Tucked away along a quiet stretch of Chaozhou Street near the popular Yongkang Street in Taipei, 手天品 (Shou Tian Pin) is the kind of local bakery you stumble upon, just like we did. We would have missed it had we not noticed a group of Japanese ladies walking into the shop.
This quaint little shop looks like it stopped in time in the 1980s. They do not have any prominent signboards or products displayed at the frontage of its shop, making it all the more likely to miss it. As you step into the shop, the products were individually wrapped and even the product description and prices were handwritten.
The shop appears to be very popular with the Japanese ladies, which we reckon must be highly recommended in their social media, that even the cashier is able to converse with them in Japanese. Small, warm, and wonderfully aromatic, this shop serves freshly baked goods made with heart, tradition, and a commitment to simplicity. The shop does not use preservatives in their bakes hence it is best to consume them within the stated best before date, which is around 12 days for the pineapple cakes we purchased.
We got the original pineapple cake flavour and the one with walnut and tea flavour. We like that the pineapple cake was not overly sweet and you could really taste the buttery crust and the not overly sweet pineapple filling.
The other pineapple cake had small pieces of walnut on top and was flavoured with oolong tea. The addition of oolong tea enhanced the aroma of the cake and the walnut added a subtle layer of texture.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy more of their baked goods to try as we had many more meals to go in Taipei. We have tried many famous pineapple cakes from Taiwan from previous trips and gifts from family and friends. And we both agreed that this is the best one we had, its not complicated, just a simple pineapple cake that is done right.
Rating: 4 / 5
Shou Tian Pin (手天品)
No. 188-1號, Chaozhou St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Google Maps Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/taHSw4ARzMZz4Dus8
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