After completing our shopping at Dawncake we headed on back toward our accommodations. On the way back, I mentioned Shen Ji New Village to the Missus. Once the location of government dormitories; the area has been renovated into a what's called a "creative and cultural" center. And since there was shopping involved, well, the Missus was all for it!
This was a Sunday, so the place was bustling with various stands selling all manner of things.
In fact, the Missus ended up buying a dress from one of the vendors!
Shenji New Village
Lane 368, Minsheng Rd.
West District, Taichung City, Taiwan
From here, we decided to cab it back to the hotel and grab some lunch in the area. Of course, the Missus had a nice chat with our cabbie. When She mentioned wanting a light lunch, he recommended a place close to where we were staying that served Rou Yuan (aka Ba-wan). He dropped us off at the bustling shop.
We had quickly come to understand that lines are a good sign in Taiwan and in most places they move quickly. Actually, that line is for takeout.
The place basically serves three items; the Rou Yuan, a mung bean noodle soup, and fishball soup.
The line to dine in was much shorter and we were seated at one of the communal tables promptly.
Though it seemed chaotic, there was a system in place. Luckily for us, we sat next to two really nice young men who quickly knew that we were "newbies" here. One of them spoke perfect English and he quickly flagged down one of the Servers carrying the bowls of rou yuan and voila…. we had our lunch!
The the outrageous price of NT$45….yes, I'm kidding, this equates to about $1.45/US we got a bowl with a large dumpling which was fried before entering the thick miasma of a sauce. The wrapper had a pleasant, somewhat glutinous chewiness. The sauce was thick, quite savory, with a hint of sweetness. The meatball was very tasty, though a bit on the tough and chewy side. The combination of flavors was excellent. And this was pretty filling.
The two young men eating next to us were great; the fellow who spoke English who coordinated delivery of our bowls also went up and got us napkins….I'd soon know to look for napkin dispensers on the walls of these type pf places. I regret not paying for their lunch!
Our "bill" was dropped on our table. And as is the "system" in Taiwan, you pay at the register; there's no tipping.
This was a fun and interesting meal at a Taichung business founded in 1933! After returning home and using Google to find the address I discovered this place has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmet designation! You gotta love those taxi drivers! They were making sure we stayed well fed!
Taichung Rou Yuan (台中肉員)
No. 529, Section 3, Fuxing Rd.
South District, Taichung City, Taiwan
We were loving our time in Taiwan!
Thanks for stopping by!
nice lunch!
We enjoyed it Kat!