Entree Kibbles: Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) - The Founder of Bubble Tea @ Big City in Hsinchu [Taiwan]

Bubble tea is so popular in Singapore that there are people who have to drink at least one cup a day, and there are numerous bubble tea chains in this small little island. Back in 2021, I even came out with a post listing 11 bubble tea shops in a mid-sized shopping mall of a suburban Singapore town!

But do you know that bubble tea originated from Taiwan and the shop said to be the creator was Chun Shui Tang (春水堂), originally called “Yangxian Tea Shop” in Taichung? I was aware but only had the opportunity to dine at 春水堂, at its Hsinchu branch in my recent trip.

Scan QR code to order!

We waited quite a while and decided to ask why the food took so long. Turned out we were supposed to pay first at the counter after ordering! Fault was mine although I thought it would be good to have a noticeable reminder after I put in my order on the phone.

Pearl Milk Tea - a must to taste the original bubble tea that was created in 1987! Infused richly of tea, this was milky, frothy and reminded me of how I fell in love with bubble tea the first time I tried it in Singapore! While the sugar level was indicated as optimal, it didn't feel overly sweet and I am loving the mini black pearls that were chewy yet didn't stick to the teeth!

Deep Fried Chicken - similar to the ones from the Taiwanese snack stalls like Shilin in Singapore, these were equally addictive with a light batter, juicy chicken meat, but I did think the serving was quite small. Well, can't complain when it was 115 Taiwan dollars; less than S$5.00.

Braised Beef Noodle Soup - generally not the kind of main meal I would order but my dad is a noodle lover and since he isn't averse to eating beef, I guess this would appeal to him. p.s. love the accompanying pickled vegetables, which were enjoyable and reminded me so much of the kind that bak kut teh eateries would usually sell.

Noodle was okay, beef was alright and for the soup, it looked so misleadingly rich that I was surprised to find a pretty light taste after taking a few sips.

Shumai Duet - sometimes I order things based on pictures and don't read further into their ingredients. The picture seemed like siew mai and I happily ordered without realizing it was a mix of what I assumed were the typical siew and some rice balls!

I could totally do without the rice balls, which tasted like those from lo mai kai, albeit not as savory. Siew mai was delicious though; bursting with flavorful juice as my teeth bit through prawn-pork dumpling.

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A shiok meal! I would love to have a second cup of that bubble tea but the pricing of 190 Taiwan dollars, about S$8.00, for one serving was a bit hard to stomach!

Address

299, Floor B1, Zhongyang Rd,

East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.chunshuitang.com.tw/en/

Order List