A local Taiwanese experience @ Duck Rice Shop, Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

We had such a great time in Kaohsiung! Such friendly and helpful people, fantastic warm sunny weather (perfect for biking), and yummy eats for cheap! We arrived late morning, and after putting down our luggage, we set out to the streets nearby the hotel to look for our lunch. Armed with just a copy of the map provided by the hotel, we headed to a place marked simply on the map as "Duck Rice". We arrived at a shop with a simple sign above the entrance that read "Duck Meat Rice" in Chinese.

This little diner was full of local people eating their lunch, and the kitchen and staff were busy as bees. As was expected, there was no English menu and no one spoke English, yet everyone - staff and patrons alike - were willing to help out this girl speaking broken Chinese and accompanied by an obviously foreign-looking family. With a lot of pointing and gestures, I managed to order a full meal for the three of us, as well as convey the fact that my son has allergies to certain ingredients. As I was placing my order, I heard someone behind me speaking fluent English asking if I needed help, and it turned out to be this scholarly-looking guy who had just arrived to order and enjoy his duck rice meal. Then the man sitting at a table nearby (one of the kind folks who tried to help me) asked the guy to make sure I knew what I'd ordered. Such nice people! The food was great, and it was very affordable! Everything we ordered came under NT$400 - a bargain to feed two adults and a kid.

A small bowl of rice topped with shredded duck meat and pickled ginger. Tasty and healthy bowl:

A plate of duck leg, chopped into slices. The duck was quite meaty, and was rather different to the Hong Kong roast/BBQ versions:

Simply stir-fried beansprouts with soy sauce, green onion and pork lard:

Soup with bouncy homemade fish balls:

Tasty food, friendly people and a bargain! I loved how local this place was, as it really added to the Taiwanese experience.

七賢鴨肉飯 ("Qixian Duck Meat Rice")
220 Qīxián 2nd Road,
Qianjin District,
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 801
Tel. +886 7 287 4562
(between Zhōnghuá 3rd Road and Xīnshèng 1st Street)

Address in alternative pinyin:
220 Cisan 2nd Road, between Jhonghua 3rd Road and Sinsheng 1st Street