text: Located at the corner of S Jones and Spring Mountain near the Market this small humble eatery provides a comprehensive array of Taiwanese breakfast items that elicit childhood nostalgia for many st generation TaiwaneseChinese folks and are definitely on the musteat list for those of us secondgeneration folks who have been fortunate to have made a pilgrimmage back to Taiwan or as I like to call it Foodie Island nnSoybean milk this is not the chalky stuff that you find in your supermarket that adds a nice dimension to your latte or cereal this is enjoyed straight up either as a sweetened coldhot beverage or in a savory form where a shot of vinegar and soy triggers a reaction so that the soymilk takes on a creamy custardization accented by little bits of green onion and pickled veggies For those with discernible palates I have been informed by reputable sources that the soybean milk across the street at China Mama is superiornnRice Ball Fan Twan a classic item my parents used to grab on the go while heading to school do not be fooled by the simple name This is steamed sticky rice enclosing a savory deep fried chinese doughnut and pork sung The ratio of the rice and filling is perfect and it is as classic a combination as pb and jnnTemple meatball Ba Wan not sure if there are any other places in town that offer this and fortunately they make a wonderful version of this popular street food item Finely chopped mushrooms bamboo and stirfried pork encased by a glutinous tapioca flour bun and bathed in a thick orange sweet savory sauce that has an additional note similar to cinnamonstar anise this one will flood your head with umami and makes me think if boba and dim sum were to conceive a rockstar child this would be itnnSpicy Beef Noodle soup Served piping hot and can easily feed or more the meat is impeccably braised and comes with garnishes of pickled mustard greens cilantro scallions and bok choy Detractors might say it is on the oily side and is way spicy in which case the version at Noodle Pot may be closer to your liking otherwise this one punches you in the face and is not shy on flavor in the best way possiblennLeek Pancake A deepfried empanada filled with garlic chives scrambled egg tofu and mung bean noodles this is a tasty rendition if you really like garlic chivesnnItems that have room for improvement include the savory chinese doughnuts yiotiao and the sesame bun sao bing which I found to be a tad bit on the dry side and the hunk of pork in the pork bun gua bao is also a bit oversized and lacking unctuousness Sheridan Su does a better rendition at Great Bao which is now Fat Choy Looking forward to trying the pork chop with rice sweet tofu custard do hua and the lotus wrapped tamales taiwanese and shanghainese varieties available on future visits nnNot sure if this is an outpost of Yi Mei Deli Co in Rowland Heights CA the fonts on the food signs look similar but if you are expecting the same level of quality it may come up short since they set the bar extremely high otherwise it is a great primer on Taiwanese cuisine for the uninitiated Unbelievable value for your wallet but do not forget cash if you are spending under and they accept visamastercard but no amex