more Taiwanese-style snack when it comes to a proper meal to feel full. And usually, when I go to a street food stall around that time, I’m often the only customer, which is really relaxing and lets me eat slowly and in peace. Occasionally, if I hear about some good pork rice, braised pork rice, or duck rice, I’ll make a special trip there. And usually, going to such stalls at this time, I’d also run into quite a few taxi drivers. If I happen to strike up a conversation with them, they’ll recommend some tasty spots nearby and tell me to go try them.

So this [Original Flavor Duck Rice], located all the way out in Taichung’s Taiping District, naturally ended up on their recommendation list too. After having coffee with a few friends at Wizard Coffee, we got a bit hungry and thought of how Kuma Kitchen also recommended this duck rice spot. So we followed the map... Although we were unfamiliar with Taiping, luckily it was still findable on Google.

The [Original Flavor Duck Rice], situated right by a main road, didn’t have too many people even on a Saturday afternoon, which isn’t peak dining hours. Actually, it was my first time in this Zhongshan Road area of Taiping, and I didn’t expect it to be quite lively. There wasn’t a very clear distinction between indoor and outdoor seating here either—just pick a spot and sit wherever you like.

There wasn’t much decor either, just a traditional street food kitchen setup, but hygiene actually seemed pretty well maintained. I noticed the boss lady even wore gloves when serving the rice, and the stir-fried dishes came out at a decent speed.

This kind of small food stall turns into a happy gathering spot for neighbors or taxi drivers in the afternoon to have a drink and catch up. This kind of scene is totally normal to me, someone who grew up in the countryside, and it even gives me a sense of nostalgia.

I picked up the menu to order, and wow!!! There were so many options it was almost a test of eyesight. Most duck rice shops might just sell a few simple duck-related dishes, with maybe no more than ten items on the menu.

But this place, aside from their signature duck rice and duck meat dishes, also had plenty of affordable stir-fried options. The prices were surprisingly reasonable and great value—I guess being away from the bustling city center really takes the pressure off spending. We ordered what we thought were suitable portions for four people, and then the food started coming out.

[Signature Duck Rice / Small / 20 NT]
Holy cow!!! Seeing that price almost made me cry. These days, with gas prices, rice, electricity, and even my belly all going up, a 20-NT coin can barely buy you one fried dumpling, let alone two (nowadays lots of places in the city charge 12 NT). Yet here, you can get a whole bowl of duck rice—with actual duck meat—for just 20 NT, and a large bowl is only 35 NT. On top of that, it’s not just plain duck meat—it also has a handful of braised tofu strips... the color coordination and aroma were amazing.

The braised tofu was actually pretty salty, but the duck meat had both lean and fatty parts, wasn’t dry at all, and had the aroma of duck fat and braising sauce seeping into the rice. Their rice was cooked really well, so every bite was full of that oily fragrance—something not every street food stall can pull off. Take, for example, the famous Lao Shou in Yunlin’s Beigang—their rice would score way lower. This bowl? I was really satisfied.

[Dry Rice Blood / 30 NT]
It probably should be called duck blood rice cake (if I remember correctly), and the texture was chewier and firmer. The sauce had a bit of fermented black bean and mashed garlic aroma, mixed with the spiciness of shredded ginger. I’ve always preferred duck blood rice cake over regular rice cake anyway.

[Ginger-Shredded Pork Intestines / 100 NT]
This isn’t one of those hundred-NT budget stir-fry joints, but ginger-shredded pork intestines is still priced at a hundred NT—and the portion is actually quite generous. The sweet-and-sour thickened sauce was perfectly balanced, the pork intestines were thick and cleaned well, with a smooth texture and a bit of chew.

[Fish-Flavored Eggplant / 70 NT / Spicy]
This price was even more touching, and it being spicy made it even better for me—since it’s the only eggplant dish I dare to eat. Large chunks of eggplant were stir-fried quickly over high heat with basil, scallions, and garlic, then lightly thickened. Their thickening sauce wasn’t too heavy, and the seasoning leaned strong, with a spicy kick that really stimulated my appetite. I didn’t actually eat spicy food much when I lived down south, but one of the habits I picked up after living in Taichung for a few years was learning to eat spicy. The eggplant wasn’t overcooked, and I really liked the salty-spicy flavor.

[Stir-Fried Pork with Scallions / 90 NT / Spicy]
There were quite a lot of pork slices used—thin slices that were nice and springy. This dish also had some spice in it. It’s a common but very affordable meat dish with a hearty portion, and the flavoring was pretty strong too.

[Tripe Soup / 30 NT]
It wasn’t quite what I expected—with various kinds of innards inside. There were just a bunch of duck gizzards. The chewy-yet-crispy duck gizzards were pretty filling, though for someone with not-so-great teeth like me, it was a bit of a challenge. But I did quite like the light and sweet soup broth (though the smaller duck gizzard pieces were a bit more tender).

I want to thank Kuma Kitchen for the recommendation, the team leader and Jiao Xiaotang for leading the way, and Angie for cracking jokes while we ate (sounds like I need to thank a lot of people like it’s an Oscar acceptance speech). Four of us, each with a bowl of duck rice, plus three dishes and one soup—doesn’t seem like much, but we were all really full. We didn’t order a ton of dishes, but each portion was quite generous. The shop had minimal decor, and being away from the city center meant lower rent and prices, which was reflected in the pricing—it felt really affordable. That’s the charm of these cozy, authentically Taiwanese little food stalls. I reckon a family of four could come here, order a full table, and not spend more than 600 NT and still get really full. And the flavors are great (actually on the heavier side). If you’re passing through Taiping, definitely recommend stopping by for a sit-down and maybe a drink XD

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[Original Flavor Duck Rice]
◎ Address: No. 22, Section 3, Zhongshan Road, Taiping District, Taichung City
◎ Phone: 0931-223779
◎ Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM
◎ Tip: Come hungry and order a few more dishes to fill up XD
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