New Taipei Industrial-Chic Restaurant: Ultra-Unique "Fermented Tofu" Sakura Shrimp Pasta

Text and photos byXiaohu Dream-Eating Web

A few days ago I made plans to meet up with a friend from Tucheng to discuss some things. He asked where we should meet, and I casually said, “Let’s do Tucheng—after all, I haven’t written about a single restaurant at that station yet XXD...” And so, the Tucheng Station MRT food series finally makes its debut (confetti).

When I got there, I realized—it’s actually the very place we had tried to visit last year but couldn’t get in because it was fully booked? My friend told me the shop had recently reopened and expanded its interior.

The space was much larger than I had imagined. I really liked the floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides—I bet the natural light during the day must be great. The seating arrangement felt a bit chaotic, but they clearly divided the tables for singles, couples, groups of four, and larger parties.

The large square table in the other room, paired with the exposed red brick wall and clock behind it, really hit the spot for me. My friend pointed at the red brick wall and said, “Doesn’t that wall look like a pizza oven?” To be honest, it kind of did.

On the menu, in addition to the previously popular pasta and risotto, they’ve now added pizza, as well as some American-style fried items.

The drink menu included coffee, tea, and juices—basically all the usual stuff you’d expect.

The water here is special—it’s infused with various fruits and even some mint leaves. Honestly, this water was really tasty.

Mostly my friend ordered everything that day, but I picked one particularly unique dish—the fried cod my friend loves.

The cod’s crust was crispy with a slight light crunch. When you bit into it, you could faintly hear a crisp sound. After frying, they sprinkled a bit of spice and salt on top, which gave the crust a savory flavor. The cod itself was soft, tender, and sweet—absolutely delicious. Dipping it in the specially prepared tartar sauce made it even better and incredibly praise-worthy.

There were also some American-style fried chicken wings and drumsticks. They seemed to have been fried a little too long—the meat texture was slightly dry.

The soup and salad that came with the set meal. The red tomato vegetable soup had a naturally tangy flavor, with none of that metallic taste you sometimes get from canned tomatoes. It was pretty good. The purple yam soup, on the other hand, had a bit too much cream, making it slightly heavy on the palate.

But the potato salad was delicious—the mashed potatoes were sweet without being cloying, refreshing and tasty.

This was the only pasta I ordered, and it caught my interest purely because of its odd name—"Fermented Tofu Sakura Shrimp Pasta." Weird and unique enough? At least I’d never seen it anywhere else.

They recommend thoroughly mixing this pasta before eating, so the sauce coats the noodles evenly and doesn’t dry out. At first bite, the “fermented tofu” flavor hits you with a stronger spice than expected. But after a few more bites, you gradually get used to the heat, and the aromatic qualities of the fermented tofu start to come through. Mixed with a generous amount of fried sakura shrimp, it’s quite an interesting and tasty combination. Fans of fermented tofu should definitely give it a try.

The cheesecake that came with the set felt like it was outsourced via SOP—not particularly delicious, but not bad either. However, the lemon slice with added coffee and sugar was really tasty.

Finally, there was the “special mix” my friend insisted we order. What’s special about this drink is that the left side, in what looks like a witch’s potion bottle, contains a daily-changing ingredient (that day it was cream liqueur), while the coffee and fresh milk are fixed.

● 《ET News Cloud》 reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, don’t drive if you’ve been drinking.

The larger middle bottle (glass) contains ice cubes, and you pour the cream liqueur, coffee, and fresh milk into it according to your preference. Seriously… it feels like a witch brewing a magic potion… because when you pour the ingredients in, misty vapor puffs out of the bottle’s mouth like smoke XD

Actually, I’ve had coffee, cream liqueur, and fresh milk mixed together before at a coffee bar, but I think this version tastes even better. I’m guessing it’s because you can adjust the proportions to your liking. Plus, you can sip it multiple times, slowly enjoying different flavor variations of the special mix. And pouring it yourself adds a bit of fun. Highly recommended and a must-order… apparently it’s limited daily and sells out fast.

Deer Horn Park
Address: No. 7, Yuanlin St., Tucheng District, New Taipei City
Phone: 02-22636606
Business Hours: 11:00–22:00

"Xiaohu Dream-Eating Web
If “eating” is just about filling your stomach, then “food” would be far too boring.