It’s almost the size of a palm!! These generously stuffed taiyaki are bursting with fillings and priced affordably.

Text & Photos /Shadow

After finishing our meal at Soowoor Korean Cuisine, my husband still felt his stomach wasn’t quite full, so we started looking for our next stop. Right across from Soowoor, we spotted Shiao Xin Taiyaki. My husband mentioned seeing a friend post a photo of it on Facebook and thought it looked pretty tasty, so he insisted on buying a few to take home.

We originally planned to just buy two to satisfy our cravings, but then we noticed the big promotional sign at the shop—buy five for just NT$168. That guy actually changed his mind and asked the cashier to ring up five. Shadow thought the Korean food had already filled her stomach, leaving no room for more taiyaki, but she couldn’t resist her husband and ended up joining him in this indulgence.

Since the taiyaki are made fresh to order, the staff kindly informed us that it would take about twenty minutes, and advised us to place the order only if we were willing to wait. This service was quite thoughtful—some people could go browse nearby and come back when it’s ready, saving time.

In the end, we chose to stay and watch the entire process of the taiyaki being made. The staff only pour the batter after an order is placed, then add different ingredients based on the chosen flavors. We ordered two savory ones and three sweet ones.

For the savory flavors, we got ham & cheese and corn & cheese—the ham and corn were piled on super thick, almost bursting out. Just adding the fillings and waiting for the ingredients and batter to cook through took quite a while. Once the batter was about 80% cooked, the two halves are joined to form the complete taiyaki.

After the taiyaki are sealed, they’re left to cook a little longer to ensure the filling and batter are fully done. When they’re almost ready, the staff scrape the edges slightly to help separate the taiyaki from the iron plate, then package them in paper bags according to flavor.

We picked five flavors: cream, white bean paste with red beans, chocolate, ham & cheese, and corn & cheese. The golden, plump taiyaki were so adorable—we quickly packed them up while they were still warm to enjoy at home.

While watching the taiyaki being made, another customer ordered takoyaki. Out of curiosity, we snapped a photo—the process is quite similar to regular takoyaki, with the main difference being the fillings. However, the cooking time is even shorter than taiyaki, so there wasn’t much of a wait.

The finished takoyaki looked quite different from the usual round ones sold elsewhere. This portion cost NT$60, which seemed a bit pricey.

Once we got home, we immediately opened the savory taiyaki. The filling was overflowing—I always thought taiyaki were somewhat similar to Taiwan’s wheel cakes, but they’re completely different. The ham and cheese inside were incredibly fragrant, and every bite was packed with that savory goodness. The flavor of the taiyaki batter itself was completely overpowered, but each one was super filling and made for a satisfying afternoon snack.

Next, we tried the corn & cheese one. With added mayonnaise and seaweed powder, the corn & cheese was just as generous in portion and didn’t taste any worse than the ham & cheese. The only downside was that the corn kernels kept falling out. Still, it left us completely full.

It was stuffed with so many corn kernels that every bite was mostly corn—but it was honestly hard to hold and eat. If a kid were eating it, the corn would probably end up all over the floor.

We had my husband hold one taiyaki in his palm—it was nearly the size of an entire hand. For the average woman’s appetite, one would probably be enough.

Finally, we tried the three sweet flavors. I went for my favorite—cream first. It tasted similar to the cream filling in wheel cakes, making it a pretty classic flavor. The white bean paste with red beans wasn’t overly sweet, while Shadow didn’t get to try the chocolate one because my husband ate it all.

Overall, the savory flavors were more unique and left us feeling much more satisfied. The sweet ones were good, but lacked that wow factor. Shiao Xin Taiyaki is mainly sold in the food court of department stores. If you’re taking a break from shopping and want a little snack—or even as an afternoon treat for office workers—taiyaki is definitely a great choice. Just something to consider.

【Shiao Xin Taiyaki (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zuoying Branch)】
Address: B2, No. 123, GaoTie Rd., Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City
Business Hours: 11:00–22:00 (opens 30 mins earlier on Sat & Sun)

Kaohsiung Food Adventure Blog　Kaohsiung Foodies FB Fan Page