Taiwan, Part XX - Ji Pin Seafood Restaurant

Ever since the first time I heard about the "quicksand" bun, I was enchanted. On my last day in Taipei, I was determined to have this unique dessert at Ji Pin. Besides the famous "quicksand" buns, Ji Pin is a seafood restaurant, specializing in shark fin and abalone.

Ji Pin's clientele consists mostly regulars. The boss and the manager walked around the room, greeting and chatting with people. Their lunch "specials" change from time to time. When I visited, there were 4 options, all 9 course meals, price ranging from NT$1280 to NT$2980. Yes, these would be expensive lunches. A little shocked by both the price and the amount of food, I stayed away from the specials, and ordered a few dim sum items. In hindsight, I should have gone to Ji Pin with an empty stomach, and splurged on an extravagant lunch, instead of having a pre-lunch snack.

When my Cantonese Sausages with Rice in Clay Pot (NT$200) came, the clay pot was still hot. The rice on the bottom got very crispy. After mixing together the rice and the sausages, every bite had some crunchy, some soft, and some meaty. This was really tasty. The only thing is that like most dishes with Chinese sausages, it's a bit greasy.

The Ji Pin Shark Fin Dumplings (NT$240, 3 pieces) are steamed with shark fin, shrimp, carrots, bamboo shoots, tree mushrooms, and shiitaki mushrooms. Shark fin is a very mild-taste ingredient. So these are very similar to shrimp dumplings, with bits of slightly crunchy vegetables. Don't get me wrong, they were good, just not much of a surprise.

The signature dessert - Quicksand Buns (NT$120, 3 pieces) are really molten custard buns. They are very similar to steamed custard buns. When the bun is hot and torn open, the custard would run out. Their menu translated the name to Steamed Salted Egg Custard Bun because the custard was mixed with cooked salted duck egg yolk. The dough was nice and fluffy, like regular custard buns, with a little sweetness. Unlike regular custard buns, the filling was sweet and salty, creamy and gritty at the same time as the duck egg bits hit your tongue. It was quite an experience.

Ji Pin Seafood Restaurant (吉品海鮮餐廳)
Address: 25 Dun Hua South Road, Section 1, 2nd floor
Telephone: 02-2752-7788
地址：台北市松山區敦化南路一段25號2樓
電話：02-2752-7788
Address: 236 Xin Yi Road, Section 4, 2nd floor
Telephone: 02-2700-3311
地址：台北市信義路四段236號2樓
電話：02-2700-3311
Hours: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm 5:30 pm - 10 pm
營業時間：11:30 - 14:30 17:30 - 22:00