Restaurant Info
Address:No. 111, Gongyuan South Road, North District, Tainan City
Phone:None
Hours: 10:45 AM - 1:30 PM
Closed: Wednesdays(every other week)
If you're looking for a truly unique Tainan snack, Tsai Family Handmade Fish Noodles is the place to go.
It’s one of those spots where you can get a filling main dish that almost feels like a side.
Like many local noodle stands, Tsai Family isn't fancy – don't expect a super sleek storefront, comfy air conditioning, or a beautiful dining area. It's all about the food here.
[Menu]
Their handwritten menu board has clearly seen some history, with dishes added and removed over the years.
[Ice Black Tea]
This traditional malty black tea is served sweet and without ice. It's super refreshing and the perfect cool-down drink, especially when paired with some braised appetizers.
[Braised Pork Rice(Rou Zao Fan)]
The minced pork has a mix of fatty and lean bits (though mostly lean). It's the same rich topping they use for both the rice and the noodles.
[Satay Noodles]
The base flavor here is a mix of satay sauce and minced pork, topped with plenty of chopped celery.
You get the savory richness of the pork, a hint of sweet fat, the deep flavor of the satay, the aromatic oil from fried shallots, and the freshness of the celery.
It all comes together for a really complex and satisfying satay noodle dish.
[Sesame Paste Noodles(Ma Jiang Mian)]
For your noodles, you can choose between regular thin noodles or wide noodles.
The sesame paste has a pretty consistent flavor profile, and they load it up with minced pork.
Once you mix it all, it's super smooth and rich.
If it feels a little dry when you're mixing, just add a splash of broth for a better texture.
[Pickled Mustard Green Noodles (Zha Cai Mian)]
The savory pork and salty pickled mustard greens go really well together here – a comforting and approachable flavor.
[Rice Vermicelli]
You can get this either dry or in soup.
The vermicelli has a great chewy texture, and it's delicious just with a generous pour of minced pork on top.
[Handmade Fish Noodles]
The owner makes these fish noodles fresh every day, and they look different from the usual Tainan fish noodles – they're wider and flatter.
While they don't have a super springy texture or that "slurpable" quality, the intense fish flavor when you bite into them is incredibly satisfying.
[Assorted Soup]
This is your basic noodle stand pork bone broth, elevated with the special aroma of fried shallot oil and fresh celery. The overall flavor reminds me a bit of Hakka savory glutinous rice ball soup, but with that Tainan seafood touch (the fresh flavors of the fish and shrimp dumplings released into the broth).
Besides greens, the assorted soup comes with fish dumplings, shrimp dumplings, and swordfish balls – all made fresh by the owner that day.
The fish dumplings are whiter in color, filled with finely chopped celery and thin, flat fish paste.
They're totally different from frozen fish dumplings you'd buy at the supermarket.
These freshly wrapped dumplings have a regular chewy texture, similar to the fish noodles, and the fish flavor really comes through as you chew.
If you're a big fan of fish, you can order just the fish dumpling soup.
The shrimp dumpling filling has shrimp and pork paste.
The sweet richness of the pork really highlights the subtle shrimp flavor, making them easy and enjoyable to eat.
[Hualien Wonton Soup]
This uses the same pork bone broth as the assorted soup, but it's missing the stronger flavor of the fried shallot oil.
You get five freshly wrapped wontons in a bowl, and they're huge with a high meat-to-wrapper ratio – a seriously satisfying bite!
The wrappers are thin, and the filling is generous, all for a great price. They often sell out quickly during peak hours, so sometimes you have to wait for the auntie to wrap more fresh ones.
Some people might think this place prioritizes quantity over quality, but I see it as a very dedicated establishment. While the environment and flavors might be "ordinary," the owner does an excellent job balancing ingredient quality with affordable prices, making sure everyone leaves full and happy.
留言
張貼留言