Tianzhong Yuan Qiaotou Stinky Tofu

Review

Tianzhong Yuan Qiaotou Stinky Tofu is at No. 193 Zhongzheng Road, a few minutes' walk from Tianzhong Station, and is one of the best-known stinky tofu stalls in town. A local food round-up of a day's eating in Tianzhong slots it into the afternoon snack spot, it gets plenty of online discussion, and visitors arriving by train often stop for a plate.

The tofu is fried to order, so expect a short wait. The skin turns crisp while the inside stays soft and juicy, giving clear contrast; it arrives with Taiwanese pickled cabbage and the stall's own chilli sauce, and the mix of sour, sweet and spicy is very appetising. Many people add a bowl of pig's blood soup, whose clear broth and firm blood curd balance the fried food.

Praise focuses on the properly crisp skin, the tasty pickles and the punchy chilli sauce, and overseas visitors particularly recommend the pig's blood soup. Complaints mention lots of flies in the seating area and tables not wiped well, so takeaway may be better; some miss a soy-sauce savouriness and find it unlike the stinky tofu they remember, and the chilli sauce is quite hot, so go easy if you are sensitive.

Hours are 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so it only serves the afternoon and early evening. The articles list no prices; go by the board, and it is a cheap snack. Being close to the station makes the train the easiest way in; drivers will need to hunt for roadside parking around Zhongzheng Road. When it is busy you wait for frying, so order first and stroll nearby if you are short on time.

Good for fans of crunchy-style stinky tofu and anyone wanting a snack while walking around central Tianzhong. First-timers should order one plate with pig's blood soup and try a little chilli sauce first; if the setting bothers you, take it away, but eat it hot while it is at its crispiest.