Popular Vietnamese street snacks in New Taipei’s alleys – Refreshing & crisp “fresh spring rolls”

Text & photos byXiaohu’s Dream Food Blog

Speaking of Vietnamese snacks, what dishes come to mind? Pho, spring rolls, or French bread? But I bet “pork chops” wouldn’t be your first guess, right? Yep, it was this unexpected pork chop that lured me in. Even though it wasn’t what I originally planned to eat, well, some encounters are just meant to be—so why not?

This alley is one I often duck into when heading to Julu Road for food, especially when there’s heavy traffic on Zhuangjing Road or I just want a quiet stroll. The soy milk shop at the alley entrance is where I turn for late-night snacks or breakfast when everything else nearby has closed.

If I remember correctly, this little alley shop has changed hands many times. The previous one seemed to be the former 【Tiger’s Random Eats】【Xinpu Station】Chiyu Big Plate Specialty from near Youkugou Lane—though I never got to try it before it moved to Wensheng Street.

So the shop still carries remnants of the previous decor, with some tables and chairs seemingly left behind, giving off a slightly odd vibe, but it’s actually pretty comfortable to dine in.

Aside from common Vietnamese dishes, they also serve small-shop-style Taiwanese meals like pork chop rice, beef rice, curry rice, and even fusion dishes like pork chop pho.

The prices seem quite reasonable too.

Pork chop pho for NT$80, or you can opt for rice noodles. Honestly, even though I knew it’d be a fried pork chop on pho, the visual appeal still tempted me... So when it arrived, I wasn’t overly wowed. But it probably still makes for a decent photo.

The broth has the refreshing flavor typical of Vietnamese soups—nothing extraordinary, though I feel the nearby【Tiger’s Random Eats】【Jiangzicui Station】Pei Pei Vietnamese Cuisinemight taste better.

I’ve never been a fan of either pho or rice noodles, with the exception perhaps of【Following Shu Guozhi’s Snack Hunt #98】【Nanjing Sanmin Station Eats】Hanoi Pho, but I can’t really say what the difference is. To put it simply, it has more flavor—both in the noodles themselves and after soaking up the broth.

As for the pork chop, I honestly quite like it—the firm bite, the texture, and the sweet, savory, slightly charred flavor. Though that might just be because I prefer fried pork chops without batter. Let’s just say, this bowl of pork chop pho would lose its soul without that pork chop—even if that sounds a bit backwards XD. Alright, next time I’ll just get a single fried pork chop.

Cold beef for NT$80. Interestingly, they also have cold pork chop, but I swapped it out for beef since I ordered the pork chop pho. Honestly, this portion was bigger than I expected, and the sweet-sour flavor hit the right note for me (a bit more on the sour side), and it was super refreshing. The beef was mostly tender, at least better than I expected, though it felt a bit disconnected from the sauce—even though I tried mixing them thoroughly.

Lastly, I have to talk about this “fresh spring roll” (NT$60) without which I might not have written this post. The accompanying fish sauce is a bit light and understated, but that also gives the ingredients in the spring roll more room to shine—though that might depend on personal taste.

Okay, I’m not a huge fan of fresh spring rolls, but I hate those factory-made, rubbery, messy ones... I prefer the slightly sticky rice-paper wrapper. This place happens to serve the latter, and it’s nice and thin—with just the right texture and slight sweetness. The chewiness lets the ingredients take center stage—like the big, sweet whole shrimp, the crispy-sweet pork belly, the crisp lettuce, and the hearty rice noodles. It’s really delicious and highly recommended.

Yuming Vietnamese Cuisine
Address: No. 2, Lane 34, Lane 124, Section 2, Wenhua Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City
Phone: 0921-854-335
Business hours: 11:00–15:00, 17:00–21:00 (closed every Saturday afternoon)

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