A-Lan’s grass rice cake is considered a popular specialty in Jiufen. Basically, it’s like the duo of grass rice cake and taro balls, which are the two famous snacks in Jiufen. There’s usually a long line of people, but the service is relatively fast. The rice grass cake at Cai Pu is the softest and chewiest I’ve ever had, with a perfectly balanced filling. Whenever someone comes, it’s recommended to take it out. The red bean grass rice cake is also unbeatable, with just the right level of sweetness. The taro cake is made with real taro, solid and substantial. It’s best enjoyed on-site at the tea house with tea, but it’s unfortunate that they probably don’t allow takeout.

Jiufen's specialty, Alan's Grass Cake - a famous snack.

Even on a regular afternoon, you still need to queue a bit, but the ordering process is very fast. They are freshly made.

I really enjoy their grass cake; the texture is chewy and delicious, with its own flavor, though I'm not sure what kind of grass it is. It has a very fragrant smell, and combined with its filling, it is quite satisfying—a snack that makes you want to keep eating, perfect for afternoon tea or post-meal snacks.

There are many flavors available on-site - red bean, pickled vegetables, vegetable rice, and taro cake, but I still prefer the most traditional and signature flavor - vegetable rice.

The filling in the pickled vegetable version is a little less, and overall, it doesn't taste as good as the vegetable rice.

After finishing the pickled vegetable and vegetable rice-flavored grass cakes, eating the taro cake afterward, the taro cake tastes relatively milder.

It can be stored in the refrigerator for three days and in the freezer for two weeks. When taken out of the freezer, it needs to be pan-fried with some oil again.