Saturday, November 28, 2009

A Swell Smell

********THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED.********

Purell and I coaxed a couple of our co-workers into going to Ding's Garden (534 E. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel) with us.
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You might be wondering why coaxing was necessary.

This is what Purell and I were seeking.
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Stinky tofu!

So glorious. So delectable. So aromatically powerful that Slim begged us to eat it quickly, so she didn't have to inhale the noxious fumes anymore.
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Absolutely loved this spicy steamed version ($3.29). Malodorous awesomeness.

Ding's also offers fried stinky tofu ($3.29).
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I wasn't as big a fan of this. It was oddly flavorless. Purell took one for the team and gobbled it up while I devoured the steamed stench.

Meanwhile, our cowardly cohorts helped us with some other more fragrant dishes.

Shanghai rice cakes ($4.99).
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Nice and bouncy.

Xiao long bao ($4.99).
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Fairly standard. Several were punctured, which made me sad.

Potstickers ($4.99).
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Also fairly standard. Beautifully browned, but definitely could've been juicier.

Dan dan noodles ($3.99)
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Quite lovely and springy. This place does noodles and rice cakes very well.

If you're looking for stinky tofu, I highly recommend the steamed version at Ding's Garden. I'll be back for it. The great prices don't hurt either.

17 comments:

  1. Never have seen steamed stinky tofu before. I too feel sad when XLB are punctured and their juices spill out. A server once was grabbing XLB from our container for take out and then each XLB got punctured. Sad!

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  2. I have never heard of stinky tofu. Learn something new every day. And I love rice cake. I have great childhood memories of eating it with my 2 BFFs, homemade by one of their dads. I haven't had it in almost 20 years!

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  3. Everything looks so good! I miss authentic chinese food. I live in Pittsburgh and we don't have any places like that here. Lucky you! Oh how I miss the rice cakes, yum!

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  4. I've been curious about stinky tofu for a while now, but I haven't ever seen it on a menu!

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  5. I swear the tofu was giving off some noxious fumes through my laptop's screen!

    My love for stinky tofu hasn't blossomed yet.

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  6. I'm a fan of this place. Good post Ms. Monkey!

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  7. looks good! I don't think there is any stinky tofu where I live.

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  8. I have never eaten nor been in the vicinity of others eating stinky tofu. I am curious, but I don't know if I'm curious enough to order and eat this fabled treat. I've given up attempting to guess what the smell could be like!

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  9. The stinky tofu looks good. I've never come across it on a menu, but I think I'd be willing to try it if I did.

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  10. Ooooh those potstickers look amazing!

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  11. I bet I would love Stinky Tofu. Maybe we eat it together, yes?

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  12. I've never had stinky tofu, but i do love tofu. what is the flavor difference other than the stink? might have to give it a try soon!

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  13. Stinky tofu is basically extremely fermented tofu. The difference between tofu and stinky tofu is sort of like the difference between a mild cheese and a strong stinky cheese.

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  14. I have yet to try Stinky Tofu, but this looks like it would be a good place for a maiden voyage. :)

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  15. I think I'll stick with Xiao long bao and rice cakes. ;)

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  16. the dan dan noodles look good. i'd want to try the stinky tofu, too. i LOVE tofu.

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