I recently came across the legendary breakfast stall 《上順興香Q飯團》 online, with more than a thousand Google reviews and a lofty 4.7-star rating. Apparently, the owner used to be famous in Taipei’s East District. After retiring, life supposedly got so boring (wow, rich people’s retirement problems are hard to understand) that he decided to come back and restart the business right outside his home.
For this legendary giant, I left home extra early today! From Exit 1 of Taipei City Hall MRT Station, I quietly walked for 10-plus minutes, praying the whole way that I would not be late. When I reached 基隆路一段靠近市民大道附近, I finally spotted the stall.
The moment I arrived, the owner and his wife were almost aggressively friendly, calling out “Pretty lady~ what do you want?” over and over. As someone fresh out of school who spends every day at the office meekly saying yes to everything, I instantly recovered my dignity as a human being! Since I had made it this far, I immediately ordered the hidden giant that longtime customers love most—the “Two-in-One.”
Hidden-menu Two-in-One: are we sure this is not a magic prop?
The moment I watched the owner put it together, the drama inside my head escalated straight into a world war.
The construction is ridiculous in the best way: half a scallion pancake, rolled and griddled to order with egg, is used to wrap an entire rice roll!
I watched the owner pile in pork floss, pickled mustard greens, youtiao, and preserved radish like ingredients were free—stuffing, stuffing, and stuffing until it became a monster thicker than my arm (okay, slight exaggeration). Help! This is not breakfast. This is Godzilla from the carbohydrate universe.
It felt seriously heavy in my hand, and in that moment I suddenly saw my future clearly: buy this one, and I could save the cost of lunch today too. This is not buying one meal; it is buying one item that can cover two meals. For a broke young office worker who just entered the workforce, this place feels like a gift from the heavens.
Every bite delivers fullness with zero subtlety
I got back to the office and immediately took a bite at my desk. Wow—the layers were far richer than I expected!
The freshly griddled scallion pancake smells intensely fragrant, and the glutinous rice inside is cooked so the grains stay distinct instead of turning sticky. The biggest surprise is the youtiao: unbelievably crisp! Not the evil kind that has been sitting around forever and leaves a film of oil all over your mouth afterward.
With the savory pickled mustard greens and pork floss, the flavor is classic, old-school Taiwanese comfort food. It is not trying to be a delicate Instagram breakfast. It wants to fill you with pure starch and egg aroma and power you through the entire day—possibly well into the afternoon.
After eating about half, I stared honestly at the half still left and then thought about lunch. My stomach capacity had officially declared bankruptcy. The owner is so generous that I almost want to nominate him for an outstanding-business award.
I deliberately left early to take on 《上順興香Q飯團》 today. Passed with flying colors—completely satisfied!
