Zhengyue Chuwu Handmade Soup Dumplings

Review

Zhengyue Chuwu Handmade Soup Dumplings is at No. 217-5 Wenhua Road on the outer edge of the Fengjia shopping district, away from the main night-market streets tourists usually walk. The shop is newly decorated, simple and clean; reports note that the owner and staff are young, the walls and menu are covered in French bulldog drawings, and there really is a French bulldog in the shop. In the past two years it has often appeared on Fengjia dinner recommendation lists.

The dumplings are made to order in four flavors: original, scallop, Korean kimchi and shrimp, and you can also order a mixed set with two of each. Several articles describe them as large, thin-skinned and full of soup, with a fresh, non-gamey pork filling scented with scallion and a hint of ginger, flavorful enough without dipping sauce and best eaten hot. The star is the shrimp soup dumpling: the menu notes it uses a whole phoenix-tail prawn rather than shelled shrimp pieces, with the tail poking out and shrimp roe dotted on top, and biting in releases lard aroma together with sweet, briny prawn broth.

Media rate the shrimp dumplings highly and call them impressive; one writer even says the original tastes like a step down after the shrimp. Prices have risen: a 2022 report gave NT$70 for original and NT$150 for shrimp, while recent roundups list NT$85 to 170. Coverage found is mostly positive with little criticism, and the most noticeable change is the price increase.

Utensils and sauces are self-service. No source gives hours, closing days or queue conditions, so check the shop's social media before you go. It sits on the outer edge of the shopping district, some distance from the main night-market streets, so you need to make a detour to get there.

It suits those exploring Fengjia who want a change of pace, and fans of soup dumplings or seafood. On a first visit, the mixed set lets you try all four at once, or go straight for the signature shrimp; to save a little, choose original and add the self-service sauces.