The Sweet Potato Balls from 大摳呆地瓜球 @ Ruifeng Night Market in Kaohsiung City [Taiwan]

Do you like sweet potato balls? Those crispy golf-shaped balls from Taiwan gained popularity in Singapore a few years ago and in spite of my love for sweet potatoes; the pricing was too steep for me to even want to try it!

I did manage to curb the temptation and waited till my visit to Taiwan earlier this year! While there were a few shops / stalls that offered the snacks; none commanded as long a queue as 大摳呆地瓜球 @ Ruifeng Night Market.

The more than 10-person queue cleared quite fast and we were almost at the start of the queue after only about 13 minutes. Now, the balls came in your normal yellow sweet potatoes form, and also the purple kind. Not knowing what would be good, I requested for a mix.  

At just NT$40 for 10 balls (less than half the price I would have paid for in Singapore), a true sweet potato lover, as I was, simply asked for plain basic with no toppings, which are free and included options like pepper salt, sweet plum powder, chocolate, condensed milk or caramel. 

Purple sweet potato balls had the nian gao texture in the insides and typical of purple sweet potatoes, the sweetness was tamed and lacked the flavor of original sweet potatoes that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Original sweet potato balls were hollow with a thin, crisp shell and although they were deep fried; they didn't burst with oil and that totally eliminated any sinful guilt I would get from digging into deep fried snacks! And the taste was so addictively delish, with the good old flavour of sweet potatoes that I almost went back for a second serving! 

 

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Location

Within Ruifeng Night Market,

Yucheng Road, Zuoying District,

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Original Sweet Potato Balls - NT$40 for 10

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Hakka Yu (客语客家菜) @ Northpoint City Mall in Yishun [Singapore]

Taking over the premises of YUN NANS restaurant at Northpoint City Mall was another chain that hailed from China, Hakka Yu (客语客家菜) which was said to have over 80 domestic outlets, and made its first overseas foray to Singapore with the opening of its branch at Jewel Changi Airport.

With the gigantic decorative pot of salt showcasing its signature hakka salt baked chicken, it drew a constant line of diners come mealtimes. A joint venture with Putien, Hakka Yu seeks to promote interest in Hakka cuisine in Singapore, where the Chinese dialect group is the 4th largest! 

As we were dining in a group of ten, I am glad I managed to secure a reservation for a Sunday lunch as the place was filled with diners, with a queue that had already formed at 11.30am.

Our table for our family of ten persons.

At a corner overlooking Yishun MRT station! 

Ordering via the QR code; while the brand came from China, it's not those usual cuisine that hailed from Sichuan, Hunan, Dongbei etc; hence, there's an element of familiarity which wasn't too hard for us to determine what most dishes were for.

The order list, and the start of waiting.

Which didn't take too long. 

White Rice - when it comes to most China originated restaurants offering Chinese cuisine, it's a must to order white rice to go with the dishes. It's not the main star yet without it, the rest of the dishes seemed to lose their shine. So get one bowl, or share with family / friends dining with you.

Garlic Pork Ribs w Potato Wedges - the fried pork ribs was okay toasting with not much garlic seasoning; I would have thought it's simple salt and pepper. More surprised with the potato wedges; as they were sweet potatoes although they had a limp texture, which I dislike.

Hakka Stuffed Tofu - this was one dish that you require a bowl of rice! The tofu was smooth and stuffed within the tofu was a layer of appetising salted meat.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple and Strawberry - sauce was a tad sweet but well liked by my niece and nephew. Personally, the sauce was light, the pork had a thin, crip batter and each 'nugget' was pretty meaty. No complaint from me! 

Claypot Braised Eggplants - well braised even though exceptional in the taste factor. However, this would be another perfect dish that goes well with white rice! 

Claypot Rice with Cured Meats - Singaporeans are no stranger to claypot rice and there were a number of reputable stalls in our little red dot; so, our expectations were high.

Only to have it dropped to disappointment. 

Not as fragrant, and too bland for our liking! 

Hakka Preserved Veg w Pork Belly - unlike the typical Hokkien-styled braised pork belly, the addition of preserved vegetables would have looked out of place even though this Hakka dish is not uncommon in Singapore. 

While the pork belly didn't slip down my throat as I thought it would, the layer of fat was delicious! And the preserved vegetables were crunchy, savory and not overly sweet / salty; making a symphony using my taste buds! 

And making me almost cleaned up my bowl of white rice! I think I would be satisfied with just one bowl of rice, with one order of Hakka Preserved Veg w Pork Belly! 

Hakka Salt-baked Chicken - arrival of Hakka Yu's signature dish! There are salt baked chicken eateries in Singapore too and I didn't know until today that it is a Hakka specialty! That's the thing in Singapore; the society is simply a melting pot of races, religions and cultures; that's why I am hardly into authenticity / origins, so long the food is good.

So how did this fare? Well the meat was tender, juicy with a light touch of saltiness. Am I supposed to expect something more different? It was okay for me and my apology for those who love salt-baked chicken as my taste buds prefer roast chicken and fried chicken... 

 

Hakka Rice Cakes - these looked promising with "cakes" that looked deep fried and topped with a smattering of sugar and ground nuts! 

Filling was actually mochi that literally melted as I bit through the crispy exterior! Even though the mochi doesn't have any taste, I do enjoy the crust with the sugar and ground nuts. You know what it tasted like? Muah chee! p.s. muah chee is ranked higher though. 

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Before and after! I wouldn't be able to ascertain if the meal was indeed aligned to its Hakka origins but judging from its popularity in China, I wouldn't doubt it. I do have my misgivings for some of the dishes but if the craving strikes, I would go back for the Hakka Preserved Veg w Pork Belly and maybe the Sweet and Sour Pork.

Address

930 Yishun Ave 2, South Wing, 

#01-103, Northpoint City Mall, 

Singapore 769098

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Hakka Salt-baked Chicken - S$37.60

Hakka Preserved Veg w Pork Belly - S$23.80

Sweet and Sour Pork - S$31.60

Hakka Stuffed Tofu - S$12.80

Claypot Rice with Cured Meats - S$13.80

Garlic Pork Ribs w Potato Wedges - S$14.80

White Rice (Refillable) - S$1.50 each

Claypot Braised Eggplants - S$12.80

Hakka Rice Cakes - S$4.80

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Dodomi Scholar / Champion Cake (多多米狀元糕) - Traditional Peanuts @ Ruifeng Night Market in Kaohsiung City [Taiwan]

In the almost ten years that I didn't revist Taiwan, I would reminisce a few things about the trip made in 2014. One especially memorable one was my first experience of scholar cakes at Taipei's Guangzhou Street Night Market.

Fast forward to 2025, I encountered the same scholar cakes for sale but this time, it was located at Kaohsiung Ruifeng Night Market, and under the name dodomi (多多米). The Chinese name actually means more more rice, signifying the higher rice content in their rice cakes.

I was expecting a simple menu, and the variety that hit us made me anxious as I was pulled into a huge dilemma with so many choices; traditional, sweet, savory, special, mochi and within the five categories, it further dived into the filling selection. 

And the scholar cakes came in serving sizes of four, five and six! Both Alex and I didn't want the scholar cakes to fill up the remaining space in our stomachs and we negotiated with the friendly operator for a serving size of two pieces for NT$45! 

Selection of fillings.

Want to guess what I choose?

Of course traditional peanuts, being an old fashioned traditionalist myself! Anyway, the operator, also the boss, claimed that his scholar cakes are better than the northern ones (Taipei etc) and I can't wait for it to be cooked in the bamboo holder! 

Unmoulding from the holder! According to the banner, I also understand that dodomi used only 100% pure rice from Penglai, and they were freshly ground with no preservatives. Sounded so healthy although for a person who is restricting his rice intake; rice is carbohydrates, rice is starch! 

Our two pieces ready for indulgence. 

Mmmmmm indeed better than what I remember. Stickier texture yet not mushy, satisfying and not heavy, the peanut-sugar filling was on point, and every bite was so good! Similar to our local tutu kueh but a lot bigger! Maybe I should quit my job and bring this delicious dessert to Singapore! 

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Location

Within Ruifeng Night Market,

Yucheng Road, Zuoying District,

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Traditional Peanut Scholar Cake - NT$45 for Two

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Smille by Sunny Hills - Pineapple Custard and Banana Guava Mille-Feuilles @ Kaohsiung [Taiwan]

Recently, I blogged about my experience having a tea and pineapple cake set at Sunny Hills Kaohsiung Store, including the shock I got when I saw the long queue upon arrival. 

I didn't want to wait in line and decided to jump into an empty store next door, only to find out that it's a sister brand by the name of Smille by Sunny Hills! Now, it's a big contrast with one filled with people, and the other devoid of them.

Even though the intention was to get some drinks and wait out the queue, it's hard not to notice that it's no drink on the menu! I noted that there's a me cup but it seemed to be a recyclable cup costing NT$120 and came with a free drink.

Main offerings were the mille-feuilles; a French pastry dessert for which I don't really have much affection for. It's not a bad dessert; just that I have never ever craved for it, unlike other desserts like creme brulee, financier.

Interestingly, our order of mille-feuilles came with a free cup of not bad sparkling pineapple juice,. and richly infused tea! Funny that this wasn't even indicated on the menu as it could have been a draw for customers! 

Our mille-feuilles! I opted for their half and half, which allowed us to choose two flavours! The above was Pineapple Custard and had that nice, crunchy, cold pineapple cubes that didn't taste artificial and complemented with the yummy custard in the middle!

The Banana Guava felt more like banana with nuts, and for me; just not as good as pineapple custard, although Alex pointed out that its reduced sweetness might appeal to the older generation. Can't fault that.

One reason why I didn't like mille-feuilles was their pastry, which was usually too thick for my liking, and sometimes featured a stale aftertaste! The ones here tasted fresh and I think it's ingenious to pipe the fillings instead of layering them, as you get a lower filling to pastry ratio! 

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Address

Next to Sunny Hills Kaohsiung Store

Menu

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)