Shanhai Yijia Guesthouse

Review

Shanhai Yijia Guesthouse is in Qingfan village on Xiju Island in Juguang Township, built on a former military post with the remains of an air-raid shelter nearby. It is mainly a guesthouse, but its restaurant is well known on Xiju because the island has few places to eat, so guests and day-trippers often take lunch and dinner here. Large windows face Qingfan Harbor and the sea, letting you watch fishing boats come and go, and Supertaste includes it among the signature eats of Matsu's townships.

The food is Matsu-style home cooking built on seafood, with the chef adjusting to the season's catch; one blogger says the menu did not repeat over a two-night stay. Dishes named by the media include stir-fried limpets, red-yeast fried rice, handmade fish dumplings, barnacle omelet and a local thistle chicken soup, followed by roselle slush. Travelers' photos also show jiguang buns stuffed with oyster omelet, Matsu swallow dumplings and black sea bream. Breakfast is Chinese or Western. None of the sources checked list prices, so confirm on site or when booking.

Guests mostly praise refined cooking, fresh seafood, the lovely sea view and a friendly hostess, along with pier pickups, scooter rental and blue-tears tours that make life easy for first-time visitors to Juguang. Complaints are few; the main caution is that it caters chiefly to staying guests, so non-guests should ask ahead, and with few options on Xiju, arriving late may mean no table or ingredients left.

Hours are not clearly published and meals largely follow guests' dining times, so call ahead to book and check whether non-guests are served. Xiju is reached by boat from Nangan to Qingfan Pier, and sailings depend heavily on the weather, so keep your plans flexible. The guesthouse usually offers pier transfers, which you can ask about when booking.

It suits travelers heading to Xiju for the blue tears, Kunqiu Beach and the checkerboard sea, especially those staying around Qingfan. Two to four people can ask the chef to build a meal from the day's catch, ordering red-yeast fried rice, a limpet or barnacle dish and a bowl of chicken soup, then finish with a roselle slush by the window as the sun sets over the harbor.