Traditional snacks with the charm of yesteryear: pork ball soup and fluffy sponge cake

Text & Photos /San Gao Eats China

The second stop at noon was Ah Shi’s stall, which we had just passed by. It’s located at the entrance of an alley next to South China Road, a stall full of old-time charm. After finishing the pork balls and side dishes, we headed out to the Huwei Street market along Zhongzheng Road. The duck cake we had tried before was still being grilled over charcoal by the roadside. This time, we opted for another long-established sponge cake shop.

When we walked up to Ah Shi’s stall, we couldn’t help but take a few photos. The old iron signboard overhead still reads “Nutritious,” and the side dishes in the glass case, along with the soup and pork knuckle on the wooden stall, were quite appealing. I imagine it would feel even more atmospheric at night, sitting at the stall under those lights... Hmm—but it’s not open in the evening.

It turns out there’s a seating area inside the adjacent shop, perhaps a later addition? I heard their braised pork rice and fresh fish soup are also good, but having just finished a bowl of noodles, I wasn’t up for much—just some side dishes and pork balls.

This bowl of soup didn’t leave much of an impression on me—mushrooms, bamboo shoots, cabbage, dried small fish, egg drops... hearty pork belly, straightforward old-school flavors. But I overheard an elderly customer say he only wanted the soup, no meat—it seemed he just wanted to drink the broth, a taste he’d grown accustomed to.

The few side dishes were pretty good—the lean part of the sausage was firm yet slightly chewy, not overly dry, and paired nicely with garlic slices. The more I ate, the better it tasted, and the fragrance of the Chinese herbal spice powder made me want to eat several slices.

The three-color egg was ordered on a whim because it looked so cute in the glass case. It must be homemade. Laid out in a row, it was almost too much, but a few pieces were quite nice—I especially liked the big chunks of duck yolk.

Pork ball soup… it’s best not to order pork ball soup outside of Hsinchu.

The aforementioned sponge cake became our post-meal treat. It’s shaped like chestnuts, and while the texture isn’t crispy-soft, it’s not too dense or dry either—light and fluffy, with a strong aroma. Fans of this type of sponge cake might really enjoy it~

Ah Shi’s Mushroom Pork Ball Soup
Address: No. 1, Lane 31, South China Road, Huwei Township, Yunlin County
Business Hours: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Classic Old-Style Sponge Cake
Address: Intersection of Zhongshan Road and Zhongzheng Road, Huwei Township, Yunlin County
Business Hours: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

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