No. 253, Zhonghua 3rd Rd, Sanmin Dist
高雄市三民區中華三路253號
(07)281-9808
Monday-Sunday
11:00am-2:00pm
5:00pm-1:00am
website: http://lugicdf.cdmcjoe.com.tw/
English friendly: no
vegetarian friendly: YES
average cost: 70-100NTD
If you're a connoisseur of stinky tofu, like me, you'll be thrilled to learn that this most definitely famous Hong Kong-style stinky tofu restaurant is within walking distance of your house. That is assuming you live in southwestern Kaohsiung, like me.
You'll know when you've reached this place from smell alone. Now, because I am a freak I do actually enjoy the smell of stinky tofu (the stinkier the better!) but for me the stinky tofu king's palace takes it a step beyond "sharp cheese" veering dangerously into "gas station bathroom" territory. I was a little alarmed at first, but as always my nose slowly adjusted and soon enough I couldn't smell it at all.
The menu is a stinky tofu DREAM! They sell Hong Kong-style crispy-skinned stinky tofu, Japanese-style cold dressed stinky tofu, vegetarian steamed stinky tofu (so named because the Taiwanese Buddhist conception of vegetarianism also forbids "strong" flavors like salt, garlic, and MSG--the more you know!), fried egg yolk taro balls (???), as well as a large variety of hot pot and many side dishes including wood ear(!) and kimchi. I wanted to try EVERYTHING but unfortunately we were in sort of a rush.
I ended up getting the Hong Kong-style stinky tofu. A small gets you four cubes, a large six, served in the traditional way with a side of pickled cabbage. (You're supposed to put it on top... if you didn't... know that.) This stinky tofu is stinky tofu perfected. Crispy, salty, and incredibly juicy--a waterfall of stinky tofu soup exploding in your mouth with every bite. The pickled cabbage may also have been pickled cabbage perfected.... It tastes the same wherever I get it.
I also got fried ice cream, which I had never seen in Taiwan before and was REALLY excited to try. I was promised a crispy hot crust surrounding a smooth cool ball of ice cream...
...but the outside was just sort of oily and soggy and room-temperature, while the ice cream was a little too hard and a little too cold, and I'm still not sure what flavor it was supposed to be. So if you're looking for fried ice cream in Taiwan, be encouraged, it DOES exist, but you should probably look for it elsewhere. I hear it's good in Tainan?
As far as the stinky tofu goes, definitely look for it here. I think this is the perfect place to take the uninitiated and enthusiast alike. I, at least, will be back very soon to test out their other myriad stinky tofu styles!
OVERALL REVIEW: 4/5
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