Savoury Tofu Pudding Soup And Tianjin Wraps At “O’ Tray Noodle”

Tucked between the Radisson Hotel and T&T Supermarket in Richmond, the food court at the Presidential Plaza feels like a complete afterthought of a space and yet food stalls like O’ Tray Noodle keep it bustling all day.

O’ Tray’s claims to fame are a pair of archetypal breakfast street foods from Tianjin: a wrap (jianbing guo zi) and a tofu pudding soup (daofunao). They are two uniquely regional breakfast specialties. The satisfying and addictive wrap sees cracked egg, crispy fried wafer, bean paste, cilantro, chili sauce and scallion folded in a warm crepe. The soup sees tofu pudding in a savoury broth with bamboo, wood-ear fungus and a hint of chili heat. It’s a savoury departure from the southern Chinese dessert-style of tofu pudding – the same kind that one can get nearby at Excellent Tofu.

The two eateries are only a stone’s throw from each other, but they represent culinary traditions that are hundreds of miles apart from one another in China. Tianjin is a bustling northern metropolis, and the people there take their breakfast very seriously, devouring it all in a lively, ad hoc scene amidst folding tables and short plastic stools. You’d be hard-pressed to find that kind of energy here, but O’ Tray has the food down pat.