NT$85/US$2.58.
I've been looking for a good Taiwanese-style pork chop over rice ever since I moved back here last summer. I've tried countless shops and while most of them were decent, none of them rocked my world
That is, until now.
This is the original shop of NYC's Mei Wah (on Hester Street in Chinatown). Mei Wah is the only place in Manhattan that I could get a little taste of home when I lived in New York. I've been going there since the late 80s and even though it's gotten a little worse every year, I still went at least once a month. That was how desperate I was for Taiwanese food
Once, I tried to look for the original shop in Taipei but I couldn't find it so I gave up and thought maybe that it went out of business. I guess I didn't look hard enough. The problem was, they don't have the same name (the one in Taipei is simply called "Pork Chop King"). But last month, my friend tipped me off to a porkchop shop that maybe could be what I'm looking for so I went and the moment I walked in, I knew I found the right place. They have the same smell! I asked the people working there about their branch in New York and was told that it's opened by the owner's daughter.
It's funny, I'm eating a Taiwanese dish in Taipei yet it reminds me of New York. It's an interesting feeling. To me, this pork chop over rice will always remind me of New York.
And, oh, by the way, for those of you who love Mei Wah in NYC, this one is SO MUCH better. The meat sauce on the rice is not as salty, it's more meaty. The pork chop is never dry and is all kinds of flavorful. The outside is fried to a near-crisp (as much as it is possible without a batter or skin) and the inside has a nice bite to it (not the mushy kind).
So yes, this is my favorite pork chop over rice in Taipei (and by extension, the world), not just because it reminds me of my other home, but because it is just that good.
這個排骨飯是紐約華埠的美華排骨飯的原店。結果紐約的美華是這家的老闆的女兒開的。原店的排骨飯比紐約的好吃了太多... 好~好吃。爸你下次來台的時候一定要來吃一碗，這才是你印象中美華的味道。
浙江好味道排骨大王, 台北市武昌街一段11號, (02) 2361-9657