Have you ever heard anyone exclaim, “I love this tofu!”?

Not me.

I’ve had tofu quite a few times over the years — mostly out of curiosity — and have generally disliked it. The tabula rasa of foodstuffs, it’s flavorless, requiring spices, sauces, or surrounding ingredients to make it matter. For me, the bigger culprit is its squishy texture.

What is tofu, even? Glad you asked. According to Wikipedia, tofu “is prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness.”

Yum.

And yet tofu has stood the test of time. It was first recorded during the Han Dynasty in China about 2,000 years ago.

For this week’s column, I’d hoped to find two restaurants that serve tofu that stands on its own accord, not just as protein amid a stew or a soup or a stir-fry. I failed on that count. But I did find one such establishment.

So I’m diverting from FFF’s standard format to see if one restaurant — Good Intentions, a vegan place in St. Pete’s Grand Central District — can win this writer over by serving some tasty tofu, in and of itself. As a bonus, I’ll choose a winner between two dishes at Good Intentions: Tofu Satay ($16) and Tofu Fries ($14).

Without further ado, I give you …

GOOD INTENTIONS

Located on the southern fringe of the Grand Central District on First Avenue South, Good Intentions’ exterior gives it immediate boho cred. Behind the brick facade is a fully arched metal building, clearly a former industrial space.

We arrived at 6:45 Tuesday, another typical late afternoon in spring — which is to say, nice. The restaurant’s large interior space is filled with modest tables and chairs, not unlike a cafeteria. There’s a bar on the far end. The curved ceiling generated considerable echo, but Bonnie and I could converse easily.

Our effervescent server Lisa — a veritable fount of tofu info — assured us that between the satay and the fries we’d get two different takes on tofu.

Appearance

There’s really no way to pretty up coagulated soy bean curd, especially when served on its own — although these pieces were nicely browned. Some chopped scallions atop the satay provided a smidge of color, as did carrot and celery sticks with the wings — sorry, fries.

Texture and Taste

We started with the satay, which was grilled. The crispy brown crust combined with the, um, softer innards to make for enjoyable bites (surprisingly so), especially when dipped in the creamy cashew sauce, subtly flavored so it didn’t upstage the headliner. Whether by design or happy accident, the mild sauce allowed the tofu to come through.

The fries (deep-fried) were chewier — in a good way — and, um, meatier in texture. A Thai chili sauce drizzled on top added zing and a measure of spicy heat. We got a side of ranch dressing (heavy on the dill). I dipped a few times, but preferred the fries without it.

Bonnie and I — mostly I — finished off both dishes and left the restaurant sated.

And the Winner of the Special Edition: Writer vs. Tofu Is …

Tofu. And Good Intentions.

And the Winner of the Tofu Satay vs. the Tofu Fries Is …

Tofu Fries.

Not by much. I liked both, but the fries’ heftier composition won out. And being deep-fried certainly helped.

In all, these dishes did not make me a tofu convert. And without the delicious sauces, I’m not sure how satisfying they would’ve been. But I admired how Good Intentions took a bland protein of questionable texture and created two offerings that made this hater nod an go, “Mmmm, pretty good.”