Traditional rice cake sprinkled with dried fish floss and minced pork sauce, paired perfectly with a sunny-side-up egg

Text & Photos /San Gao Eats Han

Last time I mentioned that Gongyuan Road Rice Cake was closed for two days in a row, so on Dragon Boat Festival, I headed straight for the alleyway rice cake on Qingnian Road. Because there used to be a firecracker shop at the entrance of the alley, this nameless rice cake spot came to be known as "Firecracker Shop Rice Cake," but this time when I came by, the firecracker shop at the alley entrance was gone, having been replaced by the Dacai MarketFuRong SnacksA-Rui Yimian branch.

They now take a two-hour break in the afternoon, and the business hours on the wall menu are no longer accurate. I came right when dinner service just started, and compared to a typical dedicated rice cake shop, they offer a much wider variety of items—it’s more like a snack shop. The minced pork aroma wafting from the front is intoxicating, and they also have sliced marinated snacks~

I first went to get pen and paper—what you want to order, you write down yourself. This kind of system is probably pretty rare these days. The owner said they had prepared less glutinous rice for Dragon Boat Festival and sold out by noon, leaving only minced pork rice in the evening... Feeling unsatisfied, I came back again the next morning and finally got to try the rice cake.

Seeing “Meat Dumpling Soup” on the signboard, I ordered a bowl. The meat dumplings are similar to Fuzhou-style “rouyan,” which I’d had before atYongjias well. The dumpling wrappers are made from ground pork (with added powder), making them slightly soft with a bit of chewiness. The filling is well-seasoned, bite-sized and delicious—just 20 NT for quite a few meat dumplings.

The minced pork has a strong oily fragrance and bold sauce flavor, with a good amount of bounce to it without being overly greasy. Though my current favorite minced pork is still fromXiadao Rice Cake,this one is also pretty good.

The golden, fragrant 70%-cooked sunny-side-up egg pairs wonderfully with the minced pork rice—also delicious~

The marinated snacks make me suspect they use the same broth as the minced pork, with that intense oily fragrance... Hmm~ a meal under 100 NT, cheap, generous portions, and solid flavors, which made me happy to come back again the next day.

Though they open at 9:30 AM, the glutinous rice isn’t steamed until after 11 AM—luckily I didn’t come too early. The rice cake is sprinkled with dried fish floss, the minced pork flavor remains, and the rice grains have a slight chew with a firmer texture. There was a bit too much sauce pooling at the bottom, not mind-blowing but still tasty, offering a different kind of enjoyment compared to the minced pork rice.

This time I switched up the marinated snacks to pig skin and fishball tofu, still fragrant and super appetizing—just a bowl of plain rice with these sides is more than enough.

For 30 NT, the mixed soup comes with fish skin, fish balls, youtiao, meat dumplings, and meatballs—not just full of value, but also tasty~ I genuinely think it’s an affordable and delicious place, and the auntie is quite friendly too.

Youth Road Alleyway Nameless Rice Cake
Address: No. 5, Lane 8, Zhongshan Road, West Central District, Tainan City
Business Hours: AM 9:30 – PM 3:00 PM 5:00 – PM 8:00

Savor Taiwan with heart, and record delicious footsteps
San Gao Eats Han’s Food Journey　San Gao’s Fan Page