Kaohsiung Ba-wan (Yuanlin)

Review

Kaohsiung Ba-wan is on Section 2 of Fuzhen Road in Yuanlin. Despite the name, it is a local ba-wan shop that Yuanlin people say they grew up eating. Reports say the first-generation owner traveled south to Kaohsiung to learn the craft and then opened the shop back in Yuanlin. A vintage food cart sits by the entrance and makes it easy to spot; few tourists notice it, so it remains on the insider lists of local food lovers.

The menu has only three items: ba-wan, tofu soup and pork ball soup. The ba-wan is gently fried in oil, which one blogger singled out as different from other shops, giving a smooth, springy skin with a slight crisp. The filling is firm, bouncy chunks of pork with crunchy diced bamboo shoots. The sauce combines soy sauce, garlic paste and rice-milk sauce at just the right thickness, finished with cilantro, and the house chili sauce comes highly recommended. The tofu soup is light and the tofu soaks up the broth, nicely balancing the richness of the ba-wan.

Media and bloggers praise the skin, the solid filling and the layered sauce, and appreciate the simple menu and friendly prices. On the other hand, some diners find the ba-wan on the small side and a little oily, so big eaters may want two.

A 2020 blog post listed ba-wan at NT$30, tofu soup at NT$15 and pork ball soup at NT$20; check current prices on site. Closing time is given as 7 p.m. in one source and 8 p.m. in another, with opening at 11 a.m., so sources differ; it is closed on Wednesdays. When business is good it often sells out before evening, so go at lunch or early afternoon. There is air-conditioned indoor seating, and many customers take food away.

It suits anyone who wants to skip the tourist crowds and try a Yuanlin local's favorite ba-wan. Order one or two ba-wan with a bowl of tofu soup, and if you like heat, be sure to add the house chili sauce.