Mini Star Fermented Beancurd

When im in Geylang (for food), i will always drop by this place for a snack of the chow tofu! Its a must must must try. First try fermented tofu in Hong Kong and the memory of it stays etched!

One good thing about the tofu here is the sauce of which u dipped the tofu with, tat comprises of chilli sauce and sweet sauce. The tofu itself smells alright to me but my family hates it to the core, and the skin is so crusty! Amazingly good to eat when its raining and the tofu is hot!

The soft shell crab bun is, as e name implies, crab bundled with bun and eaten by humans. Quite a novelty since i have no seen it before but the taste is enhanced by this creamy sauce (like coleslaw). Dun try the soft shell crabs at Sakae, try it here @ $3.50 for two buns.

I dun normally eat at Mini Star for a full meal. Only as a snack or when my craving comes.

The only thing that I truely miss is the atmosphere compared to the ones I had in Taiwan. It truely STINKS. According to one of the staff, he said that the authorities have barred them from emitting these smelly wonders. Therefore, they spent a small fortune on kitchen systems to remove the smell while they fried the tofu.

For those who are still reluctant to try the fermented beancurd, truth be told... it does not really stink. It really stinks only when they are frying the beancurds. The end product is actually pretty fragrant, with only a small hint of 'stink'.

It is certainly a must try... at least once in your life because Mini Star Fermented Beancurd is about as good as it gets in Singapore. They serve three (3) different types of Fermented Beancurd dishes.

1. Fermented Beancurd (Standard)
2. "Ma La - Hot" Claypot style Fermented Beancurd
3. Fermented Beancurd slices

(1) served deep fried till crispy, recommended to take with the provided sauces.
(2) The "Ma La" style is cooked with mushrooms within the sauce, which is a recommended selection for any fan of Sze Chuan cuisine.
(3) This is the 'stinkiest' of the lot. Half-Centimetre slices of tofu done with absolute crisp.

Other dishes that I have tried include the deep-fried large intestines, which is fairly well done. Light and crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. My brother told me that there is a better one at the basketball (indoor) sports hall. But I feel that this is well done... cleaned thoroughly, which beats the one at any Xin Wang or Central (at Ngee Ann City) hands down.

Standards have dropped a bit since it first opened but it is one of the only 2 chow toufu place that we know and the other in joo chiat closes earlier so I'll have to make do.

Fermented Beancurd is an acquired taste so it is not for everyone. It smells like sewage from a clogged drain by the taiwanese night market that I first had it in my life...frankly till today I have no idea if the smell is from the drain or the toufu. Perhaps a mixture of both but the Chow Toufu from Mini Star is far from the taiwanese one in terms of smelly.... which is a good thing for first timers =)

Other than the fermented beancurd, the other thing that we often have is the fried large intestines (zar dai cheong in canto). Another acquired taste i guess since you have to like intestines.

As previous review mentioned, this is a strictly snacks place so don't go for the full meal - done it once and it is just average. It is open till 2am so another place to snack and get a few drinks with pals. Parking may be a hassle (few spots unless you want to try the side street slightly further up) but i usually park illegally right up front (yeah double yellow line plus hydrant) just be ready to hop in to drive away when the TP comes along. =)