A popular Kaohsiung snack recommended by Shu Guozhi too—juicy pan-fried soup dumplings!

Text and photos byXiao Hu's Dream Food Blog

The first thing I usually do when boarding a high-speed train is flip through the high-speed rail magazine, then find the section where Teacher Shu Guozhi talks about finding snacks after getting off the train. If I happen to be going somewhere nearby, I’ll go try it out. That’s how I discovered this very famous and popular snack in Kaohsiung.

After getting off at Zuoying Station, I transferred to the metro and headed to Kaohsiung Station. It took me about 15 minutes to walk to the shop under the blazing sun, as it’s right at the entrance and very easy to find. Plus, the crowd of people waiting for takeout outside was also a clear sign.

There were lots of people outside, and naturally, plenty inside too. I ended up waiting nearly ten minutes for a seat. By the way, be prepared to share a table when you eat here.

The walls are covered with newspapers, magazines, and photos from TV news and food show interviews. It seems to be a very famous spot locally in Kaohsiung.

All customers must be present before being seated, and you have to order everything at once—no additions allowed... which goes to show just how busy the place is.

The menu is really simple—they only serve xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and thin tofu strip soup, plus their signature pan-fried soup dumplings.

Before going in, I took a quick look at how the staff were cooking the xiaolongbao. They use a flat pan with water to pan-fry them—seemed like no oil was added. As a result, the bottom of the dumplings isn’t greasy at all, but the crispy texture I prefer wasn’t very obvious either. Instead, it had a slightly drier chewiness, at least on the wrapper.

But luckily, these pan-fried soup dumplings are super juicy. One bite fills your mouth with delicious broth, and the meat filling isn’t too oily either. It’s purely the sweet flavor of the meat, and it’s really tasty.

Next, the xiaolongbao wrappers are extremely thin but not a single one is broken—just that alone deserves praise.

The burst of juice when you bite into them is even more satisfying than the pan-fried ones, and the sweetness of the filling is even more pronounced. I even wondered if it could be any sweeter. Overall, they’re really delicious soup dumplings. If I had to nitpick, it’s that there’s less of the green onion aroma I prefer.

For the record, pan-fried soup dumplings and xiaolongbao feel quite different. First, the former has a thicker wrapper, and second, the meat filling feels richer and saltier in the pan-fried ones.

The thin tofu strip soup might be less common in Taipei, but it’s everywhere in the south. The broth is light, with the sweet taste of bone broth and the aroma of tofu and green onions. It’s not particularly amazing, but it’s very refreshing, and pairs perfectly with pan-fried soup dumplings.

The tofu puffs taste just as you’d expect, but the bean curd skin wrapped around minced meat filling is quite unique and especially delicious. I love it.

The fine noodles are soft and mushy—not too many of them—but soaking up the broth makes them pretty tasty.

On a side note, there’s also a famous dessert shop on the same street called “Zhang Jia Hao.” I first noticed it because of its unique name.

That day, I ordered taro fresh milk. At first, I thought it was just a drink with milk and taro, but it turned out to have whole pieces of tender stewed taro and a layer of something jelly-like and QQ-textured, plus just poured fresh milk. So it doesn’t have the cloying sweetness of a regular drink—it’s quite nice. Unfortunately, I underestimated it and didn’t take any photos….

Shanghai Pan-Fried Soup Dumplings
Address: No. 208, Rehe 1st St., Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-3220702
Business Hours: 11:45–20:30 (Closed on Fridays)

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