Shrimp meatballs and egg yolk pork buns — a quick guide to the must-try eats at Tainan’s century-old Yamao Liao Market

Text and photos bySan Gao Chi Han

On the third morning in Tainan, it was still raining. As someone who loves exploring traditional markets, I decided to pay my first visit to Yamao Liao Market early in the day. Why so early? Because I wanted to try their pork buns~

Yamao Liao Market, along with Dongcai Market, Ximarket (Dacai Market), and Shuixian Palace Market, all have histories of around a hundred years or nearly so. Therefore, you can easily spot shops and stalls that have been around for decades. Walking in from Chenggong Road, you’ll see a angelica duck shop on your right — apparently a well-known long-standing stall in the market, though it hadn’t started business yet.

Across the street is Songxiang Cake Shop. I found out about it through a local food blogger known as A’A Jiao (You Don’t Know About Tainan Snacks). Songxiang mainly sells longevity peaches and red turtle cakes. The most popular item is said to be their freshly baked signature buns, which often sell out by 8 a.m. It was just past 7:30 a.m., and customers were already starting to line up. Perhaps due to the rain, the place felt a bit quieter.

There are two price points for the pork buns — I think they were 15 and 20 NT dollars. Truthfully, I didn’t notice much difference in taste (I’m not very discerning), maybe it’s the amount of filling? But I won’t dwell on that~

The pork buns were actually quite a pleasant surprise. The top is a thick layer of bun skin, and the bottom holds the meat filling. Though the bun skin is thick, it’s not dry or flavorless. The naturally fermented dough gives it elasticity, and when you tear it open, there are plenty of fine air pockets. It has a good chewiness — not too tough — and carries a nice wheat aroma. The flavor is distinctly sweet, and even if you eat just the bun skin like a steamed bun, it’s actually pretty good.

The filling is a mix of lean and some fatty meat, salted egg yolk, and mushrooms, creating a slightly rich and crispy texture. The meat, egg yolk, and mushrooms blend well together, and the taste is quite good. However, the sweetness of the seasoning is not light. I found it enjoyable and quite tasty, but you do have to get up early to buy them.

Stepping out of the market and heading to Yumin Street nearby, Quancheng Dim Sum Shop is a sixty-year-old establishment. The first-generation owner, Wu Quan, apprenticed at a Japanese restaurant and later opened his own shop, becoming famous for its fried foods. The shop serves noodles paired with fried items, which is different from the usual noodle-and-pickled side dish combo.

The person running the stall now is a young person. At this time, aside from some meatballs used for soup, the selection mainly includes shrimp rolls, fish cakes, fried meatballs, and fried shrimp — you pick what you want.

Walking further ahead, you’ll find an unnamed sausage and cooked meat stall. I heard it’s also a long-standing one. The boss is very friendly (answers all questions) — just tell him how much you want to buy.

Going further forward to near the alley entrance, you’ll see a stall selling shrimp meatballs. On a whim, I bought one serving, and only later found out this stall is called Caifeng. The meatballs, displayed in bamboo steamers, looked quite substantial one by one.

(Next door is a stall selling fresh liver, tendon, bone-in meat, and other small dishes)

From this end of Yumin Street, you can enter the interior of Yamao Liao Market. This time, I came in to pick up some things to take back and eat — I didn’t plan to hang around too long.

(Song Village Smoked Flavor Flagship Store)

(Old-Town Tainan Smoked Flavor)

(Charcoal Grilled Garbage Noodles)

Back at the hotel, I could finally enjoy breakfast. The fried items from Quancheng Dim Sum Shop were indeed good — solid Taiwanese flavors, the fish cakes and meatballs were Q (chewy), and that fried shrimp cake was fragrant too. Overall, it was less rough than I had expected.

The noodles were just average — well, not the highlight anyway.

The shrimp meatballs from Caifeng come with a sauce packet. For just 35 NT dollars, you get three pieces. The skin is quite elastic and tender, the filling isn’t loose or mushy like meat sauce, and there's a whole shrimp inside. It’s quite a down-to-earth and tasty treat~

The sausages and cooked meats from Yumin Street are also not bad. These long-standing stalls definitely have their skills. My spoils this time include fish balls, blood sausage, squid rolls, meat rolls, shrimp balls, and eight-treasure balls. Just look at the photos to get a sense — no need for too much elaboration.

My first visit to Yamao Liao Market was satisfying, and I’d love to come back again when I have the chance. It’s definitely worth a visit !

Songxiang Cake Shop
Address: No. 148, Chenggong Road, North District, Tainan City
Business Hours: 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM (until sold out)

Quancheng Dim Sum Shop
Address: No. 1, Yumin Street, North District, Tainan City
Business Hours: 7:30 AM – 1:30 PM (Closed on Wednesdays)

Yumin Street Sausages and Cooked Meats
Address: No. 17, Yumin Street, North District, Tainan City
Business Hours: 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Caifeng Shrimp and Pork Ball Dumplings
Address: No. 31, Yumin Street, North District, Tainan City
Phone: 0939-982827

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