The city of Guilin has two main rivers cutting through it; most notable is Li River (漓江) while Taohua River (桃花江) is the lesser-known one.
Our objective was to take a cruise (yes, another cruise) along Taohua River even though i am ashamed to inform that this stall selling tofu products left a more lasting memory!
Those who have watched the recent local blockbuster, Long Long Time Ago (我们的故事), should remember the device very well. Two were placed right in front of the stall for visitors to try grinding soy beans the traditional way.
西施豆腐 - 豆腐 means tofu while 西施 refers to a lady known as one of ancient China's four beauties! To name the stall as such can only mean two things; either you would have a face as fair as tofu or the person manning the stall is a great beauty!
Whatever the reason, food matters most and although the entire Lu village was famous for their tofu, our guide told us he had always preferred the ones from 西施豆腐.
Being your typical kiasi Singaporeans / Malaysians, literally the whole lot of us ordered from the stall; resulting in a longer than expected wait.
Pots of varying sizes containing sauces, condiments and ingredients to enhance the fried tofu! As i wanted to have a taste of its original flavour, i didn't ask to remove any of them.
At 2 RMB (S$0.45), the beancurd was soft (albeit not silky enough) with an addictive osmanthus-based sugary syrup. The lightly-fried tofu (priced 5 RMB) had an enticing aroma with a delicate texture and being freshly fried; was a must-have on a cold day! Taste wise, it was rich of spices and i personally prefer the fried tofu over the beancurd! Nothing beats smelly tofu though.
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Location
Within Lu Village (鲁家村)
@ Guilin, China
Prices
Beancurd - RMB 2
Fried Tofu - RMB 5
Do check out the posting for the summarised itinerary of Chan Brother's tour package (guaranteed no shopping stops) to Guilin; it would give you a better overview of my trip. :)