The cafe has not reopened since COVID, they have not been able to restaff for that part of the business. However the retail for tofu and soymilk products can be accessed through their back entry off the Jackson PL. Still our favorite place to get the soy bean products, Many of us had voiced our desire to have the restaurant part open to the public again. read more

Retail/restaurant side is CLOSED. Yelp info needs to be updated to reflect this change. Wholesale purchases still available for all customers. read more

I live this place for breakfast but found out today that they are retail only. It is in the back on s jackson pl (the alley). They have a limited menu and a lot of the food is frozen. But the youtiao is fried already. They are cash only so come prepared. Also they are super quick since their restaurant is closed. read more

Northwest Tofu - Current retail menu - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place is still open despite how it looks out front! Their open sign is not on because they're operating out of the back of the building. I picked up unsweetened soy milk $3.70 for, spiced tofu (4 large flat cubes) $3.70, fresh tofu skin $5.70. It is a limited menu right now so see attached photo. I absolutely loved the soy milk. It tastes nothing like the ones found in American grocery stores and the price is a steal. My hairstylist highly recommended the tofu skins steamed with a bit of soy sauce. I'm used to finding these dried in super markets so fresh is a real treat. I am going to get more soy milk and try their fried tofu and Chinese donut next. I saw several others order the Chinese donut which is great in congee or you can use it to dip in soy milk. The soy milk also comes in a sweetened version which I bet will be good too. The lady doesn't speak much English but she will understand if you just ask for things from the menu I posted. Cash only. read more

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This place is so good and cheap!! I met up with a friend here and ordered a shrimp rice roll dish, fried pork buns, sweet soy milk, salt and pepper tofu and egg custard buns. While I loved everything, my two favorite dishes were the salt and pepper tofu and the shrimp rice roll dish. The tofu inside the crispy salt and pepper shell was so soft and fresh... I was floored. The taste of the shrimp rice roll dish was very yummy. Remember - this place is CASH ONLY!! read more

Northwest Tofu - So many good soy and tofu dishes at Northwest Tofu in Central District. - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I brought more friends here on a Saturday. We arrived at 12pm and spotted one table that could fit exactly all of us. However we waited at the entrance for at least 10 minutes to be seated. This time we ordered some dishes that we enjoyed last time (e.g.: salt & pepper tofu) and added some new things: hot pan tofu 铁板豆腐, beef pancakes 牛肉烧饼, Chinese green soup 上汤菜心, and the salty soy milk 咸豆浆. Hot pan tofu was amazing! Loved it! Super flavorful and tofu's got great soft tender texture. Beef pancakes were mediocre: bland, not much beef, hard yet not crispy pancake layers. Chinese green soup and salty soy milk were both very disappointing. They were both flavorless, (esp. the salty soy milk surprisingly, I imagine it would be way more savory and rich in flavor). The Chinese green soup was more veggies in water than veggie soup. The salty soy milk was a combination of minced tofu mixture with bits of fried pork flakes in soy milk with chili oil, but hardly any flavors. The service was quite slow and bad... very different from last time. Not sure if I'm returning for a third visit :/ read more

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So glad we went here! The storefront looks barren, abandoned, and vandalized but around the back of the building (down the alley) there is a door from which the proprietors sell a limited menu. Since we're traveling, we bought one block of tofu and some Chinese doughnuts. This became a delicious part of a larger breakfast, which we brought back to the hotel. The tofu was amazing-- so fresh, sweet, and perfect it did not require any seasonings to be satisfying (we used to procure fresh made Japanese tofu from Japantown in San Jose, until that shop closed many years ago, and this place is worth seeking out if you, too, miss freshly made tofu. We were worried the fried dough would be lame without soup or congee and happily it was freaking delicious! Hoping to make it back when they reopen on Monday morning! read more

Didn't take any pictures because there wasn't really any pictures to take. I went on a Saturday morning. They had a closed sign but the door was open. They forgot to turn the sign over. They were sold out on most of their items. I ordered the Chinese donuts and soy milk and onion pancake. The soy milk and donuts were super fresh and hot. Not a ton of flavor. The pancakes were frozen and needed to be cooked at home . Not a problem. They were dense and heavy and no layers in the dough. Just a mass of dough and onions. No flavor. A waste of empty carbohydrates and calories. I live next door. I won't be going back. Sad because I really wanted to like it read more

Weekend lunch is generally not too crowded before noon, lots of Taiwanese breakdast options and assorted dimsum items for a casual lunch. Street parking only, parking options limited in the area. - Tofu with thousand year egg - tofu wasn't as silky as I remember. Without the chili oil, dish would be ve rather bland - Green onion pancake with egg - was craving egg pancake (danbing) but this came nothing close. Overly fried, greasy, crunchy, dense, salty onion pancake - not flaky at all. - Sweet soy milk - favorite. Main saving grace of our lunch - Salty soy milk - did not care for this at all, watery and would be entirely bland if not for the preserved mustard greens - Shrimp rice rolls (cheung fun) - decent flavor but rolls were oddly midsshapen and clumped together. Minimal kitchen attention. Prices are cheap but you get what you pay for. Quality is variable, space lacks ambiance and service is mixed. Won't be back for lunch. read more

Currently, due to Covid, they are only open for take out and the menu is very selective. They have tofu, tofufa, soy milk, Chinese donut and a few other things. The entrance is in the alley way in the back. read more

Good food but very poor service. I recommend there food but be prepared for the bad service. On the menu, there's a section called factory direct. They told us that everything is uncooked. They can cook it there for you too, but you need to pay extra. We were trying to order something from the factory section and eat it there. She thought a bit and tryna charged us triple..... scam. We went there around 8 am, there were no one besides me and my friend. However we waited around 30min for the food. We reinforced her 3 times that we wanted cold soy milk, and she wrote it down but she brought us the hot one and we told her that we want the cold one. She seemed very confused and asked if we asked for cold one. I was like..... girl I just saw you wrote it down..... I don't want to blame her because of her age. I saw more than 5 people who works at that restaurant that seems 65 ish. For idk what reasons one younger women put up her apron and became our server. (I guess it's time for her to work.) man, she's impolite and sarcastic. I would rather have the old server that forgot stuff. The way they write the bill is confusing. They wrote it in Chinese and the handwriting is very messy. There's no other number than a total. We were trying to calculate it and she gave us a weird face. They only accept cash and they count in front of you. read more

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I've been to Northwest Tofu 6+ times. Really great for Taiwanese breakfast and tofu dishes. Especially the salt and pepper tofu, rice rolls and a gallon of soy milk to take home. If you're looking for congee and noodle soup, they also offer these (~$7) in much smaller portions. BUT during my last visit, I got severe food poisoning :(. Will not return for quite some time. read more

Northwest Tofu - Salt pepper tofu with beef congee - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Takeout only but really good tofu and soy products for cheap prices. Cash only! Go around the back alley to get to their entrance!

Pro: authenticity, good quality, low cost, good variety of selection, plenty seating, friendly staff(it's a family business) Cons: cash only, limited parking, no WiFi, limited business hour 0700-1730 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 0700-1600 Sunday so no dinner and no Wednesday read more

Strange location in an alley kind of street but great items been made. Tofu desert, sweet or unsweetened, fried tofu, tofu noodles, buns ....etc... read more

This is the reliable neighborhood place I get my tofu for soups and soy milk. Their savory soy milk is great as well. I have a thing for specialty stores in which they are great but I do not trust anything else they sell lol. So I have never tried anything else except the Chinese donuts to dip into my soy milk orders. The Chinese donuts seem like they were bought frozen from the store so it's not as airy and crispy as I like but there's not a lot of other options in Seattle and gets the job done when I don't want to trek far from home. Four stars for the tofu/soy milk products only! read more

I was craving jook for breakfast. This totally hit the spot!!! We got: Preserved Egg, Pork porridge Fish Porridge Onion Pancake Fried Tofu Shrimp Rice Noodle Fried Donut Wrapped in Rice Noodle This fed 3 hungry people with leftover and the bill came to $31!!! What a steal! The waitress was very nice also. Tasted like home. The fish porridge was the best I've ever had. read more

Assuming you read/skimmed the other reviews, I'm with the general consensus: CASH ONLY, not open for dinner time, closed on Wednesdays, Salt and Pepper Tofu and fresh soy milk FTW! The Salt and Pepper Tofu can be described as the following: imagine each cube of tofu perfectly fried with minimal oil, and when you put the thing in your mouth (that's what she said), you feel a crispy outer layer and a smooth inner layer. Also be careful that the tofu is piping hot so that you don't burn yourself. This place makes its own tofu (which you can purchase), so of course when you come here you need to try their fresh soy milk. I'm not a big fan of salty soy milk, so I only had the sweet soy milk here, which I always gets cold. The sweet soy milk is very fresh and one of the better ones I've had since living in Seattle. The other foods are alright, but to be honest they are not very memorable. I would come back to try their chow fun dishes and the soup noodle dish with pickled veggies, but the moral of the story is this: Salt and Pepper Tofu AND the Fresh Soy Milk. You don't need to get anything else here. read more

Northwest Tofu - Salt and Pepper Tofu....very smooth, silky, and piping hot! - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Recommended by a friend to be one of the best Taiwanese breakfast place in Seattle, and if this is one of the best, then I certainly have no interest in trying any of the Asian dishes here in Seattle. Place is Cantonese owned, which explains why they are able to offer dim sum dishes on their menu. The problem with that is that their Taiwanese dishes becomes Cantonese fusionish, using the wrong type of dough for the onion egg pancake wrap and pork bun. Additionally, their meat (whether it be non-gmo or what not, as advertised on their menu) ends up being super small and dry. Their Chinese tamales and Fan Tuans are also filled with fat, with little to no meat, but all rice. Nevertheless, their soy milk is the one and only thing worth getting here-- fresh and not too sweet. Service is fast, and our bill ends up being $20, which is pretty cheap... But, we didn't end up finishing 80% of our food. You get what you pay for, right? read more

Northwest Tofu - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Yum! Loved everything we ordered here! Soy milk was really fresh and delicious. They also let me order it without sugar. Served warm in a large bowl with a spoon just like in Taiwan. Sesame panfried cake (shao Bing) with Chinese donuts (you tiao) good. The shao Bing isn't the best I've ever had, a bit thicker than I'm used to but still crunchy. You tiao is crispy and freshly fried, not super doughy or overly greasy, yummmm. I tried the salty soy pudding (xien dou hua) for the first time ever, and it was delicious. Served with pork floss (rou song) and picked mustard green (swan tsai) in a savory broth with a bit of chili oil. Cleaned out the whole bowl, it wasn't that big anyway. Husband got the preserved egg congee which he loved. We also ordered the bean curd edamame appetizer, which was super flavorful and slightly spicy. Very good! Left full and satisfied. Service was slow but they were busy. Cash only! read more

Northwest Tofu - 鹹豆花 (silken tofu in broth with 肉鬆 pork floss and 酸菜 pickled mustard green) - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The soy milk was so good! Be sure to try if you haven't! It's carry-out only now and the food mostly are not ready-to-eat. The Chinese donuts were fried but cold. So what I had were all good but better be cooked again at home. They don't receive card as payment. read more

Northwest Tofu - Carry-out menu - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Got a chance to try out the restaurant menu last week. The menu here is fairly simple. There are dim sum offerings, though I would not describe this as a dim sum restaurant. In addition, there are noodle dishes (soup and stir-fry), cold dishes (appetizers), tofu dishes (duh!) and veggie dishes. For those who think that this restaurant is vegetarian only given that tofu is the focus, fear not. There are a number of dishes with pork, beef and seafood in them here. As I mentioned previously, the left side of the space carries the tofu products while the right hand side is the restaurant part. I thought the green color interior was pretty interesting. Have not seen a Chinese place with this color pattern before. Ordered four items here. Tried the pan fried pork buns (4 pcs, $3.99), a pork in hot spice noodle ($5.99), shrimp rice noodles ($3.25) and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce ($6.99). The first two items were the best of the lot. The pork buns texture is awesome and they came out hot from the kitchen. The pork noodle is a pork and dry tofu mixture on top of some thin noodles. It was pretty good. This could in itself be a cheap meal. The shrimp rice noodles are the kind you find at dim sum places. Though I found the styling a bit odd as the noodles had sort of a twist shape rather than the typical flat style. It was okay. The Chinese broccoli was fine too, though it felt awfully untimely as this was the last dish came out. It would have worked better with one of the other dishes. Service was so-so and the items ordered were a little slow to come out of the kitchen. Still, it is not a bad place to go if you do not want to deal with having to find parking in the I-District/Chinatown, which is especially sparse when there is a sports event at Safeco and/or CenturyLink. I think the restaurant menu here is fine, but my main reason for visiting would have to be the fresh tofu products. read more

Yummy!! Great little hole-in-the-wall spot for Taiwanese breakfast and tofu products. The good: - Salt and pepper fried tofu. Seriously, this is the bomb. Perfectly crispy and light outside with soft tofu inside. - Any of their soybean products are generally very good. We got the sweet and salty soy milks and both were delicious. The not-so-good: - The other dishes we got that weren't tofu-centered (beef and broccoli, beef sesame pancake/shao Bing) were just okay. I also got pork and veggie buns to go and they were pretty mediocre. - No parking lot available, but there is usually street parking nearby Overall can be hit or miss, but the tofu is just so good and that's what this rating is based off of. Still a place I highly recommend to people, but you just need to know what to order. I've only been twice and need to keep going back--will update review later with more recommendations! read more

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We ordered the preserved thousand year old egg with hairy pork and tofu, fried salt and pepper tofu, salty soy milk and sweet soy milk. Everything tasted delicious! The tofu was really silky and smooth. Cash only! I'll definitely come here again! read more

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We showed up at around 9 AM on Sunday morning, but it quickly filled up, and by 10 almost all of the tables were occupied. We often buy tofu here, but this was our first time dining in, and I was excited for an authentic Chinese breakfast. We ordered two orders of green onion pancakes with egg (蔥油餅加蛋). These were not good, in my opinion. I swear they only used like one egg on the inside, and the green onion pancakes were so thick and doughy, it was like eating three slices of bread. We also got the soup dumplings (小籠包) and they were also not very good. The skin was, again, too thick and there was pretty much no soup inside. Really can't compare to even average XLBs in the area. The things that were good, however, are in the name: tofu. Well soy, I guess. The salty soy milk was good without being too salty. The sweet tofu pudding was also very smooth and flavorful without being too sweet! Everything here is really cheap, I think each thing we ordered was less than 5 bucks. However, I would probably stick to the tofu/soy products, which gives you quite a few options! I really enjoyed the tofu pudding and would probably get it again, as well as continuing to buy tofu to go! read more

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OVERALL: 8.7/10 (converted Yelp score: 4.3/5) You know this place is legit (read: authentic) from all of the native (mostly Mandarin speaking) Chinese patrons, especially those that are waiting around for a table. The longest wait you'll have is the wait to be seated - this place is definitely understaffed, but only in the serving / table waiting capacity. You need to try this place, if you're a fan of Northern Chinese tofu! 1) VARIETY/SELECTION: 8.5/10. This place is definitely classified as a "breakfast" or "brunch-like" place, rather than a lunch or dinner place, given the massive number of menu items that are of a much lighter fare than what you'd expect for a bigger meal like lunch or dinner. The mainstays of the menu are tofu (obviously - this place is a tofu house, after all), "congee" (pronounced "jou" in Mandarin or "jook" in Cantonese - DO NOT CALL IT "CONGEE"), and soups (our party didn't order any soups this time around, but I will likely try one the next time I go) 2) FRESHNESS: 9/10. The tofu is made fresh to order - you can tell because of how evenly the tofu is cooked, and how piping hot it is when it arrives at your table. The mixed meat "jook" (yes, I'm part Cantonese - deal with it) that I ordered was on the "warmer" side of hot, but that's the perfect temperature for "jook", since you can drink it like soup, or eat it with a spoon, like porridge. Jook pairs well with the Chinese donut, I'd recommend it! The garlic bok choy was decently fresh as well, but my -1 star is really because of how garlicky the bok choy tasted - definitely not the freshest I've had, but it could have been a lot worse. 3) VALUE FOR MONEY: 9/10. The prices *seem* steep at first glance ($10 for a bowl of jook), but when the dish comes out, it's actually quite reasonable. The jook and the tofu are definitely meant to be shared - I went with four people; so while you could dine alone, the portion sizes are definitely meant for party sizes of "more-than-one". Note: The Chinese donut, while a decent portion size, is definitely overpriced (I think it was ~$2.30 per order?) 4) SERVICE: 8/10. I had a few randomly "annoying" experiences with this place, namely: - It was difficult to order cold water, since they give you hot water, but you have to *ask* for cold water, and that's *if* you can get their attention (it took us roughly 10 minutes after we ordered to get *one* glass of cold water, let alone *two*). - There were empty tables that weren't promptly cleared, while waiting patrons at the front door looked like they were becoming increasingly impatient with the lack of "service". (I will say that this place is definitely understaffed, but I think that's more of a symptom of "how good this place is", rather than "this place has bad service".) - It's definitely an advantage if you can speak Mandarin and can read Chinese to some extent, because the menu has both English and Chinese at the same size font, and the Chinese is definitely easier to understand than the English translation, in some cases. 5) CONSISTENCY / FIRST IMPRESSION: 9/10. I've only been here once, but the atmosphere felt so authentic, and I felt so much at home here, that I'm trying to find any excuse / reason / people that would motivate me enough to go back immediately. The experience definitely wasn't *perfect*, but it was close; and for that, I'll give this place a "must-try if you're a fan of jook or tofu" rating. read more

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This place is ok. I feel like it depends what you order. I just happened to order too much that I didn't love so 3 stars for that. The menu is pretty extensive and I'd return again to try other things. Lots of small items to share. Lunch was $23 before tip for two people (everything was not very expensive), cash only. Would get again: Soy bean milk. I got it hot, but would probably be good cold or hot. Comes in a huge bowl. Salt and pepper fried tofu. Pretty good. Chinese donut was good/standard. Would rather not: Fish congee. Pretty bland. Sticky Rice. Mostly just rice, not much filling wise. read more

Northwest Tofu - $23 before tip. Salt and pepper tofu, soy bean milk, Chinese donut, all yes! Sticky rice, congee no bueno. - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Really amazing tofu products. Wish they had it here in San Francisco. Fresh made tofu, yuba, fermented bean curd, soy milk. Stores like this are what make me want to move to Seattle. Really authentic Chinese food you can tell read more

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I had the soy milk and Chinese doughnut and it was delicious! Service was great and very fast. You can order from the back and they are cash only. Parking might be a little tricky. read more

Northwest Tofu - Soy Milk and Chinese Doughnut - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

They didn't open but they told me yes I drove all the way there 28 mins They asked me to go to the back door Then I had to park by their stinky and dirty trash can omg Too disgusting They food is good but I couldn't accept the cleaning read more

Dishonest staff. We group of six had lunch today and was automatically charged $14 tips on top of $79 food (after tax) without being reminded. 一行六人，吃完午餐含稅79圓，服務員自動加上14圓小費，且事前沒有任何表示。 read more

Looking for a straightforward solid Chinese breakfast of salty soy milk w/ Chinese doughnuts (what a weird translation in my mind...), plus a few additional sides to round it out? You can't go wrong here. Am very sad the restaurant side is closed, so can't wait for it to open again. read more

Great flavor! It's a hole in the wall but wonderful!give it a try but be sure to bring cash! read more

Northwest Tofu - Scallion pancake and shrimp noodle - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Very fresh soy milk ! I can't say anything about everything else they sell but their soy milk is top notch and probably made daily . It is sold in half gallon jugs only for about $4.50? Cash only. Their fried dough sticks were good too but I think they're known for tofu and soy milk , is what I typically see people come here for . It is to go only on Jackson Pl side of the back door. Credit cards not accepted . Limited parking stalls , maybe 3-4 . read more

We love this place and are so sad the restaurant side of the business remains unopened. I have not found any other place like it in Seattle. Recommendations welcomed. read more

One of the best places for homey Chinese breakfast. They've got all the classics: sweet or savory soy milk, pan fried buns, green onion pancake, salt and pepper tofu... I could go on and on and on. Makes me feel like I'm back in Asia. The price is right too, but be warned: this place is cash-only, so come prepared! Protip: Pick up some fresh soy products or frozen dumplings for home! read more

Oh my goodness gracious, don't I have a love and hate relationship with this place. They are a small, unique restaurant nudged in the central district, by the busy Jackson Street traffic. Everything is noticeably worn out and old here, and definitely not the cleanest place either. Service can also be better - staff demeanor comes off as quite pushy, but not a deal breaker. For the record, they have the best salt & pepper fried tofu in town. Most restaurants either fry their tofu in a thick batter or use firm tofu that loses flavor with flat or porous textures. This place manages to fry their tofu to a crisp on the outside, yet remain incredibly soft on the inside. You can really taste the freshness of the tofu! Another favorite of mines is their soy milk, sweetened. It is never too sweet, and always warm to order. My friends and I once chugged an entire half-gallon of soy milk in less than 5 minutes. That's how tasty it is. Their noodle dishes are subpar, so I suggest to stick with their fresh soy products. read more

This place is tucked far from the international district but there was a good crowd on a random weekday early afternoon. Their specialty is the variety of soy and tofu dishes. I really enjoyed the "savory tofu flower" found in the dessert section with the dough stick. It is not a sweet dessert but the texture and the ingredients remind me of flavors I enjoy from China. I originally came here because I was looking for Zongzi/Jong. They did not have any sweet ones but they had a vegetarian and a meat one. After tasting both, they both have a variety of nuts with different types of sausage and meat added to the meat Jong, making it saltier. Everything is set at a decent price with pretty good deal for congee. I can't comment on the dining experience since I got my items to go, but the service for take out was excellent. I would come back to try more dishes here. read more

Northwest Tofu - Zongzi/Jong sticky rice wrapped in leaf - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The soy milk there is really tasty! Made me reminds of the delicious breakfast back in China. The 油条 is so so though. But consider you can not have 油条 in many Chinese restaurants here Seattle. I recommend this one for breakfast. Tips: Cash only! read more

Northwest Tofu - Specialty Food Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The signs for this restaurant/tofu factory say Tofu Restaurant and best soy bean products in town...so it was love at first sight for me. There are refrigerators filled with their tofu products and soy milk. You can also sit down and enjoy their reasonably priced tofu dishes, made with many types of tofu. I didn't see any stinky tofu (nor did I smell stinky tofu). * Fresh hot soy milk - served in warm in bowls, very nice, not the strongest soy bean flavor in soy milk but smooth, fresh, and satisfying, it could have been served hotter. * Hot pot soy sheet ($7.99): this was a casserole (served in a clay pot) with scallions, mushrooms, onions, strips of pork, and different forms of tofu, including a firm bean cake and light tofu puffs, in a savory brown sauce, delicious * Five spice bean cake: thick slices of pressed tofu, the tofu is firm but more tender and silky than what I usually get, probably because of its freshness, a simple but delightful dish There are non-tofu items on the menu (e.g., dumplings, scallion pancakes, congee, Northern Chinese dim sum items) but I wanted to have a soy feast. This was my favorite meal in Seattle. The décor is simple and the place looks clean. Cash only. read more

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