Ultra Crispy Stinky Tofu in Taipei. Song Shang Hao 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐

Restaurant name: Song Shang Hao Crispy Tofu 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐
Address: Intersection of Jinxi Street and Shuanglian Street, Taipei | 台北市錦西街86號 (雙連街和錦西街口)
GPS: 25°03'36.8"N 121°31'08.0"E | 25.060207, 121.518879
Nearest MRT: Minquan W. Rd. Station (Exit 2) 捷運民權西路站
Tel: +886 937 842 110
Hours: 4:00pm - 1:00am

宋佳玲 was a housewife but when her husband lost all the family's money at the stock exchange and she had just given birth to twins, she had no choice but to start her stinky tofu stall to bring home some badly needed bacon.



What started as desperate act of financial survival turned out to be a blessing for the family. 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐 stinky tofu stall was a roaring success from the word go - customers like their tofu's crispy outside, tender inside, robust sauces and sweet pickled cabbage i.e. everything in a good stinky tofu.

Nearly 20 years on, 宋佳玲 now has her own shop in Taipei and a loyal following who are with her since the beginning when she founded her push cart stall. During these years, many Taiwanese celebrities and political figures have visited 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐.

Everyday a queue forms outside 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐 before it opens at 4pm and many are from out of town, coming specially for their stinky tofu - that says a lot as stinky tofu stalls and shops are everywhere in Taiwan.

To this day, 宋佳玲 still serves only stinky tofu at the 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐 shop - a single product that they do extremely well.

There are three types of stinky tofu in Taiwan. In the north, people like their stinky tofu as stinky as possible. In the south, the emphasis is on the crispy skin. In the central region, the preference is for crispy skin with tender insides - not so much on stinkiness. 

宋上好脆皮臭豆腐 serves the central region stinky tofu - crispy outside, soft inside, not too smelly (so it is good for introducing this quaint Taiwanese speciality to the uninitiated).

The secret of 宋佳玲's special stinky tofu is in the frying - she fries her tofu twice in two different pots. The first round of frying is like other stinky tofu shop to crisp the outside and cook the inside. Then, 宋佳玲 fries the tofu a second time - this time just briefly at 250 ℃. This super heated frying seals the stinky tofu with a 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐 signature ultra crispy outside. It's the little difference that makes all the difference.

The two step process means that customers have to wait a little longer for their stinky tofu but loyal 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐fans don't mind one bit.

宋上好脆皮臭豆腐's chili sauce is made with chili padi and ginger, so it has layers of hot spiciness - a gentle ginger spiciness paired with a sharp kick in your pants sting from chili padi.

宋佳玲's pickled cabbage and julienned carrot are sweet which even children enjoy it. 宋上好脆皮臭豆腐 uses 初秋 cabbage which are extra crunchy.

In Taipei, stinky tofu is everywhere. Now you know where to get the top stinky tofu so you don't waste your trip to Taipei 😄

More Johor Kaki posts on Taipei 👈 click

More Johor Kaki posts on Taiwan 👈 click