Qin Lian Wan Gui

Review

Qin Lian Wan Gui sits on Xiluo's Yanping Old Street and is one of the rice pudding shops travel sites name most often when introducing the street. Xiluo is a centre of Zhuoshui River rice, and the shop stresses that its wan gui uses local rice, which has made it a go-to rice dish for visitors. It usually shares a walking route with the street's tofu pudding and soy sauce shops.

Unlike the soy-brown rice puddings common in southern Taiwan, the version here is pale, smooth and light, mainly about the rice aroma, finished with sweet soy paste. Besides the savoury kind there are sweet puddings in red bean with brown sugar or coffee; a report lists both savoury and sweet at NT$25 each. Sticky rice, herbal tea and soups with tofu skin or pork thick soup round out the menu.

Diners praise the silky texture and low prices, saying a pudding and a soup make a light brunch, and some especially recommend the tofu skin and pork soup. On the other hand, those used to southern-style wan gui find the rice aroma faint and the flavour mild, some think the sweet pudding not sweet enough, and a few found the four-herb soup fishy. Tastes vary, so start with one.

It opens roughly 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at weekends, closing early when sold out. Online listings show Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, but sources differ, so check before going. The shop is midway along Yanping Old Street near the East Market and Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce; park around the old street and walk.

It suits visitors exploring Xiluo's old street in the morning who want a local rice dish. Order one savoury pudding each and share a sweet one, with a soup or herbal tea. Afterwards stroll to Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce and the tofu pudding shops, using this as the opening act of a half-day in Xiluo.