Food Review｜Tainan Tsai Milkfish Specialty Restaurant, Taoyuan Zhongli Branch〔Zhongli, Taoyuan〕

What are all these delicious dishes on the table? They’re authentic Tainan milkfish specialties! 【Tainan Tsai Milkfish Specialty Shop】 not only serves all kinds of milkfish dishes and snacks, but also combines individual items into set meals. The two of us ordered a〔Set No. 8, NT$125〕, plus a bowl of braised pork rice, fish ball soup, and a braised egg. Set No. 8 includes fish floss rice, fish skin soup, pan-fried milkfish belly, and a braised meatball—more than enough to leave us completely stuffed. ItThe menu on the websiteis slightly different from the set meals available in the restaurant. I’m not sure whether each branch offers different combinations or whether the menu has been updated, so be sure to check carefully when you visit!

Located beside Longgang Road in Zhongli, this restaurant with its huge 【Tainan Tsai】 sign is a chain specializing in milkfish dishes that only opened at the end of last year (2008).

Tainan Tsai Milkfish Specialty Shop—I found the name 【Tainan Tsai】 amusing from the moment I saw it. Most snack shops like to call themselves something like “Liu’s” or “Wang’s,” but this business started in Tainan and the owner just happened to have the surname Tsai. “Tainan Tsai” is such a direct yet indirect name: there’s no need to explain that it serves Tainan snacks or tell anyone the owner’s name. Brilliant! Too bad my surname isn’t Tsai…

I’ve heard that Tainan is Taiwan’s main region for farming milkfish (the Tainan Tsai official website also has moreinformation about milkfish). You can find snack shops selling milkfish all over Tainan, and 【Tainan Tsai Milkfish Specialty Shop】 specializes in affordable Tainan snacks. It has opened numerous branches in other cities and counties, giving people from Tainan a taste that reminds them of home.

Although I’m not from Tainan, it’s still wonderful to enjoy authentic Tainan snacks here in Zhongli. And if you are from Tainan, you can stop by for a taste—and a little homesickness!

The bowl on the left is fish floss rice, while the one on the right is braised pork rice. Fish floss rice is obviously just braised pork rice sprinkled with fish floss, so you still get braised pork underneath. Both are delicious, though the fish floss does start to feel a little dry after a while, so the plain braised pork rice may be better. But I happen to love fish floss, so… it really depends on your taste! The ball on top of the braised pork rice is the braised meatball, but I didn’t try it, so I have no idea what it tastes like~

This is the fish skin soup included with the set. The piece of fish skin is huge and very tender. The broth itself doesn’t have any particularly distinctive flavor, and people usually treat the fish skin more like a side dish, dipping it in the condiment below at the same time (a tip taught to me by someone from Tainan).

The condiment is simply soy sauce mixed with wasabi, which makes the fish approachable even for people who are sensitive to fishy flavors. Personally, though, I didn’t find it very fishy at all. And since I’m honestly a little afraid of wasabi, I only dipped it lightly—just enough to add some flavor.

This fish ball soup was ordered separately. A bowl costs only NT$30, and the broth is wonderfully fresh and absolutely delicious! Drinking a warm, tasty soup like this in winter is such a happy little pleasure. I definitely recommend ordering a bowl when you visit!

The pan-fried milkfish belly is another must-try in my opinion. It has a stronger flavor, and the meat is soft and tender (it really is the belly, so it’s full of fat—hahaha), making it perfect with rice. Since it comes with braised pork rice, which is already very moreish, I honestly think a plate of pan-fried milkfish belly and a bowl of braised pork rice would be enough for an entire meal.

Ha! The braised egg looks enormous in this photo! It was also delicious and thoroughly infused with flavor.

The restaurant’s overall interior is also quite comfortable. The space itself is large and occupies a standalone building, with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides that let in plenty of natural light. The floors and lighting are bright, the aisles are wide, and even the ceiling is extra high. It doesn’t have the dirty, cramped feeling of a traditional snack shop, so dining here is very comfortable.

This is the exterior of the Taoyuan Zhongli branch, located right beside the main road. It also has parking for both scooters and cars, so unless the place is completely packed, you won’t have to worry about arriving and then searching for a parking space!

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