Liu Yu Zi (Taro balls) — Restaurant in Datong District

Heard so much about this place because it is Michelin Bib Gourmand. I arrived very early even before the stall was opened and there was a long snaking queue at the back of the stall already. Was a little confusing among people because there were 2 long queues and people had to ask which stall they were queueing for. Once the stall has opened, the queue seemed to move rather quickly, was then where it took me about 20 minutes to get the yam balls. Wanted to get more since waited for so long but decided to get 1 flavour each since I just wanted to try and eat them hot and fresh. Stall lady was nice, not as bad as what other reviewers have commented. She has a pretty good memory in taking orders. Can see their hard work working close to the hot oil in summer. Finally got to try the yam balls. Though am a sweet tooth person I was rooting for the plain one, the one with the yolk I enjoyed it better. Perhaps is because the yam is not sweet so the yolk brought out more flavours. For anyone who has not tried before, I think it's worth a try for the reputation and the price, and also for taro fans. For those who have tried, I think it's okay to skip and try all the other interesting stalls in the night market. It's not bad but not sure why the Michelin...

[Michelin Bib Gourmad 🌟 Fried Yam Balls 🇹🇼 🍘]

We visited Ningxia Night Market and was immediately drawn to the long queue for this stall in Ning Xia Night Market.

They offer two variations of Fried Yam Ball: the original, made purely of yam (25NT), and the salted egg yolk version with pork floss (35NT). A minimum order of two is required.

The wait was approximately 30 minutes, but the queue was pretty straightforward despite being in a crowded night market.

While I've heard about negative experiences with the service, we were fortunate to have a fuss-free interaction.

I tried the salted egg yolk version, which had a subtle porky flavour. I'm unsure if this was due to added pork fat or simply the pork floss.

Regardless, the taste wasn't overly sweet and was full of umami from the yam. The yam balls were smooth, firm and freshly made on-site, which added to their appeal.

While I personally felt that the long queue was a bit exaggerated for the dish, it's definitely worth trying at least once, especially if you're a first-time visitor to Ningxia...

I was a little surprised there was no queue when I got to the stall on a Sunday night around 9.30pm, but a short queue soon formed behind me.

I found the stall owners to be more patient than expected. When the lady in front of me was taking a long time to make her order, the uncle did not rush her. He continued making the yam balls while in conversation with her.

After taking the first bite, I must say I was slightly disappointed because I wasn't blown away by the taste. I almost didn’t want to finish them, but while I sat there and slowly chewed up the yam, I realised that because the taste was kept light and simple, it didn't end up being saccharine.

To be able to make heavy ingredients such as salted egg yolk and yam taste light on the palette, while being deep fried, is rather impressive and...