Lin’s Wagashi

Lin’s Wagashi operates out of a corner building on Dihua Street, and unlike the other businesses included on these pages, it draws inspiration from Japanese confectionary culture. Founded in 1953, it was originally just a grocery store selling daily essentials and a few baked goods, but then the second-generation owner developed a passion for crafting Japanese sweets (known as wagashi). After visiting Japan to learn more about creating these delicacies, this Lin-family member returned and set about reinventing the family business. He focused on turning out small batches of preservativefree delicacies made using almost exclusively locally-sourced ingredients – a business model the store employs to this day.

The shop’s exterior is all red brick and decorative stucco moldings, while inside the walls are adorned with wooden cake molds. Shoppers jostle around a central table laden with individually wrapped sweets. Among them are miniature baked buns filled with chestnut, glistening cubes of squishy yokan, chewy brown-sugar mochi coated with a fine dusting of soybean powder, and of course that most popular of Japanese sweets, dorayaki. Items can be purchased individually or in gift sets, but remember to bring a credit card (Lin’s Wagashi is a cash-free store).

In winter, the store’s hottest item is the seasonal strawberry daifuku. Available only during the brief strawberry harvest, plump strawberries are bundled first in a layer of anko (sweet adzuki-bean paste), then a second layer of mochi. The resulting combination is a study in nuance – each component bringing its own specific soft texture and sweetness.

The store also offers an NT$50 set comprised of a cup of black tea and a monaka – crispy rice-flour wafers sandwiching a sweet spoonful of anko. It’s a perfectly balanced sweet pick-me-up that can be enjoyed on the spot.

LIN'S

0933-727-553

No. 247, Sec. 1, Dihua St., Datong District, Taipei City ( 台北市大同區迪化街一段 247 號 )

9am~6pm www.wagashi.com.tw (Chinese)