A popular snack shop at Huangshi Market in Huangshi District—sesame oil-infused rice and sweet-sour soups

Text & Photos /Xiaohu’s Dream Food Blog

I often joke that I’m from Jiangzicui and Xinpuyi but not Banqiao, because my usual stomping grounds in Banqiao are limited to these two stations. So when some fellow Banqiao locals tell me about all the local eats, especially street food, I usually haven’t tried—or even heard of—most of them.

Recently, a netizen mentioned a place called “Qiuxiang’s Shop” to me, which rang absolutely no bells—but when she said it was near Huangshi Market at Fuzhong Station, I got a vague sense of recognition. Following that memory, I found my target right across from Cihui Temple on Gongkou Street.

Before this, I had noticed this busy little shop while looking for food around Huangshi Market. The diners all seemed to be locals, and I guessed then that it was probably an old, established eatery.

At first, I thought it was a roadside stall, but it turned out to be a small air-conditioned eatery with a pretty clean dining environment.

Lately, Xiaohu has noticed many snack shops switching to utensil dispensers like this—turns out even snack shops are keeping up with the trends =)

Pretty much everything on the wall is what they sell: mainly sesame oil rice and various soups, along with some noodle dishes and side dishes. They also offer celebratory sesame oil rice for full-moon parties, so it’s clear this shop is a big deal in Banqiao.

Sesame oil rice, mixed soup, a plate of pork belly, and a plate of assorted side dishes—if I remember correctly, it came to 170 NT.

The thoughtful trio of side dishes included marinated egg, kelp, and dried tofu. If I recall, that set was 30 NT—so about 10 NT per item. The overall taste was just as you’d expect: fairly average, nothing particularly memorable.

I think the pork belly was around 50 NT. The slices were relatively thin, with a roughly one-to-one ratio of fat to lean, and featured a slightly crispy and chewy skin. The sweetness was nice, but the texture was a bit off. It came with a traditional, old-school garlic-chili-soy sauce, which made it a decent enough side dish.

The mixed soup cost 60 NT. The broth had a bit of a starchy thickening agent—a texture I’m not fond of—but the flavor, with fried shallots, preserved mustard greens, and a hint of vinegar, was actually quite pleasant.

There were two types of soup: one was a crisp and sweet squid soup, and the other was a more unique pork meatball soup. Between the two, I preferred the squid soup for both texture and sweetness. The pork meatball soup wasn’t bad, but the meat felt a bit mushy—or perhaps the coating was a bit too heavy.

Frankly, this bowl of sesame oil rice didn’t look all that appealing. My first impression was that it might be a bit dry—and indeed, it was somewhat dry. It carried a faint, lingering sesame oil aroma, and the more you chewed, the more flavor you got. The shredded pork was the highlight and the standout feature. The long, thin shreds were similar to the kind we usually see in sesame oil rice, while the other type resembled more like sliced pork, which had a more natural flavor but tasted a bit dry.

I’m not sure if it was just that day or if it’s usually like this, but I felt the sesame oil wasn’t very well mixed into the rice. Also, for some reason, the top part was softer while the bottom was chewier. Compared to this, I actually prefer the sesame oil rice I shared before from Xinpuyi Market—[Hu’s Random Binge Eats] [Xinpuyi Station], in the Hopeful Breakfasts series: sesame oil rice + steamed buns + thin toast.

Qiuxiang’s Shop:
No. 2, Gongkou Street, Banqiao District, New Taipei City
Tel: 02-8969-9116
Business Hours: 11:00–20:00

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