For ordinary people in Tainan, the frequency of traveling to Tokyo and Osaka is even higher than to Taipei. This time, Ada took advantage of a break from work in Taipei to visit a longtime friend Jack at Taipei 101. Jack is not only an expert in Japanese real estate; he is also the young master of Sanchong’s historic “五燈獎” braised pork rice restaurant.
Besides revealing Jack’s family background and brand plans, the video also unboxes the “Bian Helu set meal” at the Taipei 101 store, checking how this gelatinous northern braised pork rice combo differs from the Tainan minced pork rice that Ada knows well.
Video chapters
- 00:00 It’s rare to come to Taipei! Ada heads to Taipei 101 to visit a mysterious friend at work.
- 00:40 Japanese real estate expert and Five Lamps Award heir Jack makes his entrance.
- 01:46 Waseda University top student Jack’s brand vision
- 03:00 Plan for Wudengjiang Meal Kits to Enter the Japanese Market
- 05:37 The reasons for entering Taipei 101 and sharpening skills through store expansion
- 07:34 Taipei 101 Must-Order Meals Set Unboxing
- 09:22 Honest Review of Northern-Style Braised Pork Rice Full of Collagen
- 09:46 Summary and Experience Sharing
Jack isn’t just a Japan real estate expert — he’s also the heir to the Wudengjiang braised pork rice restaurant.
When Ada was filming videos about buying property in Japan, he once asked Jack to share his expertise on Japanese real estate. It wasn’t until they’d known each other for a while that he learned this Waseda graduate was also the young heir to the famous Five Lamps Award braised pork rice restaurant in northern Taiwan. This visit wasn’t just a meal — it also gave Jack a chance to explain his decision to step out of his comfort zone and expand into the Japanese market.
Bringing Taiwanese Flavors to Japan: Meal Kits and a Cross-Border Online Shopping Plan
The video discusses the plan for Five Lamps Award meal kits to enter the Japanese market. For Taiwanese people living long-term in Japan, familiar flavors like minced pork sauce, braised pork, and the taste of home are not always easy to access; for Japanese consumers, flavors such as minced pork sauce and star anise are often seen as distinctive Taiwanese culinary characteristics. Jack hopes to extend the brand from its Taiwan stores to the Japanese market through meal kits and online shopping.
Why choose to set up in Taipei 101?
The Five Lamps Award was already quite well known in northern Taiwan, yet it still chose to enter Taipei 101—not just to open another branch. Based on Jack’s sharing, the 101 store seems more like a training ground before the brand goes international: first gaining experience in a high-traffic tourist area with demanding operations, walking through potential processes and issues in real practice, and then preparing for future expansion and overseas development.
Taipei 101 store must-try: “Bianhelu Set Meal”
Moving to the actual tasting segment, Jack recommends the 邊荷律 set meal at the store. The meal combo featured in the video covers items that can be recreated with the 五燈獎 meal kits, including braised pork rice paired with shredded bamboo shoots. With all the relevant meal kits on hand, you can also recreate a similar meal at home. If you want to cook directly at home, you can also check out 五燈獎’s…Official online shopping items。
Different from Tainan’s braised pork rice: the collagen is pronounced, and the sauce and meat are rich.
As a representative of Tainan flavors, Ada found after tasting that this northern braised pork rice takes a different route from Tainan’s minced pork rice. Wu Deng Jiang’s braised pork has a notably prominent gelatinous texture, and the sweetness of both the sauce and meat is more pronounced. Although it’s not the flavor profile commonly found in Tainan, it still earned an overall “delicious” rating. If you happen to be near Taipei 101, you can stop by the Wu Deng Jiang location to try the Bian Helu set meal and compare which northern or southern flavor you prefer.
Source: KOCPC Chinese