A noodle shop in a watch store? Rich aroma and unique taste — Zhonghua’s Secret Heirloom Ginger Family Noodles in Changhua

Text and photos by /MIKA

This is an age of creativity. You might find shaved ice in a coffin shop or noodles in a watch store. Who says a watch shop can only sell watches these days? I’m determined to eat noodles in a watch shop!? This reverse marketing has actually yielded great results. Because it’s unique and creative, it leaves a lasting impression. Too bad I don’t own a shop; otherwise, I’d… (you can imagine XD). This place has been on my list for a long time—not because eating noodles in a watch shop is super trendy and cool—but simply because their noodles are such a wild mix. The special meat sauce looked really unique, so I was very curious about the texture of their noodles. That’s why I specifically chose to stop by on my way back from Tainan one day to accomplish the feat of eating noodles in a watch store in Yuanlin, Changhua.

To be honest, even as a passerby, I’d be really confused—does this place sell noodles or watches...?

I noticed that most customers who come here are actually here to buy noodles, and most of them take them away to go.

But it really is a watch store. I think this kind of industry combination is pretty good. Who knows, maybe while eating noodles, I’ll grow attached to one of the watches and end up buying it just because I ate a bowl of noodles here XD

Other than the chopsticks on the table, I really can’t see any connection between this watch store and a noodle shop.

Many media outlets have reported on this watch store.

Their noodles are pretty special too. Whether it’s meat sauce noodles, lean-skin noodles, or meat-egg noodles, they all look quite creatively unique. But charging over 50 NT per bowl, and still managing to have a market in Changhua—they must have real skills.

We ordered the lean-skin noodles, cheese meat-egg noodles, and the mixed soup (pork ball + fish ball).

Lean-Skin Noodles – 60 NT
It’s basically the concept of century egg and lean pork noodles, but instead of lean pork, it’s meat sauce. The aroma of the century egg is super strong, and the rest of the ingredients are similar. The thin noodles are topped with chopped century eggs and meat sauce, and finished with chopped scallions for fragrance.

The noodles and toppings from the Ginger Family are all served cold. Apparently, it’s for takeout convenience so they won’t get mushy. But personally, I really don’t like how cold, wet, and sticky they are. Plus, the noodles are too soft for my taste, though the aroma is absolutely top-notch. It’s just the texture I’m not into!!!

Cheese Meat-Egg Noodles – 80 NT
It’s basically meat sauce noodles with an added egg and a generous sprinkle of cheese powder—that’s the cheese meat-egg noodles. The secret of the Ginger Family’s noodles is probably the meat sauce, since all their noodles come with it, whether it’s plain meat sauce or with additions like century egg, cheese powder, or egg.

When you pierce the soft-boiled egg, the slowly flowing golden yolk is very eye-catching. It’s still cold noodles, with the same cold, soft, and mushy texture. Greasy chicken isn’t my thing. But honestly, the aroma of the meat sauce and the creative combinations are really good—it’s just that I don’t like cold noodles plus overly soft noodles.

Mixed Soup (Pork Ball + Fish Ball) – 20 NT
I like their soup—the pork balls and fish balls both have a savory, firm, and bouncy texture. Pretty tasty.

Accomplished the feat of eating noodles in a watch store.

If you dine in, you’ll literally be eating your noodles right at the display counter. While eating, you can bond with the watches ← best case scenario, right?

Since neither I nor Ah Mu were fans of the cold noodles and mushy texture here… we ended up feeling a bit empty and decided to cheer ourselves up by buying chicken cutlets from across the street.

“More fried than fried chicken” means fried chicken 2.0? Is that Little Zhu Fried Chicken? ← Trying really hard to stay current here.

It’s a 25-year-old old shop. Auntie has been frying chicken for 25 years of her youth. How could I not buy some? I’m not just buying fried chicken—I’m buying youth.

Auntie’s Youth Chicken Cutlet (just kidding), I personally think it’s pretty good, very satisfying, and the meat is quite tender.

But I think their salty crispy chicken is even better, and the oil they use is really clean. Auntie changes the oil every day. The salty crispy chicken is crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. I quite like it, and it helped soothe my inner emptiness a bit. Auntie, thank you for your youth chicken cutlet XD

Secret Heirloom Ginger Family Noodles (Pinghe Hall Watch Store)
Address: No. 49, Sanmin St., Yuanlin Town, Changhua County
Phone: 04-832-3497
Lunch hours: 11:30 AM ~ 2:00 PM
Business hours in the evening: 17:00~19:30
(No dine-in service after 19:30)
Closed on holidays: Sundays

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