【慶昇小館 CHING-SHENG Restaurant】南臺灣第一炒飯Slogan No.1 fried-rice in south Taiwan @ 臺灣餐飲老店 Long-established Restaurants in Taiwan

The Top Ten Gourmet Fried Rice Ranking in Taiwan published by Yam last year (2013) caused a sensation among the public. Taking a closer look at the shortlist, the top three were restaurants in northern Taiwan followed by CHING-SHENG Restaurant in Chiayi, thus it is said to be the no. 1 fried rice in southern Taiwan.

CHING-SHENG Restaurant opened for business in 1990. At the time, the region was a blooming distributing center for groceries, and there were also a large number of restaurants and renowned theaters such as Qingsheng (Ching-Sheng) Theater, Huanan Theater, and Xinrong Theater. Restaurant founder Rong-Ji Jiang was the old chef at the now famous souvenir supplier in Chiayi called Fuyishan. Although he too opened up his pastry factory, he was caught in the middle of an economic recession in the pastry industry, therefore he closed the factory and looked for alternative opportunities. Fortunately, one of his relatives is the owner of Qingsheng (Ching-Sheng) Theater and he was allowed to set up a stall at the arcade outside of Qingsheng (Ching-Sheng) Theater, hence the name CHING-SHENG Restaurant.

Originally, CHING-SHENG Restaurant only sold noodles, but after observing the cinema goers, he realized that in order to enter the theater on time, they needed food that could be served quickly. Furthermore, due to the hot climate in the south, rice as a staple food is more filling, therefore Rong-Ji Jiang applied his pastry technique to fried rice. However, during the startup stage, even with its closeness to the theater, the stall did not have as many consumers as he had imagined. Despite selling till midnight, he struggled to earn more than NT$3,000 per month, but he decided to persevere.

Perhaps he didn’t want his offspring to endure the hardship like he did, when his son Ming-Xian Jiang wanted to take over the family business, he adamantly opposed the idea because he believed that working in the snack food industry is looked down upon easily and it may even be difficult to find a wife. However, with an education background in nutrition science, Ming-Xian Jiang hoped to apply his knowledge to the family business, therefore he chose to walk down this path despite his father’s objections.

Wearing a headscarf and emanating a cool demeanor, Ming-Xian Jiang also experienced a period of transition when he first took over the restaurant, and the most daunting period was the days he spent looking for a decent storefront. From a small stall to the current address, the restaurant went through three relocations. With the emergence of popular cinemas, old fashioned theaters gradually became out of vogue and ultimately they could not escape the fate of demolishment. As a result, CHING-SHENG Restaurant had no choice but to move its business to across the cinema. After searching high and low, Jiang finally found the old house situated on Xinrong Rd.

The attractive appearance of the restaurant’s modern façade masks the once dilapidated, run down condition of its former self, and the building was taunted as a “ghost house”, even the banks thought that there was no way he could start a successful business here and refused to loan him money. In desperation, he had to use the family factory as collateral to purchase the house, which underwent three renovations to completely revamp the broken-down architecture. Great care was taken to implement oil-smoke separation in the kitchen. He believes fried rice is an easily replicated and replaced food, therefore he strives for self enhancement by offering his patrons a wonderful dining environment and by making catering more glamorous.

CHING-SHENG Restaurant was initially founded next to a theater, hence Ming-Xian Jiang hopes that his restaurant can document the past and look into the future, just like a movie. Consequently, he has collaborated with artists to organize local image exhibitions; through photos and paintings, he aims to promote the local culture and elevate the added values of the restaurant. In the past, Chiayi was merely a place where tourists pass through on their way to Alishan, CHING-SHENG Restaurant wants to become a tourist destination where people can stay longer in order to appreciate the local customs and hospitality.

Tidy seating arrangement in the restaurant.

Beef fried rice：Using Taiken 16 rice from Dalin, highly recommended by the COA, condiment such as Bull Head satay sauce is added to evoke the nostalgic flavor among the consumers. The chuck tender portion of the beef is used to give a tenderer, almost sirloin steak like texture.

Seafood fried noodles：Using the concept of hodgepodge, seafood ingredients such as squid, fish balls, clams and shrimps are added to the noodle to create the sumptuous, filling dish.

Wonton soup：Originally, small wontons were used to produce this dish, however, in light of the restaurant’s proximity to cram schools, large wontons were adopted to fill up the students’ stomachs and replenish their energy for class.

Beef and scallion stir-fry：Using the chuck tender portion of beef as in the beef fried rice, the stir-frying time must be accurately controlled to create the rich aroma, tender texture that remain delicious even after it has been served for a while.

Clam stir-fry：Fresh clams from the morning market are used to create the fresh, seafood flavor. No additional seasoning is added apart from basil and green onions. The simplicity of the dish allows the patrons to taste the original flavor of the food.