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2009-05-16
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On a dreary winter morning I checked out this place in an otherwise quiet part of Sheung Wan (in the morning). There were tiled-walls and two plastic stools up front, a simple counter with plastic cups in stacks, waiting to be filled with soy milk made fresh every day, same as the name suggests -- Fresh Soy Milk Every Day. Then surprisingly, the joint closed and has disappeared off the radar. On another dreary spring morning I checked on OR and came across the familiar name in a familiar locatio
On another dreary spring morning I checked on OR and came across the familiar name in a familiar location close to Sheung Wan. I did not need a map, and by the end of the day I was standing at the entrance facing the now brightly lit joint. The orange coloured sign was catchy, but the kitchen was simple as ever. The front counter offered exactly the same soy milk made fresh every day. I ordered one regular soy milk (cold, $6) and an order of Sweet Tofu (豆腐花, hot, $8).
The rice dishes haven't changed either, they're still there and they remain a favorite among regulars. The soy milk arrived in a simple plastic cup, sealed like Bubble Tea. The taste was light and not very sweet, although not as thick and rich as before. I think it may have to do with the familiar taste of sweeter soy milk served elsewhere, but this one doesn't have that grassy raw taste some soy milk gives.
The sweet tofu was a completely different matter. The shorter version of the story was that the owner learned how to improve their Tofu texture from some Japanese tofu-maker, and hence, while handling the proportions and the temperature and the techniques, the sweet tofu may vary from batch to batch. (as a small joint like this one, they don't make hundreds of tubs per day). As the owner explains how they're getting the hang of it, I spooned through the sweet tofu, hot and wobbly like silky velvet, the tofu slid through my palate and went down the throat easily enough, leaving a strangely exhilarating freshness from a spoonful of sweet tofu. The yellow sugar is meant to enhance the flavour, and for me it also offers to add a crunchy texture to the coagulated dessert.
I have high hopes for this joint, and hopefully that it will remain in the same location before they decide to disappear off the radar somewhere into the deepest corners of the Central District again. This one is not hard to find, and even if it is, I think the velvety dessert will be worth the visit.
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