Lin Jin Sheng Xiang (Wish Lin)

Review

Lin Jin Sheng Xiang stands beside Wanhe Temple on Nantun Old Street. It was founded in 1866, the fifth year of the Qing Tongzhi reign, and is now in its fifth generation. The first generation, Lin Wang-sheng, baked as a side job in the farming off-season, and the second, Lin A-tu, became known for turtle-shaped buns. Festivals at Wanhe Temple once made Nantun a pastry hub, but many old bakeries later closed, while the fifth generation took over here. The renovated old house keeps its red-brick look, and the shop now pairs pastries with tea and coffee as a Taiwanese afternoon tea and has counters in department stores.

Its most local creations use mahuan (jute leaf), a Nantun specialty. The fourth generation, Chen Fu-mei, worked out how to bake it into pastries; the leaves must be washed repeatedly to remove bitter juice before drying and grinding. The mahuan sun cake has a pale green inner layer around a malt filling; the bite-sized zhuangyuan cakes come in four colours: mung bean, almond, mahuan and sesame; and the mahuan pine nut pastry costs NT$160 for two, with a white kidney bean and mahuan filling, a flaky crust and the aroma of pine nuts. A 2024 report also mentioned a limited mahuan chiffon cake served with honey cream or mahuan cream. Traditional longevity peaches, wedding cakes and native pineapple cakes are also sold.

Diners and bloggers mostly say the pastries are not too sweet and have a dense, firm texture, with a faint herbal bitterness from the mahuan balanced by sweetness, ideal with tea; the elegant packaging makes a good impression as a gift. The main criticism is price, and mahuan items are not sold individually, which makes small tastings awkward; some note that the large cakes look pricier but are bigger than elsewhere.

A 2024 report and a roundup both list hours of 08:30 to 19:00, closed Wednesdays. The shop offers a zhuangyuan cake workshop where you press cakes in wooden moulds and fold a tape-free gift box; book by phone in advance. Drivers can use the Wanhe Temple car park (first 40 minutes free, mainly for worshippers, with a narrow entrance) or the underground car park at Nantun Elementary School.

It suits anyone visiting Wanhe Temple who wants a souvenir, a traditional pastry with a story to give, or a first taste of mahuan. Start with the mahuan pine nut pastry or the four-colour zhuangyuan cakes, and book the workshop if you are bringing family.