Signature rich matcha-flavored Gobanki (Japanese sweet pancake)! A genuine Japanese matcha shop has just opened in Taichung

Text and photos byOrange Dog Loves Candy

When it comes to Japanese matcha desserts in Taiwan, the one I’ve been longing for is the wildly popular [Sanxingyuan Matcha] in the south of Taiwan. After all, it’s an authentic Japanese matcha shop that came from Japan to Taiwan. Its first store started in Kaohsiung, but why wouldn’t it cross the Zhuoshui River? It made me wait and wait (though I did sneak in for a taste in Tainan once). Finally, before the end of 2015, it expanded to Taichung.

The location they chose is the bustling Qimei Eslite Greenway. This Taichung branch is called [Sanxingwan - Uji Shosen] (Three-Star Ship - Uji Merchant Ship)! As expected, it became super popular right after opening. On the first day of the blue cheese flavor trial sale, just after I posted about it, there was already a long queue before the store even opened. Fortunately, it’s close to my home, so I managed to rush over and get in line early, finally fulfilling my long-awaited matcha craving. Lately, I’ve had quite the matcha shop luck—just recently having tried Chuan Shan Tea House in Hong Kong, and now Sanxingyuan shows up too (even though the opening crowd meant a long wait, but if the food show Foodie finds out and reports on it, the wait will be even longer)!

Matcha has always been a perennial favorite for afternoon tea, and almost any matcha dessert becomes an instant attention-grabber. This [Sanxingwan - Uji Shosen] is no exception. It’s the latest creation from Sanxingyuan, and as the name suggests, the entire shop is designed in the shape of a ship, yet it still retains that strong Japanese ambiance—although the space here at Qimei is extremely limited.

So the actual space is rather small, but even within these constraints, they managed to complete the interior with a cabin-like wooden design. Part of the space is reserved for a takeaway window, where you can also peek into the kitchen making Gobanki and smell the aroma. For takeout, you can directly buy their matcha ice cream, grab it, and go—no need to wait for a seat, although you might still have to wait a bit when it's crowded. I took some casual photos inside the shop; after all, there wasn’t much time to capture empty scenes (I had to ask permission to shoot five minutes before opening).

Given such limitations, the fact that they managed to create a second-floor area shows the designer’s care and skill—it’s almost the ultimate in space utilization. The abundance of lanterns creates a Japanese-style atmosphere, and just the decor alone seems to transport you to a place in Japan. Each table is not very large, but the setup is exquisite, with a wooden tray on each table featuring the golden logo of Sanxingyuan.

The minimalist Japanese style is filled with thoughtful details from the Japanese brand, and the overall quality is something you’ll love at first glance. Especially the female staff make up most of the front-of-house team, while the guys are busy in the kitchen—a hiring concept of women handling the outside, men managing the inside.

The highlight is that the female servers are all quite pretty, lively, and chatty, and they can give very detailed explanations about the menu items.

The MENU comes in a particularly beautiful booklet, with nice illustrations and prices for every dessert and drink. I was too lazy to take a picture of that, so I just snapped a shot of the orderable MENU. There won’t be any hot meals like rice or udon noodles here—everything is matcha-flavored cold and hot drinks and desserts. It’s a great place for dates, meeting girls (Oops), afternoon tea gatherings, etc.

The prices are actually not cheap, but you get what you pay for. The grade of the matcha, the taste, and the quality of the dish design—all combined make me feel it’s not just any ordinary shop. After all, it comes from Japan, so I expected the prices to be higher.

Right now, there’s also a [Berry Festival] seasonal special event. Since it’s strawberry season, strawberry desserts are naturally a must—but you can only see the various strawberry desserts on the postcards, not on the MENU. To order, just point to the postcard. XD

[The Berry Princess’s Secret | Berry Festival Limited | 220 NTD]
My only flaw is that I’m hopelessly weak to strawberry and matcha sundae desserts XD This is a transformer-combination-dessert concept, featuring vanilla ice cream, matcha ice cream, fresh strawberry slices, with chocolate chips and a bit of whipped cream at the bottom. Every scoop has an incredibly rich texture with a blend of multiple ingredients.

But speaking of the signature matcha feature, this one leans more toward a playful, girly dessert—the matcha proportion isn’t that high. But it’s delicious. Those who prefer stronger matcha flavors should try the General’s Tears or the General’s Glory—they’re quite substantial. But as the name suggests, this dessert is perfect for a girls' gathering, something fun to eat and pretty to photograph.

[Mountain Castle Gobanki - Rich Matcha Truffle | 265 NTD | Highly Recommended Must-Try]
This one takes a bit of waiting time since it’s made fresh to order in the kitchen, roughly 15 to 25 minutes of uncertain wait time. Although the price is high, the plating, presentation, and even the actual taste all make me feel it’s worth it—very much worth trying. The so-called Gobanki is somewhat similar to a thick pancake, except it’s cooked on a frying pan like a fried egg, and when served, it looks like a thick pancake (you could also call it a hot griddle cake). The outer layer has a slightly charred aroma, and I was initially worried the texture would be dry.

But the inside actually has a bit of moisture, and chewing gives off a faint matcha and egg flavor. The key is the sauce on top—it’s made from white chocolate, matcha, and truffle oil. The intense matcha aroma clings tightly to every bite of the pancake, and the rich flavor in the mouth had me finishing two pieces in no time. I can only say it’s almost unbeatable in Taichung.

The sidekicks aren’t bad either—two small pieces of matcha chocolate. The first bite feels a bit solid, with equally rich matcha flavor mixed with dense chocolate, yet neither overpowers the other, balancing each other perfectly on the tongue.

The small ceramic bowl holds matcha ice cream with sweet red beans. By the time I got to this, I was fully convinced of the authenticity of their matcha. This whole portion is just right for one person. Even though it’s the highest-priced pancake on the menu, I found it totally worth it.

[Mountain Castle Gobanki - Caramel Banana | 220 NTD]
This one was ordered by the customer next to me, and they generously let me take a photo. The thick pancake doesn’t have any sauce drizzle, paired instead with caramelized banana slices, but the plating still doesn’t lose the refined feel of Japanese sweets. You can take a look for reference.

These two items—[General’s Tears] and [General’s Glory]—are also flagship items from Sanxingyuan, just launched in Taiwan. I had the General’s Tears when I visited the south before. It’s an unbeatable combo of matcha ice cream and matcha powder. I’ll definitely come back to try it again someday—just the name sounds impressive. Back then, I didn’t have any photos to refer to though.
(Image source →https://www.facebook.com/mitsuboshien/)

I don’t usually visit new shops often, so it was rare for me to be able to try something from a famous shop the day before its opening. One reason is my admiration for Sanxingyuan, and the other is that I love their dessert designs. Even going alone was totally worth it, and it really lived up to my expectations. The biggest surprise was the Gobanki pancake. Unfortunately, there were too few of us to order a lot, but the trial sale period has already started queuing. You can expect this to become a super-popular spot in Qimei. The upcoming queue will just require patience, so remember to bring more friends to try different desserts.

Sanxingyuan Matcha Uji Shosen
◎ Address: No. 71, Guanqian Rd., West District, Taichung City (next to Light Cheese)
◎ Phone: 04-23220159
◎ Business hours: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
◎ Consumption reminder: Queues are likely during the opening period; a minimum spend of NT$100 applies for dine-in

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