Infused with locally sourced Taiwanese ingredients—authentic Hong Kong-style BBQ pork claypot rice cooked with secret sauce recipes

Text and photos byPingzi

Visiting Taipei’s Ximending and looking for a great spot to enjoy dim sum and tea? Pingzi recommends New Port Café, which offers a diverse and abundant menu. Must-tries include their signature New Port BBQ Pork Claypot Rice, Ice-Fire Pineapple Buns, and Yuanyang Milk Tea. It’s close to Ximen MRT Station, right next to Shaw Theatres Taipei and UNIQLO’s Japanese-brand fashion outlet—making it a must-visit destination for fans of Hong Kong-style cuisine.

Walking out of the MRT station, you’ll find Shaw Theatres Taipei and UNIQLO nearby. Take the elevator up to the 7th floor, and you’ll arrive at New Port Café. Currently, there’s only one Ximending flagship store, with another branch in Banqiao—two locations in total.

Next to Shaw Theatres Taipei and UNIQLO, this is the building’s entrance and exit.

The elevator clearly displays signs for New Port Café, including floor information and posters for easy navigation.

As the elevator doors open, the restaurant’s entrance comes into view.

Just standing at the entrance of New Port Café, you can sense its spaciousness. The front section is designed as a waiting area, which is very considerate. Menus are also placed at the entrance, so you can browse while waiting to decide what to order.

The signage clearly highlights the brand. New Port Café makes extensive use of mirrors to create layers and depth in the space—an interior design trend that’s very popular in Taiwan these days.

The interior has a bright, minimalist, and dark-toned stylish vibe. The owner previously ran a popular shabu-shabu (hot pot) restaurant, and the two establishments share a similar style and atmosphere—one being a hot pot spot and the other a Hong Kong-style café. New Port Café has been open since 2012, boasting over three years of history.

A view inside the venue—regardless of the area, most seating consists of wooden tables and long sofa-style benches. The seats are neither too high nor too low, offering a comfortable dining experience.

The high-ceilinged space enhances the sense of openness indoors, making it feel very spacious.

The distance between aisles isn’t too narrow, reducing the chance of collisions—an ideal setup for families with elderly members.

The overall ambiance is well arranged, and with the added décor, the space feels refreshed and inviting.

In addition to private rooms, there’s also a window-side sofa area suitable for 2–4 people. You can enjoy your meal while taking in views of Ximending. Pingzi dined in this section on the day of her visit.

The menu features a vertical, gold-foiled design. It’s quite thick, with partial glossy finishes, giving it a premium tactile feel—evidence of meticulous craftsmanship.

Opening the menu reveals the brand’s visual identity, exuding a refined aesthetic.

The menu is illustrated with photos, making it easy to order by simply looking at the images. The food photography looks incredibly appetizing and is very straightforward. While the prices aren’t particularly budget-friendly, the dishes are delicious—don’t miss out if you’re a fan of Hong Kong-style café cuisine.

The menu also includes updates on new menu items.

There are plenty of dessert options alone—this is one of the great things about Hong Kong-style cafés.

Just looking at the menu Pingzi photographed, you’ll find a wide variety of dishes, all accompanied by photos. The extensive selection ensures you’ll have trouble deciding what to order.

For lunch, the restaurant offers a value set menu. At NT$258 per person, the set mainly includes a choice of 3 (New Port Original Claypot Soup, Ice-Fire Pineapple Buns, Golden Kimchi), 8 main dish options, and 9 beverage options, with a 10% service charge applied. For more details on the dishes, please visit their official website:http://www.newhongkong.com.tw/.

A typical Hong Kong-style table setup with chopsticks, bowls, and plates.

New Port Roast Duck Rice with Double Protein—once served, the plate is loaded with both roast duck and char siu, filling the bowl, while the rice takes up the rest. Even for two people sharing, the portion is generous.

Pingzi found the char siu here to be particularly well-prepared—golden, shiny, and layered, with a delicate taste that’s neither greasy nor heavy. The only downside was the roast duck; while the meat was very plump, it made the duck a bit dry and tough.

New Port’s Original Claypot Soup, served steaming hot.

Inside is tender, well-simmered pork ribs that are incredibly juicy—a great choice for anyone who enjoys claypot soup.

New Port Chinese-style BBQ Clay Pot Rice is a must-try dish in Cantonese cuisine, served hot in a clay pot. Chinese BBQ is a style of grilled dishes originating from Shunde, Guangdong. For authentic Chinese BBQ to taste great, besides using fresh ingredients, mastering the heat control and the seasoning blend are key to its deliciousness. New Port BBQ selects high-quality meats such as Yilan cherry duck, Yilan free-range goose, free-range chicken, and meaty pork, which are then roasted with an authentic Hong Kong-style secret sauce recipe. The dish has a glossy, evenly browned appearance and tender, juicy meat that's delightful to the palate.

Before eating, stir the rice well and drizzle with the specially prepared sauce. It’s not overly salty but incredibly flavorful. The long-grain rice, with distinct grains, blends perfectly with the sauce, creating layers of taste that pair excellently with the BBQ meats on top.

The dish is fried to a golden, crispy finish, with the aroma of sautéed garlic adding to its appeal. Biting into the bone-in meat reveals rich layers of flavor — absolutely delicious.

Ice Fire Butter Buns are priced at 58 NTD each and are not cheap. However, they come as part of the 3-choice option included with set meals, which are the most cost-effective. The Ice Fire Butter Buns have a fluffy, puffed-up exterior. When you bite into them, the crisp outer layer gives way to chilled butter inside — the contrast of hot and cold is simply amazing.

For drinks, we opted for Yuanyang Milk Tea. On the left is the no-ice version, and on the right is the less-ice one. The drink comes in the traditional large portion size typical of Hong Kong-style beverages. Here, the Yuanyang Milk Tea is rich, smooth, and has a flavor very similar to what you’d get in Hong Kong. Hong Kong milk tea often has a unique sweet-and-salty taste, giving it a distinctive and enjoyable flavor.

For friends visiting the Ximending area who want to have a meal with family or good friends, Pingzi highly recommends this cha chaan teng. Since Ximending is generally a place for younger crowds, finding a place with fresh ingredients, tasty food, and a pleasant atmosphere for a nice gathering is quite rare. This cha chaan teng not only serves food of high quality, but also offers a modern, stylish setting. Pingzi recommends coming in a group so you can order a wider variety of dishes — perfect for a nice reunion meal.

New Port Cha Chaan Teng.
Phone: 02-23890505.
Address: 7F, No. 52, Hanzhong St., Wanhua District, Taipei City.
Official Website:http://www.newhongkong.com.tw/.
Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/newhongkongtw.

upssmile Pingzi (up’s smile – Upward Smile) !
She is a designer and also a photographer for Upward Smile Travel, Food, Design & Film.
Passionate about “travel,” “food,” “design,” “photography,” and film.
Blogger:http://upssmile.com/

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