Zheng Lao Pai Stinky Tofu & Vermicelli

Review

Zheng Lao Pai Stinky Tofu & Vermicelli stands at the corner of Hezuo Street in Taichung's South District, right at the heart of Zhongxiao Night Market and next door to the sugarcane milk stall. Most reports call it Zheng Lao Pai Vermicelli and say it has been part of the market for over forty years; the owner prepares the ingredients himself while his wife runs the stall, and Supertaste ranks it among the market's most popular stalls.

The thick vermicelli soup is cooked in a pork bone stock simmered every morning, with strips of black pork boiled together with the noodles, which are fine and silky. The oysters are dusted with starch and blanched separately, the squid beak is fried crisp and fragrant, and the pork thick-soup strips are firm and chewy. The stinky tofu is fried twice in two woks, crisp outside and soft inside, and eaten with house-made sweet and sour pickled cabbage. A 2022 blog suggests ordering the oyster version and adding black sacha sauce, basil and the special chili sauce. Reports from 2018 to 2019 list oyster vermicelli at NT$55, squid beak, pork thick soup and oyster vermicelli at NT$75 and stinky tofu at NT$50.

Praise centers on the rich broth, the variety of toppings and the chance to have both vermicelli and stinky tofu at one stall. Sources disagree on the oysters: Supertaste calls them big and plump, while the 2022 blog found them on the small side, a bit of a letdown. Prices online also date back several years and have likely changed.

It opens at 3 p.m. and runs late, but closing times vary by report (from 12:45 to 1 a.m.), and one source says it has no closing day, so check before you go. Payment and queues aren't specifically mentioned, so expect some waiting when the market is busy and bring cash.

It suits night market first-timers who want Taiwanese vermicelli and stinky tofu in one go, or anyone craving a hot bowl late at night. Order the squid beak, pork thick soup and oyster vermicelli for the mixed version, add a plate of stinky tofu with pickles, and help yourself to black sacha sauce and basil from the condiment station to taste.