Porridge Place

delicious side dishes. specially the cold appetisers. cucumbers, tofu noodles and the garlic mustard !! quick service is an added place. !!

What is more comforting than a bowl of porridge? The addition of yummy side dishes.
Second time coming here with friends and it has yet to disappoint me. Recommendations: Tofu with Perserved Eggs, Napa Cabbage, Eggplant and Dried Bean Curd. But everything goes well with the porridge!
Try this place if you’re in the area!

I have not the words for the this place. Seriously, there are no words I understood in the menu or outside, or anywhere (all in Chinese!). Well, ok, there were a few words. Words like the name of the place, and «Lunch Special — pick three» were about all I was about to make out.
Now, food can be a universal language, and as much, all I did was point at all kinds (well, three of all kinds) of foreign things and just saw my plate fill up.
When I got to a table, they gave me a bowl of sweet potato rice porridge, and I was in Taiwanese food heaven.
Definitely a return lunch visit will happen.

Grilled salty fish (mackerel?), mustard greens, garlicky cucumber and carrot salad.
Big bowl of porridge studded with yam/​sweet potato pieces.
MM-​MMMM-​YUMMM.
Now *this* is the perfect comfort food, on a grey threatening overcast day like today.
Bonus: Taiwanese being spoken at the next table.
Ahhhhh. Feels kind of like childhood.
:D

Been coming here since high school and I’m still a fan. My mom and I always order from the «fast food» section instead of ordering food from the kitchen. They have a lunch deal on weekdays which is more than enough for one person. For almost $ 7.00 you choose 3 items from the lineup, take a seat and chow down. They bring the porridge with huge yam chunks, warm tea and the plate of food to your table. You pay at the front when you’re done.
It’s a no frills place and very homie which I love. Great if you have time for lunch but not tons of time– know what I mean? Don’t want fast food but you don’t want sit down and wait until the kitchen is done preparing your food too.
Great on a cold day since the porridge will warm you and it’s also great on hot days since they have cold dishes like bitter melon, pickled cucumber, squid and others. I want this now and I just ate lunch!
Parking is troublesome since it’s in Cupertino Village but it’s manageable.

Oh man, where to even start? The porridge here is fantastic – love that it comes with yams – and all of the side dishes are fresh to death. I’ve been here several times (two times with my gramma, who is totally OG), and have yet to have a bad meal here.
It’s nothing flashy – just good old fashioined comfort food. Taiwanese style (aka baller-​style)
Yes, the service can be a little lacking, especially if you come here during off-​peak hours (say 3pm), but the food makes up for it. The parking in Cupertino Village also sucks. Ugh, I would definitely come here more often if I didn’t hate parking there so much. Seriously. It’s like California just handed out drivers licenses to everybody and anybody.
So, anyways.
You can also get the food to-​go, which is like magic to me. Oh man, there’s a good chance I’m stopping by here for dinner tonight. Yum, yum, yum.

No visit to the Bay Area is complete without lunch at Porridge Place. I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE. It’s nothing flashy but it’s Taiwanese comfort food at it’s best. I prefer going at lunch instead of dinner because the lunch deal makes it more worth it: $ 6.50 for all-​you-​can-​eat porridge + 3 side dish choices. The portions are huge for lunch, enough to take leftovers home. The only thing that dinner has on lunch at Porridge Place is the century egg and tofu dish which is one of their best dishes. They don’t offer it as a part of the lunch deal, but you can order it as another side dish.
Usually there’s a wait during the peak lunch hours. When your table is ready, just go straight up to the buffet section in the back and pick out your 3 side dish choices from the 20+ they have pre-​made. Don’t worry if you can’t speak Chinese or don’t know what it’s called; pointing is sufficient. They’ll bring those and the pot of porridge to your table, along with tea or water. I always take forever to decide because all the dishes look so tasty, but somehow I always seem to end up with at least two of these three: the spicy marinated tripe, the bamboo shoots, and the sliced stomach with pickled vegetables. If you go with more people, you can get different choices and share.
The rice porridge at Porridge Place isn’t quite like how mom makes it at home because they add yam to it. I don’t particularly like the yam so I avoid the big pieces and go for the smaller bits, but if you like yam then you’ll love this porridge. The consistency of the porridge is perfect, not too thick and not too watery. Free refills of the porridge too!
**Cash only!

If you want something cheap, fast and tasty for a weak stomach, this is a good option in Cupertino village. For lunch, you can order 3 items to go with a pot of porridge cooked with bits of yam. I recommend the minced pork, bamboo shoots, and meatballs. The squid is a bit tough and chewy.
Service is fast, friendly and helpful. The ambiance and décor is simple and clean for a fast food joint. Parking is ample in the lot.

After several days of stuffing myself to the max, I literally needed a break from the routine.
The idea of porridge sounded appealing. Warm and soothing, it’s often the perfect antidote when feeling ill or suffering from eating a little too much.
The porridge served here is Taiwanese-​style and more of a «rice boiled with water» than an actual porridge. There are yams in the porridge, but otherwise no seasoning or other ingredients.
You choose three sides for $ 6.50 to accompany your meal and there is quite a variety of items. I ended up choosing the pork meatballs, string beans, and ground pork.
Each side was fairly tasty and, with the plain porridge, a nice combination. A few sides were a tad oily, but overall, not too bad.
My personal preference for porridge is the thicker Cantonese-​style with simple ingredients like sliced fish, pork blood, or minced beef. But given there isn’t a solid Cantonese option in Cupertino Village, Porridge Place did a fine job substituting and giving my stomach a well deserved break.
Porridge Place is cash only.