Michelin-Approved Tangyuan at Tonghua Night Market

December 3, 2019 Taipei Expat

One of the must-eat desserts at Linjiang (AKA Tonghua) Night Market in Xinyi — and frankly, even in the whole of Taipei — are the fire and ice tangyuan from Yu Ping Yuan. If you’re unfamiliar with tangyuan, they’re a Chinese dessert made from glutinous rice. It’s similar to mochi, although not quite the same, and can be served filled or unfilled, sweet or savoury. These sticky little balls may look unassuming, but they’re so good that they even made it onto the Michelin Guide Taipei’s Bib Gourmand selection for 2019. Demand for them is high, something that will become apparent the moment you see the long lines. Worry not, though: Yu Ping Yuan is used to the fame, and the lines move fast. You’ll be scarfing up your tangyuan in no time.

Though there are a few different things you can order at Yu Ping Yuan, the most famous — and in our opinion, the best — is their fire and ice tangyuan (also known as “iced and hot tangyuan,” but fire and ice sounds so much cooler), which is six piping hot tangyuan nestled on a bed of shaved ice. For the tangyuan fillings, you can choose between peanut, sesame, or a combination of the two. Unless you have a clear preference, we strongly recommend getting the combination so that you can try them both — they’re both excellent, and we’re always torn between which ones we like better. Each bowl only costs $80 — bargain!

The sesame (left) has a mild nutty flavour and a smooth texture. The peanut (right) tastes a lot like peanut butter, with an intense peanut flavour and lots of chunks.

Once you’re done eating the tangyuan — and we recommend you do this fast, as they’re nowhere near as good cold — take the rest of your shaved ice and go to the front of the store, where they have a container of osmanthus syrup and lemon juice. We like to put around half and half of each in our ice, as it makes the most delicious sweet, lemony flavour imaginable, but you might want to play around with the exact quantities depending on how sweet or bitter you like yours to be.

Another thing we ordered was the sesame and peanut tangyuan in sweet osmanthus soup ($70). This is a great option if you hate shaved ice or are specifically in the mood for something warm, as it keeps the tangyuan hotter for longer. We didn’t like it as much as the fire and ice tangyuan — the soup just tastes like slightly sweet hot water — but it was still nice.

Check out their English menu here:

What’s the vibe?

Bustling shop specializing in delicious tangyuan. This place is seriously famous and the gets extremely lined up, but those lines move quick. Customers are mostly locals, but plenty of tourists stop by too.

Worth it?

Absolutely. It’s so cheap and so delicious. These are by far the best tangyuan we’ve had.

Would you go back?

We’ve been back three times and counting!

Last updated December 2019

Yu Ping Yuan

Chinese name: 御品元冰火湯圓

Hours:
Mon-Fri 6pm – 12am
Sat & Sun 5:30pm – 12am

Phone: 0955 861 816

English Address: No. 31, Alley 50, Lane 39, Tonghua Street, Da’an District, Taipei City

Chinese Address: 台北市大安區通化街39巷50弄31號