Shuang Yu Tang

Review

Shuang Yu Tang is at No. 194 Xueshi Road in Taichung's North District, near China Medical University. Its sign calls it the original Hai Jin Sha shop, and it is an old-school bubble tea and set-meal restaurant that has been open for more than 30 years; the ground floor still carries the feel of an early tea house. It focuses on set meals, hot pots and stir-fries rather than drinks alone, with a minimum spend of NT$50 per person, and offers banquet menus for two, four or six. Its frozen rice dumplings and boiled dumplings for home delivery sell well among regulars. One food writer says it became a Taichung go-to after a friend first took him there.

The star is sesame oil chicken: big, firm, juicy pieces with rice blood cake and cabbage at the bottom of the pot, in a broth with goji and other herbs that gives a gentle sesame aroma, though slightly oily. The braised beef clay-pot rice is stewed until tender and great with rice, and the chicken leg rice at about NT$190 is seen as the best value. Opinions on the bamboo shoot braised pork are split: some praise the thick-cut pork belly with bouncy skin and soft, non-greasy fat, ideal for fat lovers, while others find it too lean. Kung pao chicken comes in a big portion with plenty of peanuts and a satisfying savoury kick.

Set meals include self-serve unsweetened green tea, sweetened black tea and hot soup, and everyone agrees the portions are large; students find it filling. The drawbacks are specific: popular items sell out if you arrive late, and writers have found the chicken leg and pork knuckle rice gone; the braised pork comes with coriander, so say so if you dislike it; and upstairs tables are tightly packed, so people by the wall bump into others when they stand. Prices run about NT$190 to 320, higher than a typical lunch box, but most people feel the portions and extras justify it.

The routine is to confirm a seat on the ground floor, take a menu and table number, order and pay, then head upstairs. The ground floor has only about three tables, often reserved, so most diners sit on the second floor, where a small private room behind the stairs can be booked. Sources list opening at either 09:00 or 10:00, generally until 21:00, with Sundays closed, so check before you go.

It suits students and workers near China Medical University, or families who want to eat and drink their fill in one go. First-timers can order the sesame oil chicken or braised beef clay-pot rice with a cup of self-serve black tea; larger groups can share a banquet menu, and if you want chicken leg or pork knuckle, arrive early.