Meihua Goose Stall

Review

Meihua Goose Stall is at No. 141, Section 1, Zhongzhou Road in Tianzhong, a long-standing goose shop in town. A local round-up of a day's eating in Tianzhong places it at lunchtime and describes it as a flavour locals have grown up with, and plenty of people online detour into Tianzhong just for the goose.

The signature is a plate of sliced goose. The meat is pre-cut and kept in a glass case, then ladled repeatedly with hot stock when ordered, so it reaches the table moist, juicy and never dry, in a southern style. For a staple, go for the rice cake, scooped fresh from a wooden tub into the bowl and topped with house minced pork; the dry noodles are simply dressed with minced pork and bean sprouts. Soups include crispy intestine soup made with diluted goose stock, ginger and pickled cabbage, carrying the sweetness of goose, and some recommend the rice-blood soup too.

Praise focuses on tender, juicy goose and fragrant rice cake, and many call it a Tianzhong must. Critics find the goose intestines clean but still slightly gamey, the dry noodles plain and unremarkable, and some say takeaway goose is less juicy than eating in, so dine on site if you can.

Hours are roughly 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Wednesdays; some articles say 8:30 p.m., so sources differ and you should check before going. The goose on the wall menu is not individually priced and portions are set by group size; diners report about NT$100 per person, but go by what you are told on the day. It gets busy at peak times, so avoid high noon and the dinner rush for a calmer meal.

Good for anyone wanting traditional Taiwanese goose or an easy family meal. Two or three people can share a plate of goose with a bowl of rice cake or dry noodles each, plus crispy intestine soup or rice-blood soup; the sweet chilli sauce on the table works for dipping goose or mixing into rice blood. If taking goose home, eat it while warm for the best texture.