Newly Opened Korean Creative Cuisine in Taichung: Generous Portions of UFO Hot Pot & Cheese Rice Cakes

Text and Photos /Orange Dog Loves Candy

Nowadays, it's not just Korean food that’s popular, but even Korean dramas this season are highly anticipated, such as DOCTORS, W: Two Worlds, and others. Watching Korean dramas often tempts you with visuals to try some Korean food. A new 【Tteok Hug Korean Cuisine】 has recently opened in Fengjia. The previous tenant at this location was Huanghe Cave, which also served Korean food. It has now transformed into a restaurant that not only offers grilled meat but also a variety of delicious Korean dishes. Even during the trial period, many students flocked here (apparently there were discounts), making mealtimes lively and business quite good. It’s quite rare, though, to find a relatively spacious restaurant in such a prime and expensive area like Fengjia – truly not easy to come by. On the day I was invited, I was eager to see what unique dishes this 【Tteok Hug Creative Korean Cuisine】 would offer.

If you’ve been to Huanghe Cave before, this space shouldn’t be unfamiliar. But it was my first time stepping into this place. The spacious interior features two rows of four-person tables lined up, and the most unique part is the high-top bar seating for single-portion hot pots. So, Korean hot pot dishes can also be ordered for one person – very convenient for those of us who often eat alone.

The current decor of the restaurant feels quite lively. You can tell they aimed to present a more vibrant, youthful style through doodle-style artwork, which also aligns with their concept of being ‘creative’. Another big plus is the extra space between tables, making dining more comfortable without feeling cramped or confined, allowing you to chat and enjoy meals with friends with ease.

There is a general rule of a ‘90-minute time limit’ for dining, but they won’t rush you out if the restaurant isn’t fully booked. As for service, I really liked it. Though the staff seems limited due to the current setup, they remain friendly despite being quite busy. After all, aside from serving food, some Korean hot pot dishes require staff to help with the stir-frying parts – so kudos to them for their hard work.

Let’s take a quick look at the MENU. This place satisfies all cravings for Korean cuisine lovers. Whether you want Korean table-top barbecue, Chuncheon spicy chicken, UFO rice cake hot pot, stone pot bibimbap, or army stew – they’ve got it all. Even classic dishes like seafood pancakes, seafood tofu pot, and spicy stir-fried rice cakes are available on the menu.

You can also just order a single bowl of Korean instant noodles (quite spicy – priced at 110 or 120 NT$), plus a drink to meet the minimum spend and kill some time. The options are diverse, and the prices aren’t too steep, making it affordable for students – great value for money. Plus, there’s no additional service charge, though some dishes still come with table-side service. The pricing is very reasonable.

To start, you’re served three simple complimentary side dishes, all of which taste great. They’re also unlimited for refills, perfect to eat with rice, wrap in lettuce with meat, or add to spicy stir-fried chicken. I quite enjoyed them.

【BOWBOW UFO Rice Cake Hot Pot │ Army Rice Cake Hot Pot │ 460 NT$ (for two people)】

Korean hot pot designs always have their own unique flair. For example, this one has army stew ingredients piled in the center, while the surrounding ring is half filled with scallion egg sauce and the other half with melted cheese. This army pot comes with plenty of ingredients, but it’s prepared via dry stir-frying.

In addition to the classic instant noodles, it includes rice cakes, vegetables, Korean chili paste, pork, flat glass noodles, luncheon meat, and hot dogs. On the side, there’s also seaweed soup and a bowl of seaweed rice – the rice is meant to be added after finishing the army stew and stirred together.

As the pot heats up, you can start stirring the ingredients yourself. I really love this kind of stir-fried hot pot. Mainly, the flavors of the Korean chili paste paired with the rice cakes, noodles, and instant noodles are just right, and the ingredients are quite authentic.

The cooked ingredients – like the rice cakes and pork – can be dipped in the melted cheese on the side, which is absolutely delicious. Their cheese is a bit different, with added chopped scallions that prevent it from being overly rich (unlike other cheese pots that can get too heavy after a while). The grilled egg on the side is also great, but be careful as it’s hot. When you’ve eaten about 70–80% of the ingredients, there’s more to come.

The staff will then add more rice into the pot to stir-fry again, along with some kimchi, grilled egg, and cheese. It tastes incredibly delicious and is very filling. But remember to leave a bit of broth, otherwise, frying it without sauce will turn it into crispy rice – which might be too hard to eat, haha.

【Gangwon Province Chuncheon Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken │ Add Korean Glass Noodles & Cheese Shreds │ 239 NT$ + 40 NT$ + 50 NT$】

In downtown Chuncheon, there’s a street called Chuncheon Spicy Chicken Street on Myeongdong. It started with just 3 shops and eventually became a famous food street. This Korean dish is actually quite popular in Taiwan too, since the combination of spice and cheese is definitely a winner.

These glass noodles are different from the instant noodles in the UFO hot pot. They’re semi-brownish and slightly thinner, resembling Italian pasta but not quite the same. Of course, it also includes vegetables, Korean chili paste, chicken, and rice cakes (the cheese shreds are an add-on for the Chuncheon chicken dish). The texture of the Korean glass noodles is fantastic – very chewy and firm, full of the aroma of the chili sauce.

The portion of chicken is decent, although I found the meat to be a bit lean and slightly dry. Maybe using larger thigh pieces would be better. The rice cakes come in both sliced and stick forms, with slightly different textures – I prefer the sliced ones for their soft and chewy feel. Although the menu says it’s a single portion, once you add the glass noodles, I think it’s better suited for two people, maybe with an extra specialty dish.

【Korean Tabletop BBQ (with rice) │ Pork Belly │ 319 NT$】

It’s somewhat like the currently popular Korean BBQ, yet a bit different. The grill has grooves designed to hold cheese and egg, but the cheese isn’t added in advance. Since grilling pork belly takes longer, the cheese might burn. So, the cheese is added after the pork belly is grilled. The BBQ also comes with sides like Korean kimchi and a fresh veggie platter.

The restaurant recommends laying veggies at the bottom of the grill first to prevent the surface from getting too greasy with pork fat after grilling. Once the veggies are set aside, you proceed to grill the pork belly. You get a generous five slices, but pork belly takes some time – unlike beef, which can be rare, pork belly shouldn’t be overcooked either, though preferences vary.

Traditional Korean BBQ usually prefers the meat cooked a bit more, with a golden, slightly charred surface being ideal for wrapping in lettuce. After grilling, you slice it and grill a bit more. For someone hungry, waiting for the pork belly can be a real test of patience, haha. But whether it’s the grilling skill or the quality of the meat, their pork belly is actually quite tasty, despite being rich in fat.

It still has a slight char, and the lean parts aren’t too tough. Wrap three slices of pork belly in a lettuce leaf with kimchi and garlic – one big bite gives you the fusion of fat with kimchi’s spice, the aroma of garlic, and the crisp freshness of the lettuce. It’s really delicious. But I’ve noticed many Korean places now use sesame leaves, which might pair even better, though most Taiwanese aren’t used to the bitterness of sesame leaves.

If you want to eat the pork belly on its own, just dip it in the cheese groove. Don’t worry about calories with this dish – you’ll definitely go over, haha. How can you feel accomplished losing weight if you don’t gain some first? So just eat up, haha.

【Special Dish │ Lava Cheese BOW Rice Cake │ 199 NT$ │ Recommended】

Actually, aside from ‘spicy stir-fried’ versions, I’m not particularly fond of Korean rice cakes prepared in soups or other ways. So even though some of the dishes above include rice cakes, I didn’t focus much on them (just personal preference). And I’d rarely order a standalone rice cake dish at a regular restaurant. But Tteok Hug is different. Take this Lava Cheese BOW Rice Cake, for example – its presentation and flavor are spot-on. It’s kind of like an okonomiyaki.

It’s topped with seaweed, peanut powder, and a generous layer of melted cheese. When you lift a piece, the cheese stretches – you can really feel its richness. One bite and the cheese delivers a luxurious aroma and smooth texture, without being overly heavy. The chewiness of the rice cake is just right, and it blends perfectly with the cheese. It’s addictive – I ended up finishing the whole thing.

[Special Dish │ Lime BOW Rice Cake 120 TWD │ Recommended]

It may not look like much—I initially thought it was something like a sweet-and-sour dish—but the taste is completely different. The first bite brings a chewy texture with a burst of sweetness, followed by a fresh citrusy acidity and aroma that spreads across your tongue. That lemony tang keeps the rice cake from being overly rich, and while it’s delicious, the previous dish was even more impressive.

[Special Dish │ Seafood Pancake │ 199 TWD]

This is a classic in Korean cuisine. Theirs looks a bit smaller on the plate, but it’s actually pre-cut and stacked, and it’s thicker than your usual seafood pancake. I’m guessing that’s mainly to save space on the table.

If it weren’t pre-cut, it would take up way too much room. This way, it’s also easier for us to eat directly. I feel like there are more shrimp than squid in here though—funny how that turned out.

[Drink │ Strongbow Apple Cider │ 120 TWD]

I could’ve sworn I ordered Strongbow Apple Cider—why did they bring out such a huge glass? Ohhh haha, turns out ordering this gets you a special mixed drink. The big glass holds a citrus soda with bubbles, and when you pour the STRONGBOW in, it changes color slightly. STRONGBOW isn’t very high in alcohol and has more of a fruity sweetness, so the combo ends up tasting like a lightly alcoholic sweet soda—even people who don’t usually drink alcohol might enjoy this one.

● ETtoday News Cloud reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

[Drink │ Chungha Soju 220 TWD │ Chungha Peach Soju 230 TWD]

When eating Korean BBQ, having no soju feels like something’s missing. Though to be honest, Korean soju isn’t really my thing, but I know plenty of people love it. The peach flavor is actually quite an interesting taste—you should give it a try.

[Drink │ Piggy Cup Special │ Each 80 TWD]

They’re a red pomegranate grapefruit beauty sparkling drink and a blue citrus lemon special sparkling drink. The cups are super cute, and the drink colors are really appealing, but the fun part is the little pig toy floating inside each cup.

We only realized after fishing it out that it’s just a decoration with no other function—but it’s hard not to play with it, XD.

[Drink │ Calpis Slush │ 55 TWD]

There’s a slush machine behind the high stools area. At first, I thought you could serve yourself XD, but nope, it’s not free. It’s 55 TWD per cup, which isn’t too expensive. It’s a pretty common drink, and I’ve always liked it—the sweet, sour, and icy combo is just refreshing.

[Drink │ Grape Juice 40 TWD │ Pear Juice 40 TWD]

I’ve had pear juice before—it’s pretty good, just a little sweeter than usual. Even if you can’t drink alcohol, there are juice options. Before trying it, I was drawn to the bottle design and thought it was fruit wine, but it’s really just sweet juice.

The trend of Korean cuisine remains very popular, and there are still plenty of new Korean restaurants opening up. I think this trend has been helped along by the influence of Korean dramas, but regardless of the hype, the food still needs to taste good. As for this place, 【NianGao BaoBao Creative Korean Cuisine】, the variety of dishes is quite sufficient, the prices are reasonable, and whether you want to try a army stew or just have a bowl of Korean instant noodles, there are options at various price points. The ambiance is comfy too, and compared to the similarly diverse Omayya, NianGao BaoBao definitely tastes a lot better (it’s spicy when it’s supposed to be). It’s suitable whether you’re here alone or with a group of friends (there are different seating areas), and I’d recommend giving it a try if you’re interested.

NianGao BaoBao Creative Korean Cuisine
Address: No. 260-18, Sec. 2, Xitun Rd., Xitun District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-27070081
Business Hours: 11:30 AM–2:30 PM + 5:00 PM–12:00 AM
Consumption Notice: Minimum charge of 160 TWD per person; 90-minute dining limit applies when fully booked

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