[Taipei] If you have tried queuing for Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿 over at Hua Shan Market, you probably would have come across a pastry chef going along the snaking queue to let people sample his traditional pastries.
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Photo Credit: Man Fu Tang Facebook
My first reaction to this was, “Hmm, must be a tourist trap and I better not try. Later kena pressurized to buy.”
But being a fan of these nostalgic treats and having some free time after my soybean milk breakfast, curiosity led me to their store which was probably one of my best decision ever made.
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Founded in 1899 and currently helmed by the fourth generation, Man Fu Tang 滿福堂餅行 insists on hand-making their pastries, as well as sourcing for finest ingredients and speciality food ingredients from various locations to go into their bakes.
Despite production costs being much higher.
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Mostly importantly, the lady boss highlighted that all their products are freshly baked on a daily basis and have short shelf life due to the absence of artificial food preservatives.
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Photo Credit: Man Fu Tang Facebook
Their persistence in adhering to their philosophy paid off, and have subsequently won them many positive word-of-mouth and Taiwanese media coverage.
The brand was also endorsed by Taiwan Tourism Bureau as one of the recommended stores to purchase Taiwanese pastries for souvenirs.
Even our SG film director, Jack Neo, patronizes them.
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The best representative of Taiwanese pastries goes to Pineapple Cake 鳳梨酥, which they have been awarded with “Gold Standard” in a local Pineapple Cake Making Competition.
They offer two types of Pineapple Cake; one with jam fillings made using golden pineapple fruit 黃金鳳梨and another using local pineapple variant 土鳳梨, encapsulated in a buttery crust pastry.
The former is usually sweeter while the latter has a balance of sweet-sourish notes.
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Interestingly, they also offer a Cranberry version, which is made using brandy-soaked cranberries to get jam fillings with enhanced flavours.
A box of 18 pieces with 6 of each flavour retails at NT680, SGD30.60.
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My personal favourite goes to their Maple Sun Cake 楓糖太陽餅 (Box of 12 NT540, SGD24.30) which came with flaky buttery crust and malt sugar fillings mixed with maple syrup to give an alluring sweet fragrance.
I have tried Sun Cake from many other brands and the vibrant flavours from this rendition left a very lasting impression. So much so that I would regularly recommend this to my friends who travel to Taipei, so that they can grab me a box. *grins*
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Other than the above two, Man Fu Tang also carries a large collection of Taiwanese pastries, some infused with a modern twist.
A few more notable ones are such as Xin Tai Ruan 心太軟 (Box of 12 NT575, SGD25.80), an “upgraded” pineapple cake with chewy mochi core and dusted with coconut shavings.
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The Taro Cake 福芋餅 (Box of 12 NT600, SGD26.90), which resembles baked taro mooncakes but embedded with dried longan fruits.
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There are also savoury options such as Sesame Floss Cake 芝麻香鬆餅 (Box of 10 NT550, SGD24.70), made using walnuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts and meat floss fillings coated with white sesame crust.
I ended up spending a huge portion of my travel funds at this pastry store for that particular trip.
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Man Fu Tang 满福堂饼行
Main Store
No. 3號, Section 2, Zhongxiao East Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
100台北市中正區忠孝東路二段3號
Opening Hours: 9am – 7pm (Mon – Sun)
Google Maps – Man Fu Tang (Main Store)
Hua Shan Market Branch
100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 1, Zhongxiao East Road, No 108 (Hua Shan Market Level 2 Unit 12)
100台北市中正區忠孝東路一段108號(華山市場2樓12號位)
Opening Hours: 7am – 12.30pm (Tue – Sun), Closed Mon
Google Maps – Man Fu Tang (Hua Shan Market Branch)
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Click HERE for other TAIPEI Food Entries
* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.