陳新抄手

Foodholic Nako @ New Taipei

The signature items of this shop include two dishes that I really like: fried wontons and stinky tofu, so naturally, it made it onto my list of restaurants to try.

However, to be honest, I found the overall experience to be quite average. Besides the crispy stinky tofu, the other items didn’t leave a strong enough impression for me to want to make a special trip for a second visit.

“Chen Xin Fried Wontons and Stinky Tofu” is located near Banxin Station, about an 8-minute walk. The red sign is pretty recognizable, and the shop itself is relatively bright, tidy, and clean. A small downside is that it was a bit hot inside; we went for dinner in the evening and both ended up sweating quite a bit.

Combo Meal Special - Wenzhou Wonton Soup + Crispy Stinky Tofu $150
The crispy stinky tofu comes with five large pieces, each has a small hole in the middle that you can fill with Taiwanese pickles. The crunchiness is just right, not too rough on the mouth, and the saltiness with the pickles is also pretty suitable for my taste. The wonton soup is served in a large bowl, and the wontons are quite big; you need to take 2-3 bites to finish one. I didn’t count how many there were, but at least five; the taste is average—not bad, but very ordinary.

Signature Hot and Sour Fried Wonton Noodles $110
I was quite disappointed with this dish. The fried wontons were the same as those in the wonton soup, just topped with hot and sour sauce. The sourness and spiciness felt a bit lacking, and what disappointed me the most were the noodles; they were just overcooked… I felt this dish didn’t deserve to be called a signature dish.

Hot Pot Stinky Tofu Noodle Soup $125
I was also quite disappointed with this dish. I originally thought the stinky tofu inside would be braised, but it turned out to be fried stinky tofu in soup. That was a misunderstanding on my part; I can’t blame the shop for that. The main issue for me was that the hot pot noodles had a greasy taste, which I didn’t like.

Overall, the only item I’d be interested in trying again is the crispy stinky tofu, so I’ll give it two stars and an additional half star for the stinky tofu.