Taipei: Must-Try Braised Pork Rice at Tian Tian Li Mei Shi Fang (天天利美食坊) in Ximending

I had breakfast at Tian Tian Li Mei Shi Fang (天天利美食坊) the morning after I stayed in Ximending. I think this is the best breakfast spot in Ximending area. The shop has an open-air kitchen, giving it the feel of a Taiwanese market, but there are plenty of tables inside. The interior is packed with counter seats, tables, and people. Of course, you can also order food to go. They don’t serve alcoholic beverages and don’t allow customers to bring their own.

At the entrance, I picked up an order sheet before finding a seat. They offer menus in English and Japanese. After filling out the order sheet, I handed it to a staff member and paid for my meal.

A large menu is displayed above the shop, visible from outside. They serve a variety of Taiwanese dishes, particularly ones suited for breakfast.

The service is generally quick.

This is braised pork rice (滷肉飯), a classic Taiwanese dish. The regular braised pork rice costs 25 TWD, but I opted for the version with a fried egg (加煎蛋滷肉飯). I had heard that adding a half-cooked fried egg was the best choice at this shop, so I ordered it without hesitation. I love half-cooked eggs with their runny yolks! Many Taiwanese restaurants serve fully cooked eggs, so finding a half-cooked egg is rare.

Braised pork rice with fried egg (加煎蛋滷肉飯) 35 TWD

The dish doesn’t have a strong flavor of star anise or other Chinese spices, making it easy to enjoy even for those who aren’t fans of Taiwanese spices. Beneath the fried egg, there’s plenty of minced pork hidden among the rice. I also think their rice is better quality compared to other shops; it suits Japanese tastes.

Each table has chili oil available. As a fan of spicy food, I added some to my braised pork rice after a while. It was delicious! Don’t worry—the chili oil isn’t as spicy as it looks.

I also ordered fish ball soup, which came with two soft and rather large fish balls. The texture was as soft as marshmallows, and the soup was garnished with celery for a refreshing taste.