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Small food stands are a Taiwanese staple. Aside from well-known spots frequented by students and tourists, there’s no shortage of hole-in-the-wall joints dishing up local favorites. Take the Shilin area in Taipei for example, where a shop has been selling fish cakes and squid soup for over 60 years. With their distinctive southern shacha flavor and generous portions, the shop has become a hidden gem favored by locals. Even during off-peak hours, the seats are full. Not only that, but the owner is a secret good Samaritan. She provides meals for the underprivileged, and donates her time and money whenever there’s a major natural disaster, joining with other volunteer cooks. Let’s take a closer look at this mainstay of the community...

A chef blanches cuttlefish and squid, careful to get the timing right to avoid overcooking them to mush. It’s a skill honed through extensive experience.

This store has been selling handmade fish cakes, squid soup, and cuttlefish soup for over 50 years. With their deliciously gummy texture, generous portions, and distinctive southern shacha flavor, this spot is a hidden gem beloved by the locals.

Their fish cakes taste very fresh.

The fish cakes are particularly good. The thickness of the soup is also nice. It’s not too starchy.

Chang Wan-chi
Restaurant owner
We use fresh squid, not the fish paste that other places use. As for the cuttlefish, most people just put it directly into the soup. But we don’t do that. Since it keeps cooking while inside, if left too long, it’ll fall apart. Our fish crackers are also different from the ones typical in Spanish mackerel soup. Ours are more like the cracker-like ones sold in Tamsui.

Substituting basil for cilantro gives the soup a distinctive favor that’s won over the local crowd. After nearly 60 years in operation, the shop is now run by the founder’s adopted daughter.

Chang Wan-chi
Restaurant owner
The shop was started by my adopted mom and her partner. When they got older and wanted to retire, I took over. People like this classic flavor. You can’t change it. Most of our customers are regulars. Some families have been coming here for generations.

Apart from preserving classic flavors...

... the owner also quietly does good deeds. Every time a major natural disaster strikes Taiwan, she will donate her time and money, going with her husband to volunteer as cooks.

Lai Yen-wen
Charity meal organizer
When the Mataian River flooded, by 7 I had already decided to go and organized a team to head out there. Of course I’ll go first, but later on we made another trip, and my wife came along.

Chang Wan-chi
Restaurant owner
Most of the time I’ll cover the expenses, like when they go to daycares or nursing homes. I’ll say OK, you go this month and I’ll support you. There really are people who come here saying they don’t have anything to eat. So I’ll make something for them like anyone else. Noodles, whatever they want.

Quietly doing good for their community while preserving beloved classic flavors, this small restaurant is carrying on the legacy of those who came before.

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