富鼎旺豬腳 Fu Din Wang (Central)

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Average)

Address: No. 560號, Section 1, Taiwan Blvd, Central District, Taichung City, Taiwan 400
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/mhrRBfUvJmGRgkzQ7
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

鼎旺豬腳 = TWD90 (S$4.00)

魯肉飯 = TWD30 (S$1.50)

No Service Charges

 Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.
Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.

魯肉飯 or Braised Pork Rice is a Very Classic Taiwanese Dish that is a Main Staple in Every Taiwanese Eatery we have in Singapore. 🐷🍚 It is also a Popular Food in Taiwan too. Infact in a Foodcourt in Taichung's Second Market, it seems to be the Main Dish sold there. 😅 😋

This Michelin Rated Place is a Huge Corner Eatery at a Busy Traffic Junction and Officially Opens at 11.00am. As of 10.56am on a Weekday when I was there, there were already at least 6 People in Queue. 😳 Not Tourists mind you, but Locals. 😳

Unique Queue and Order Procedure

1) When you arrive at the Location, take a Queue Number and Order Chit and Pencil from the Front Entrance Counter. 📝

2) They have a Very Small Menu as you can see. Use Pencil to mark out whatever you'd like. 📝 When you're done, just wait until your Queue Number is Called Out.

3) Once Queue Number is Called Out, you will join another Queue but this time you will queue at the Cashier to pass them the Order Chit and Pay. 💵

4) Once Payment is done, you will then receive a Paper Receipt and a Red Tag Number. 🤔 Again wait for your Red Tag to be called out.

5) Once your Red Tag Number is called out, your Paper Receipt will be taken and you will then be directed to your Dining Seat. 🪑 From here, just wait patiently for your Food to be Served Up to your Table. 🍽️

Because there were only 6 People in the Queue, The Whole Process from the Initial Queue to eventually sitting down took about roughly 5 Mins for me. 👍 The Foods themselves only took about 1 Min to be served up. 🕑

As the Hour Progressed, I noticed the Place started getting more Crowded. 🤔 So if you are someone who hate to Queue like me, I would recommend to come here on a Weekday about 10.50am, 10 Minutes before their Opening Time for the Best Experience. 👍

Outside of the Eatery, you can see Groups of Staffs busy preparing Massive Stacks of Pre-Packaged 便当 meant for Food Deliveries. 🛵 Really Good Business. From time to time, I will see the Food Delivery Folks come grab their Orders and ride off. 🛵

The Staffs are Very Friendly and Polite. 👍 When I was taking photo of the Order Chit, one of the Staffs even took the Initiative to pass me a Even Bigger Menu that has Pictures of the Actual Dishes on it. Very Good. 👍

Despite being a Huge Place from the Outside, the Actual Dining Area is only 1 Level on the Ground Floor with Not More than 10 Tables. 🤔

Internal Layout looks just like a Typical Singapore / Malaysian Styled Kopitiam. Even using Similar Wooden Chairs and Tables. 🪑 Not Airconditioned but it was Airy and Comfortable mostly due to the Cooling 19C Degrees Weather outside.

🍚 魯肉飯 = TWD30 (S$1.50)

Served in a Standard Small Sized Bowl that you'd expect from a 魯肉飯.
The Rice Grains have a Sticky Niam Niam Texture and I believe this is Taiwan 珍珠米. 🍚

Amount of Meat Pieces are Not Alot, maybe 1 Tablespoon worth. 🤔 Comprised of Belly Cuts, they have a Sharp and Salty Taste that Hits your Tongue Fast but will subside. 🤔 It has a Solid Savoury Braised Porky Taste but not Overly Porky. 😋 Throughout the Bite, the Saltiness of the Meat is Elevated and tastes like Something that is Perfect to 下饭. 🍚

The Gravy is Not Herbal, but Braised Type. As you dig into the Rice, you will realize this Gravy that they lum is quite alot and it has soaked deeper into the Rice. 😋🍚

Eating Everything Together gives a Mix of Oily Sticky Texture accentuated by that Lovely, Saltish and Sometimes Slightly Sweetish Gravy. 😋 As you eat some of the Meat Pieces, the Sometimes Soft Fatty Parts add another Dimension to the Dish. 😋

Having said that, despite all that I described, I don't feel that there is anything particularly Special about this Version of Lu Rou Fan. 🤔 I mean it is Decent Tasting don't get me wrong, but if you have tasted Lu Rou Fan before you will probably not be blown away by this. 🤔 In fact, the More I ate this, the More I feel that this Dish is originally meant to be a "Poor People Food" especially with how little Actual Meat there is. 🤔 I'll explain more in my Conclusion later.

🐷 鼎旺豬腳 = TWD90 (S$4.00)

I ordered this because this seems to be the Next Highly Raved Dish among Most Google Reviewers for this Place. 🤔 Also, I personally enjoy Pork Trotters 猪脚 lah. 😅

The Dish comes in 2 Big Boned Pieces and I thought the Pig Skin and Fat were Super Soft, Tender and Melt in Mouth Quality. 一咬就破 type. 😋 Soft, Sticky and Gelatinous, this Fat was So Sinful to Eat. 😋

Meat was Soft and Tender. It was Porky but Not Overly So. 👍 The Braised Sauce is really the Soul of the Dish for Everything. Like all Pork Trotters, there are alot bits of Gelatinous Fats hanging on the Bone, 🍖 and I found myself enjoying gnawing at every bit of it. 😋 This is a Nice Braised Pork Trotter that has been Stewed Very Nicely. Pairing this with the Lu Rou Fan was nice because it added more Meat. 🍖

That said, again I feel that while this is Above Average, Tasty Braised Pork Trotter, I feel there is also nothing really particularly special about it if you have eaten enough Pork Trotters before. 🤔

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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At the Price of TWD90 (S$4.00) for 2 Pieces of 鼎旺豬腳 Pork Trotters, they were Tasty, but I didn't feel it was Particularly Affordable since there were only 2 Pieces of it. 🤔

As Good and Melt in the Mouth as the Pork Skin, Fat and Meats were, there were not alot of them actually. I thought just 2 Pieces of Trotters felt kindda Expensive for the Price. 💵🤔

At the Price of TWD30 (S$1.50) for the 魯肉飯, it was Affordable, but you also need to have Realistic Expectations that this is Not Something that will fill you up. 🤔

If you really break it down, its just a Small Bowl of Rice with maybe 1 Tablespoon of Chopped Up Braised Pork Belly lum with Braised Sauce. 🤔

In fact, the More I ate 魯肉飯, the More I felt, this probably originated as a Poor People Food. 🤔 I can totally see its Origins as People in the Past who couldn't afford to buy alot of Meat. So they just buy some Cheap Meat Scraps, Braising them and eating just abit of them paired with Rice. 🍚 I'm not sure if this is the Exact History of how this Dish came about, but it really sure feels that way due to how little Meat there was. 😅

Is it this Place really worth the Visit? Yes, if you want to showoff on Social Media that you've been to a Michelin Rated 魯肉飯. 😅 Don't get me wrong, I like this Place, the Food is Tasty, Staffs are Friendly and Polite and I have Zero Issues with it. 👍

I just feel it is really not necessary to take the Time and Effort to really come to this Particular Eatery just to eat it. 🤔 I feel this tastes just like any 魯肉飯 out there. 🤔 A Good Tasting 魯肉飯, but ultimately still just a Regular 魯肉飯. 🍚