Taiwan’s popular tin-roofed snack shop: Signature rice noodle soup & freshly fried tofu

Text and photos by /Feitianxuan

Taiwanese Snacks & Delicacies: Sanchongpu Rice Noodle Soup

Don’t ask me how many people the meal in the photo was for—it’s terrifying!! I’d been begging to try this “Sanchongpu Rice Noodle Soup” place for a while, but every time the right people and timing just didn’t align… Today I decided not to overthink it, and finally got to eat here… Afterward—pure happiness filled me up!!

“Sanchongpu Rice Noodle Soup” is located on Yongchun East Road in Nantun. When we arrived around 11:30 am, the place was about 60% full. I had planned to take a photo of the entrance when leaving… but little did I know… as soon as we stepped out, we were greeted with this sight—a line of people queuing up, which totally scared me!! “Sanchongpu Rice Noodle Soup” is housed in a tin-roofed building. From the look of it, the place seems to have some history, but there’s a notice posted at the entrance saying they might be relocating soon… As for when exactly, you can check their official social media page for updates.

Besides the menu hanging on the wall, you can also see the ingredients in the fridge… It’s such a local-style shop!! While I was taking pictures with my camera, the boss even said to me: “Feel free to take pics openly!” Whoa—I was planning to do just that anyway!!

The cooking environment isn’t top-notch, okay? Whether you can handle it depends on the person… But I’ve been getting more and more “Taiwanese” lately, so I’m fine with it!!

When we got there, the place was about 60% full, and it wasn’t even noon yet!! The person next to me, with their brainwaves all over the place, said: “We’re sitting on a drain cover!” K8… If they hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have noticed… What if we all got too full and heavy and fell into the drain together?!

The sauces on the table are super local too. It feels like it’s been ages and ages since I last had something so old-school!!

Menu… I’m usually the type to fill up the whole menu, but today I finally gave up the throne because the person next to me loves filling it up even more… kept asking me what I wanted to eat? Actually, it would’ve been faster to just ask me what I DON’T want to eat…

Turns out they give you a complimentary clear soup too!! But I have no idea what kind of soup it is though…

Melon Seed Pork Rice – $25, it’s not overly salty… but… it’s also not particularly outstanding either!! XD

Rice Noodle Soup – $30, the broth is probably made with pork bones, giving it a nice “Q” texture, with added dried shrimp and chives, making it taste quite refreshing… I think it’s pretty good!! But actually, what I really wanted was the kind made with pork bones and offal, with thicker noodles—that’s the Taipei style!! The boss said next to me: “If the soup isn’t enough, you can always get a refill!”

Pork Bone Meat Soup – $55, this one comes with quite a lot of meat, and the texture is really tender—it’s super delicious!!

Dried Bonito & Chives – $40, my mom sometimes makes this dish, and I think it tastes pretty good, but my mom’s version is even better!! Alright!! There’s no mom like your own, right?? XD

Asparagus Salad – $55, I absolutely love asparagus, how could I miss it!! I think the asparagus is quite crisp, but there was a bit too much mayo, which felt a bit sinful to eat, but I finished it anyway!!

Red Braised Pork – $55, the texture is okay, not bad, but not amazing either… It just made me miss the Xiao Lin Braised Pork from Beidou Town—their red braised pork is so good, and it’s still slightly crispy when you eat it!!

Blanched Squid – $55, this one was alright for me… This was probably the only dish we had that had leftovers at the end of the day!!

Pork Liver – $55, it’s simply blanched, the texture is very tender, and it doesn’t have that gritty feel…

Squid Roll – $70, I thought this was chicken roll at first, but the menu says squid roll. The texture is pretty good, quite substantial, and not too greasy either…

Braised Intestines – $55, nothing special, just average…

Fried Tofu – $30, this is probably the signature dish of “Sanchongpu Rice Noodle Soup” because you even have to take a number for it!! When your number is called, you just tell the boss what you want… And the result?? We ended up being #1!! I thought it was no big deal at first, but then when they called #2, it was already 10 minutes later!! Okay!! We were really lucky, and this dish is actually really tasty—crispy outside, soft inside, and full of bean aroma!!

When we walked out after eating and saw the line of people waiting at the entrance, we were seriously shocked—we’re so glad we came early!! Is the food mind-blowingly amazing? Not really, but it’s just very authentic, simple Taiwanese street food, and… each portion isn’t very big, so you can try lots of different small dishes, which gives a great sense of satisfaction!! When the boss came to settle the bill, he calculated the price based on the plates—and it turns out different plates have different prices, the boss is really smart!! But after paying, the boss said to us: “For two people, you guys sure can eat!!” (What the?! Boss… was that really necessary to be so honest??)

Sanchongpu Rice Noodle Soup

Address: No. 1521-1, Yongchun East Road, Nantun District, Taichung City
Phone: 0938-780885
Business Hours: 8:30 AM–5:30 PM (Closed on holidays)

Feitianxuan
I record the ups and downs of my life—food, fun, and emotions—in a lighthearted tone"锛br /> Blog、FB