Steamed Ba-wan and Four Herbs Soup at Jiantan Rouyuan Wang

Jiantan Rouyuan Wang (劍潭肉圓王) is a small shop in Shilin, northern Taipei, about a ten-minute walk from Jiantan MRT Station. Two local food writers describe it as a neighborhood business with more than 20 years of history. Its menu stays focused on three items: steamed ba-wan, four herbs soup, and pork meatball soup.

Ba-wan (肉圓) is a Taiwanese meat dumpling wrapped in a translucent starch skin. While many versions are fried, this shop steams its ba-wan and serves them two at a time. The skin is soft and slippery with a little resilience, while the lean pork filling stays firm and juicy. A red sauce and a pale rice-based sauce add sweetness and salt, with garlic and chili available at the table.

The other essential order is four herbs soup (四神湯), a mild herbal soup served here with pork intestine and grains. The broth is clear and lightly sweet rather than strongly medicinal. Both source reviews describe the intestine as clean-tasting and springy, and treat the soup as a natural match for the richer sauces on the ba-wan.

Both 2026 reviews list two ba-wan for NT$45 and a bowl of four herbs soup for NT$60. Prices may have changed since the articles were published.