You’ve probably heard of guǒzǎi tāng (粿仔湯, rice noodle soup) and even tried it—especially if you're Hakka, since rice noodles (also called guǒtiáo or bǎntiáo) are a beloved staple. Different regions have their own takes on the texture and flavor. But have you ever heard of stinky rice noodle soup? I hadn’t either—this was my first time encountering it. There's a place in Qidu (七堵) that serves this infamous stinky guǒzǎi tāng. Is it famous for its taste or infamous for its smell? Only one way to find out!
Honestly, you can smell that distinctive aroma from the street corner—it gives you a pretty good idea of how intense it is. Interestingly, the closer you get, the less pungent it seems.
If it’s your first time, I recommend sitting outside. Indoors is the front line of the smell war—the scent is much stronger. The environment isn’t the best; food waste is handled right on the roadside, and overall cleanliness isn’t ideal. That said, they do use a generous amount of pork bones, so the broth appears to be a true slow-simmered bone soup.
The main dish is the soup-based rice noodles, and yes, it definitely has a “scent.” Whether you find it stinky or appetizing really depends on your tolerance. The noodles themselves are pleasantly chewy, and the soup has a pork-bone base—mild but easy to drink.
The jikura (a type of fish cake) isn’t the star of the show but is easy for anyone to enjoy. The pork skin is also pretty decent. The real issue is the pork blood. While it’s soft and tender, the freshness might be a dealbreaker for some. I barely made it through one piece before I had to stop, and without dipping sauce, it was almost inedible. No wonder the previous table left their pork blood untouched too.
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