Gongguan Night Market 公館夜市 - Part 3

Tai-Yi Milk King

This shop was established in 1956 and is now operated by the second generation of owners. It makes its snacks from the finest ingredients everyday. Its red-brean milk ice and eight-treasures milk ice are its most popular items, especially in the summer. The shabby old storefront has been renovated and more seats were added on the second floor, making the eatery brighter and more expansive. It still retains, however, the old flavours of an iced fruit shop of earlier years.

Food-for-thought: It does not matter where you are located. You can be located 400 meters from the heart of the night market, but people will still flock to you in the midst of a constant rain and cold weather. The size of the dessert explains for the size of the price (and both of us were struggling to finish the 8-treasures). I realise that shop owners here in Taipei seldom open up franchises, even this 1956 store. Is it because their sums do not work out positively or are they just risk adverse? Or are Taiwanese just easily contented by being mini proprietors?

Longtan Soybean Pudding

The basic flavour of soybean pudding is rich and pure, and filled with the taste of tradition. Every step in the process, from milling the beans to producing the finished soybean pudding, is done by the proprietor himself. No preservatives or powdered lime (a common additive) are used.

Food-for-thought: The shop gives diners an unfinished look with untiled floors and unpainted walls. Simple stools and undecorated walls are the only furnishings it can provide. Whilst the soybean pudding makes us warm on a cold night, I wouldn't give it a 5-star rating. Maybe the success of the shop lies in its location. It is situated right beside the 'Brother Noodles' shop. Diners would make a natural stop for a dessert next door after finishing their noodles. For every bowl of noodle the brothers sell, this store would sell an equivalent number of soybean pudding. Maybe location does matter, afterall. If you do not have the ability to make it BIG, maybe the success then lies in choosing a right location. How true is it, as we look at your choice of career, school, mentor, house, etc?