Hamasen Wa-Gui Zhi (Bowl Rice Cake)

Review

Hamasen Wa-Gui Zhi stands at No. 59 Guyuan Street in Gushan District near the Yanping Street corner. Founded in 1951, it is now in its fourth generation. Mirror Media reports that the 'Zhi' in the name comes from the second-generation owner Lin Chao-chih, and it is a breakfast spot Hamasen residents have eaten at since childhood, featured in round-ups of the area's old shops.

The wa-gui is made from long-grain rice ground into batter fresh every day and steamed on site, filled with pork, braised egg and fried shallots, then topped with the house sauce. Unusually, the sauce does not seep into the batter, so the cut surface stays white and the texture is springy. Garlic is pounded by hand in a stone mortar, and dine-in customers get the shop's own hand-cut bamboo skewers to eat with, an old-fashioned touch. One bowl is a right-sized snack for one.

Diners praise the traditional flavour, the bouncy texture and the rich sauce, and some especially recommend ordering the miso soup alongside. Critics find the rice cake itself bland and reliant on the sauce and chili paste for flavour, and the short hours and early sell-outs leave many afternoon visitors empty-handed.

It opens at 6:30 a.m.; online listings show it running until about 2 p.m., but in practice it closes when sold out, and it is closed on Mondays. A wa-gui is NT$35, so most people spend under NT$100. It is a traditional eatery, and Hamasen's lanes are narrow with little parking, so take the MRT to Sizihwan station or the light rail to Hamasen station and walk, then continue to the Daitian Temple square and the ferry pier.

Good for early risers who want a traditional Taiwanese breakfast, and a natural first stop on a Hamasen walk. Order one wa-gui and a bowl of soup per person, and stir in chili paste if you like it punchy; if you want to keep eating, walk on to the Daitian Temple square nearby for fish ball soup or Shantou noodles.