Journeys in photographs and words.

Places we stopped along the way

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Rongji Hakka Tangyuan (榮記客家湯圓)

From: An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market

The lit-up front of the eatery
The lit-up front of the eatery

An eatery on Wuchang Street, full of locals. The menu runs to rice vermicelli, meatball soup, chicken rice and other small dishes. I had dry rice vermicelli and meatball soup here.

No. 64, Wuchang St., East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan

Sources: travel.yam.com supertaste.tvbs.com.tw

This moment in the journey

Rice vermicelli and meatball soup, Hsinchu's specialties

For dinner, Hsinchu's specialties at a local eatery. I left the stalls behind, walked down an alley of closed shutters, and arrived at Rongji on Wuchang Street. Windy Hsinchu is famous for its rice vermicelli.

The noodles I lifted with my chopsticks had a firm, springy bite and were tremendously good. Gongwan tang, meatball soup, is another Hsinchu specialty: bouncy, juicy meatballs bursting with flavor. No wonder the place was full of locals. I had found a great restaurant. Under the glowing sign of a pawnshop, I walked back to the apartment.

Watch this scene on YouTube5:20

Read this scene in the full journey

People passing through the night stalls
People passing through the night stalls
A night alley of closed shutters
A night alley of closed shutters
Rice vermicelli lifted with chopsticks, a bowl of soup beside it
Rice vermicelli lifted with chopsticks, a bowl of soup beside it
Meatball soup with three meatballs
Meatball soup with three meatballs
The table with bowls of rice vermicelli and meatball soup
The table with bowls of rice vermicelli and meatball soup
Customers lined up at the eatery's storefront
Customers lined up at the eatery's storefront
A night street with a glowing pawnshop sign
A night street with a glowing pawnshop sign