An Old-Fashioned Bowl under a Tree in Hulin Market
Zhuan Yi Tofu Pudding hides in Hulin Market in Taipei's Xinyi District. Walk from Yongchun MRT Station toward the market's middle-rear section and look for the small cart beneath a large tree. The simple menu revolves around tofu pudding, peanuts, and pearls. With no elaborate display, fine curds, light syrup, and regulars create the rhythm. A bowl during a market visit offers the direct, unadorned dessert life of old Taipei.
Mixed Tofu Pudding
Mixed Tofu Pudding puts peanuts and tapioca pearls into fine curds beneath crushed ice. Delicate, dense pudding has plain soybean fragrance; very soft peanuts nearly dissolve with it, while pearls add bounce. The light, old-fashioned syrup becomes more refreshing as ice melts. This mixed bowl most directly explains the pudding itself and both toppings.
Tapioca Pearl Tofu Pudding
This focused bowl contains curds, syrup, and dark tapioca pearls. Tender curd flakes slowly release soybean aroma; slightly richer syrup is clearly sweet but not cloying. Glossy pearls bounce when bitten, preventing a uniformly soft texture. Chew lovers can choose it and use crushed ice to balance coolness and sweetness.
First-timers can choose Mixed Tofu Pudding to compare soft peanuts and springy pearls; choose Tapioca Pearl Tofu Pudding if you know you want chew. Both center on fine curds and old-fashioned syrup, with ice gradually diluting sweetness. Taste the original ratio before stirring the ice to feel the change.
- Location:Yongchun Market, Lane 74, Hulin Street; cart beside the large tree.
- Transit:Walk from Yongchun MRT Station to the middle-rear of Hulin Market.
- Recommended:Mixed Tofu Pudding, Tapioca Pearl Tofu Pudding.
- Highlights:Fine soybean aroma, light syrup, soft peanuts, and springy pearls.
- Best for:Resting during a market visit and enjoying plain old-fashioned dessert.
Fewer Toppings, Greater Focus
Zhuan Yi's name matches its character: attention returns to tofu pudding, with simple changes from peanuts, pearls, and syrup. Mixed Tofu Pudding builds layers from soft and springy toppings; Tapioca Pearl Tofu Pudding clarifies soybean aroma and chew. Melting ice shifts sweetness from strong to light. The awning, low stools, and market sounds are inseparable from the bowl. Find the cart by the tree, sit for one bowl, and understand why this unassuming stall keeps regular customers.
