Zheng Pai Rice Cake House

Review

Zheng Pai Rice Cake House is at No. 75-1 Dajie Road in Qingshui, close to Ziyun Temple and the old town, and runs its own website and fan page. Supertaste lists it with Rongji, Wangta and A-Tsai as Qingshui's 'big four' rice-cake shops, noting that most customers are locals, with plenty of tourists too, and that a line often forms at mealtimes; an older blog post also recorded a queue already at 5 pm.

Rice cake is the core business. Reports describe distinct, soft and sticky grains and a sweet-savory braising sauce that is neither spicy nor oily, lighter than several rivals in the area; the pork on top is roughly half fat, half lean, and one blogger ranked it the best rice cake of the day. Yet what many remember is the pork trotter: almost every table orders it, and it is braised through without being overly salty, with soy sweetness, sticky gelatinous skin and meat that slips off the bone, earning the joke nickname 'a trotter shop held back by its rice cake'. Zongzi and fried pork rib soup round out the menu.

Opinions are mixed. Fans praise the clean, old-style flavor and the trotter; others find it too plain overall, the rice a bit firm or the soup oily. Diners who like stronger flavors can ask for chili sauce, and mixing everything before eating evens out the taste. Qingshui rice cakes vary a lot in style, so people used to A-Tsai's richer sauce may find this one too mild.

Hours are 09:00 to 19:30, closed Wednesdays. Lunch and early evening are busiest, so off-peak visits mean less waiting. The shop is in the old town, where parking takes some searching; paid lots around Ziyun Temple are an option. Sources do not give a full price list, so check the board on site.

It suits people comparing Qingshui's rice cakes, fans of lighter sauce, and anyone coming specifically for pork trotter. For two people, order a rice cake each plus a shared trotter and a bowl of pork rib soup; zongzi make an easy takeaway.