Crispy pan-fried pork buns that squirt juice in Taichung & the popular mango milk ice

Text & Photos /Sir San Gao

It’s been a while since I last visited Taichung. Aside from Taipei, it’s also a place with quite a few Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai style restaurants. Huang’s Black Sugar Shaved Ice in Nantun is near the Hushè Aftertaste, so I figured I’d just have lunch at Hushè and then head to Huang’s for some ice—summer is just too hot！

The main items at Hushè are pan-fried pork buns, along with a few other dim sum choices. This kind of Suzhou-Hangzhou, Shanghai-style small eatery isn’t seen too often. There aren’t many options, but there’s usually one or two signature dishes, like buns, fried tofu with vermicelli, or xiaolongbao... etc. You can have a simple and satisfying dim sum meal without ordering expensive main dishes.

Before the pan-fried pork buns arrived, I tried the xiaolongbao first. The skin is a bit different from those at some famous xiaolongbao shops—it’s slightly sticky, and the overall texture isn’t particularly soft or limp. Sometimes you get ones like that, but it’s not something I dislike. The meat filling is juicy and full, not greasy, and the seasoning is rather simple and honest. It’s tasty but doesn’t have a particularly unique character. My current favorite xiaolongbao are from Taipei’s Huanglongzhuang, and Taichung’s Qinyuanchun are also pretty good.

The pan-fried pork buns are bigger in size, and the bottoms have a decent crispness. In my hasty bite, the meat juice squirted right out of the side of my mouth (surprise！). The meat filling tastes the same as in the xiaolongbao, but I think the pan-fried buns have a better overall feel—they’re pretty good. The jade-green pan-fried buns seem to be stuffed with shepherd’s purse; they’re not dry inside and have a wild, earthy flavor, and the chopping is okay—the fibers aren’t rough.

It’s a small eatery where passersby can pop in for a meal when it’s not crowded. Next up, let’s go for some shaved ice！

Huang

Huang’s is a well-known spot nearby. You might have to wait over 10 minutes in the afternoon, whether you’re dining in or taking away. In summer, of course, you’d want to go for the mango milk ice, plus a plate of fruit milk snowflake. Compared to the now-ubiquitous mango milk ice that costs over a hundred bucks everywhere, this place is much more affordable. Sweet Ataulfo mangoes with mango sauce, condensed milk, and topped with a scoop of mango ice cream—absolutely delightful.

Hushè Aftertaste
Address: No. 537, Section 2, Gōngyì Rd., Nántún District, Taichung City
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Huang’s Black Sugar Shaved Ice
Address: No. 234, Section 2, Límíng Rd., Nántún District, Taichung City
Business Hours: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM

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