You Fu Ji Mochi

Review

You Fu Ji Mochi is a cart under the arcade at No. 202 Fude 3rd Road in Lingya District that has sold mochi for more than fifty years, a taste many neighbours grew up with. Supertaste has repeatedly included it in round-ups of Lingya street snacks; there is no fancy sign, but a long line forms every day around noon.

The glutinous rice is ground and steamed fresh each day, and the skin is rolled very thin, soft and chewy with a clear rice aroma and almost no sweetness of its own. Regular fillings are red bean, mung bean, peanut and sesame; the classic peanut and sesame powder has a little sugar that the owner can adjust. The seasonal taro version with a bursting filling is the famous one: fragrant, lightly sweet and big enough to need two hands.

Fans praise the thin skin, generous filling, restrained sweetness and fair price, and some pre-order dozens more on the spot to give away. Critics say the skin is so thin and the filling so heavy that the balance is off and the chewiness gets lost; others feel the less-sugar version tastes flat and that the texture clearly suffers the next day.

The cart sets up at about noon, and one visitor who arrived at 11:45 found it not yet ready; it closes when sold out, and the owner says cool days sell out faster while hot days may last until 3 or 4 p.m. Regular flavours are NT$20 and taro NT$25, and the shop suggests eating them within three to four hours. Closing days are irregular, so check its social media first. There is no seating under the arcade, so it is takeaway only, and parking means finding a roadside space.

It suits lovers of old-style snacks or anyone after a cheap gift, as long as it is eaten the same day. First-timers can pair a taro mochi with a peanut or sesame one to compare; when it is busy, phoning ahead to pre-order and picking up on arrival saves time.