A Yue Zi sticky rice has been a local treasure for over four decades. Located on the outskirts of the Shida Night market near Da’an Park, this family-run restaurant is for those of you seeking authentically humble Taiwanese flavours, prepared with the utmost respect for tradition.
Vast quantities of a longer grain rice than you may be used to in Taiwan are cooked up to perfection, then a host of ingredients are stirred in to generate a flavour that fills the alleyways all around the restaurant. Soy sauce, re-hydrated mushrooms, tiny dried shrimp and pork make up just some of the ingredients that allow this type of sticky rice to take on an umami flavour that you really need to try. But A Yue Zi sticky rice on Taishun Street is a Shida restaurant that isn’t just about sticky rice.
In addition to their fragrant sticky rice that has made their restaurant a quintessential neighbourhood space for the last 40+ years, A Yue Zi sticky rice also do some other delicious dishes that are well worth an investment of your time. Below I will list out what I have had here so far, and what I recommend the most.
Table of Contents
From the outside, A Yue Zi sticky rice restaurant is humble and unassuming in every sense of the word. In red letter is the name of the restaurant, and in the black lettering on the side it states that it began in 1978. At the time of updating this post, it has been going for 46 years!
They also do Food panda and Uber Eats here, so you can even get it from the comfort of your own home!
When walking in, you should pick up a menu from just inside the door, then find any table that is free. Once ready with your order, simply take it to one of the staff members and pay after the meal.
If you aren’t sure how to order or what to do when you arrive at A Yue Zi sticky rice, then this is the post for you. See below for How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
3 Fast Tips on How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
The Menu at A Yue Zi Sticky Rice
The menu is split into 3 sections, and below I will outline some of my recommendations:
- Main Dishes - 主菜 zhǔ cài
- Sticky rice 油飯 yóu fàn
- Rich tofu in sauce with noodles 醡醬麵 zhà jiàng miàn
- Soups - 湯類 tāng lèi
- Radish soup 菜頭湯 cài tóu tāng
- Tofu and Daikon soup 油豆腐蘿蔔湯 yóu dòu fǔ luó bo tāng
- Small Plates - 小菜 xiǎo cài
- Oily tofu 油豆腐 yóu dòu fǔ
- Plate of mixed pork cuts 綜合黑白切 zòng hé hēi bái qiē
What We Ordered
House-Special Sticky Rice
油飯 yóu fàn
There's a reason why this is the signature dish of A Yue Zi sticky rice restaurant - it's top quality. Sticky rice is lashed with some spicy sweet sauce, topped with coriander, and then served up to you where the smells fill the room.
Each grain of rice is identifiable, each covered evenly with the house-special ingredients that make this so good. It's rich yet light, it's savoury yet sweet (owing to that spicy sweet sauce), and it's a must-order here.
Seasonal Vegetables
燙青菜 tàng qīng cài
These types of very traditional small Taiwanese restaurants can tend to prioritize meat and starch on their menu, with you oftentimes leaving without realising that you didn't eat any vegetables. I tend to always order at least 1 portion of cooked vegetables when I go somewhere like this to ensure that I get that healthy vegetables goodness in me, too. When we went they had cabbage (高麗菜 gāo lí cài), but some of the other popular offerings are sweet potato leaves (地瓜葉 dì guā yè), spinach (菠菜 bō cài) and a common vegetable resembling a cooked lettuce called 大陸妹 (while this directly translates to Mainland girl, a more appropriate description would be a cooked lettucey-type vegetable).
Rich tofu in sauce with noodles
醡醬麵 zhà jiàng miàn
This type of dish is quite popular around Taiwan, as it's relatively cheap to put together - bowl of noodles topped with chopped tofu that's been marinated in a bean paste. That description, however, probably doesn't do the dish justice, as it's just a slightly more simple variation of a noodle dish. The noodles are cooked well, the tofu sauce is pretty good, and it all goes well together. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. There were no offensive flavours (apart from the random sprigs of celery that popped up here and there - all celery should be banned forever), but similarly nothing stood out to make the dish memorable.
It's a staple dish, rather than a show stopper.
Plate of mixed pork cuts
綜合黑白切 zòng hé hēi bái qiē
In this dish you're getting an honest representation of pork offcuts including meat and offal. There are some cuts of intestine, there's some cheek, there's some fattier pieces of pork, and it's all topped with fresh cut ginger and thick garlic soy sauce. It's delicious, but it isn't for everyone just based on it's visuals and the description. Needless to say you're getting some unique textures throughout this dish, and I really like the flavours. They're all subtle, but in a very good way. If it's your first time trying a dish like this, A Yue Zi sticky rice is a good place to start, and certainly stands out as one of the better Shida Restaurants in the area.
Tofu and daikon soup
油豆腐蘿蔔湯 yóu dòu fǔ luó bo tāng
Even if the Daikon was taken out of this soup and it was just that delicious tofu that remained - I would still order it. The Daikon is flavourful, but the tofu makes this dish what it is - delicious.
I have talked on here before about oily tofu being a pretty bad translation to a delicious thing, but let me tell you right now - this is one of the best oily tofu I have had the pleasure of trying. The inside is silky smooth and densely packed with soy flavour, while the outside has this delicately resistant skin that still manages to retain flavour and also add texture.
On a cooler day in Taipei, a bowl of the house-special sticky rice washed down with this tofu and daikon soup at A Yue Zi sticky rice is where it is at. Ideal in every sense of the word.
The Bottom Line
Is it worth it? For an honest Taiwanese lunch, there isn't much better in the area. I come here often, and I will continue to do so.
What is the best dish? The house-special A Yue Zi sticky rice is the best dish.
Are there other places like this? There are a few other great places that do delicious sticky rice, but not that I know of in the area.