Tai Thai - Authentic Taiwanese Food in SG (Finally!)

Modern setting but food is surprisingly authentic

**This post is dedicated to Clem. :p

The first Taiwanese food/drink that came into Singapore is probably bubble tea. Then Shihlin Taiwan Street Snack jumped on the bandwagon and more Taiwanese Food kiosks followed. Extra big fried chicken, oyster mee sua, braised pork belly etc... These two years, I have seen more Taiwanese restaurant opening up in Singapore which strengthened the Taiwanese food market with the rise in local awareness. But none of them came close to the real deal in Taiwan.
Then Tai Thai came along... and I am impressed with the authenticity of their dishes! It's really the closest thing to what I have eaten in Taiwan. Even my Taiwan friends gave it the thumbs up! :-)
This restaurant currently serves Thai and Taiwanese cuisine. Hence the name "Tai Thai". I am not the expert in Thai cuisine so I shall wait for Joy to go try it then give me feedbacks. But their Taiwan part of the menu is phoarrrrr.....! 很道地！
And soon they will unveil a second all Taiwanese restaurant named 台灣廟口小吃 in Buona Vista.
Watch This Space for more updates y'all! :p

滷大腸

All the dishes here are made from authentic Taiwanese recipes and sauces are all imported from Taiwan. Fiona （Boss's wife who is Taiwanese) is very stern about the quality and takes a lot of pride in her home-made recipes and ingredients.

Braised Pig Intestines (滷大腸, $6.90) had been sliced thinly. When you bit into it, it was mild but had a hint of Taiwanese soy sauce. The texture was extra light with a very slight hint of chewiness. Simple food is the hardest to make. And they perfected this dish. I loved the ones I had in Kaohsiung and this almost made me well up in tears.

鹽酥雞

I enjoyed the Taiwan Special Popcorn Chicken (鹽酥雞, $6.90) which are deep-fried with a thin, non-existent crispy skin. It's nicely spiced with salt, pepper and five spice powder, very addictive. I remember walking down 墾丁大街 holding a brown paper bag of this chicken exactly this time last year. *sobz* I miss Taiwan alot...

月亮蝦餅

Taiwanese Prawn Cake (月亮蝦餅, 4pcs for $12) is deep fried till the skin turns golden brown. Looks ordinary? The unique part is the dipping sauce which is a garlic chilli sauce. Dip a piece of prawn cake into the sauce and it just open up your appetite.

扣肉包

Pork Belly Buns (扣肉包, 3 for $8) is actually Taiwanese Gwa-Bao (掛包, Braised Pork Wrapped in Steamed Buns). Gwa-bao is a kind of steamed bun filled with braised pork. As it is eaten like a sandwich, it is sometimes called a Taiwanese hamburger. It is similar to Singapore, except that our local kou rou bao uses pork belly.  The soft oval-shaped bun is filled with braised pork, pickled vegetables, Chinese parsley and minced peanut. The pickled vegetables and minced peanut gives it a nice smell.

大腸麵線

If you have been to Taiwan, you definitely have tried Ah Zhong mee sua before. Their mee sua is silky thin and cooked with intestines instead of the oyster mee sua we are familiar with.

Fiona commented that the oysters in Singapore are not the freshest, hence she only cooks Pig Intestines Mee Sua (大腸麵線, $8). These mee sua are already pre-mixed with garlic, vinegar and chilli, just like what is served in Taiwan. It tasted very fragrant and every mouthful has a kick. The intestines are first braised, then fried and cooked with mee sua. It was very soft. Recommended!

豬扒飯

Pork Chop Rice (豬扒飯, $10) is another very famous Taiwanese dish. The pork chop is marinated in five-spice powder then pan-fried to a golden brown finish. The rice is topped with braised minced pork and braised egg then served with pickled cucumber and vegetables. Only complain I have : the rice they serve wasn't the typical rice you get in Taiwan. Thai Fragrant rice just doesn't make the cut.

紅燒牛肉麵,

Tai Thai's broths and gravies are all home-made and authentic. Beef Noodles (紅燒牛肉麵, $12) uses boneless ribs and tendons for their tenderness and chewiness. Wide type of noodle is used here, which absorbs the broth and yield a robust flavor and a chewy texture in every bite.

As mentioned above, they will be opening a new restaurant in Star Vista (Buona Vista) in September this year, named Lee’s Taiwanese (台湾庙口小吃). This new restaurant will focus on only Taiwanese cuisine.

Finally, an authentic Taiwanese restaurant is here in Singapore. Let's REJOICE!

Tai Thai 

112 Faber Drive, Faber Hills 

(Jalan Lempeng, Off Clementi Ave 6)
Tel: 6444 6311

Kiliney Curry Puffs

Kiliney Curry Puffs best in the world! :p

I used to stay at River Valley Close about 5 years ago and that's how I found this stall that sells my favourite epok epok. Which stands for curry puff in Malay.
Killiney Curry Puff whips up deadly traditional sardine and potato epok epoks with thin crispy skin. Best eaten fresh when they are straight out of the fryer!
Mmm mmmmmm mmmmm…the curry puffs here are a die die must try!

Teh Tarik & potato epok epok

The epok epoks here are always served still hot and crispy. I like how the thin pastry is melt-in-the-mouth but not overly buttery. The curried potatoes are cooked in a fragrant, moist chilli rempah, not curry powder paste. This is just what a classic Malay epok epok is supposed to be. I love it!

Skin sooooo thin! Sedap!

The serve two kinds of curry puff : potato with egg or sardine. The former is curried potato with a quartered hard-boiled egg inside. And the sardine version is sardine lah... Duh... *snigger*

Potato on the left and sardine on the right

This Malay coffee shop also sells one-dish meals like mee rebus, lontong, mee siam, mee soto, and nasi lemak. There are other light snacks like goreng pisang and kueh kueh. The guys at the neighboring table were eating their mee rebus with gusto, and I was soooo tempted to order a plate myself! But I really couldn’t manage any more food.

We say this is as good as a epok epok should be and the best way to spend some break time away from office. So go ahead, take a break and "relak" one corner with a puff with a cup of tea. shiok ah!

Killiney Curry Puffs

93 Killiney Road

Singapore 239536

Open: 7am – 7:30pm

As - Shifaa Malay Fried Chicken Rice

Simple store but sells va va voom Fried Chicken

I stay somewhere within Novena, Newton and Orchard (Far East Plaza). So whenever I need a cheap and yummy fix of Malay food especially their fried chicken, this stall located at the top of Lucky Plaza is one of the places that pops up in my head. Not many people know of this hidden gem unless you work in Orchard or stays around the area.

The only downside is that I have to plan and reach early because it’s so popular that the limited number of seats are snapped up fast and the office lunch crowd quickly forms a long queue as well.
As-Shifaa cafe, famous for their Malay style chicken rice, is a place that I keep going back again & again & again. The chicken is tender and for $4 you get a delicious meal. Where else can you get a decent meal in Orchard for $4?
Me and Mel found a seat after 15 minutes of waiting at about 2.30pm.

You get quarter of a chicken with rice at only $4

The golden-brown skin is deliciously crispy with a hint of caramelization. One bite & you will love it! Besides the skin, the flesh is tender and juicy. Not dry at all.
Their chilli is another love of mine. The sweet & spicy sambal just goes so well with the rice and chicken.

I prefer thigh meat but it seems the breast meat portion is bigger

The rice itself is also aromatic and hearty on its own, but once again subtly different from the Hainanese chicken rice flavour that we are so used to. The dish also comes with a small bowl of peppery mee soto soup & you can ask macik for topping up at no cost. For take aways, you can request for a packet of the soup at no cost too!

Of course besides chicken rice, they serve other Malay fare like Mee Rebus and Mee Soto, but I’ve never bothered to try because I wasn’t really interested in eating them. 
So if you’re ever in Orchard and you need a nice and decent place for lunch, now you have another option.

As-Shifaa Cafe
Lucky Plaza
#06-052
T: 9383 0329
Mon.-Sat. 11:00am - 5:00pm
Closed on Sun.

Por Kee Eating House

Air "Conditional" Funny! Haha!

This is another air-conditioned Tze Char place that I brought my casino guests to and they keep going back.
Por Kee is ideal for gatherings of more than 5 people so that you are able to sample their popular dishes.
It was a last minute decision to head down to Por Kee with Eunice and gang and boy were we glad we went! :-)

Just next to the Carpark

Stepping into the restaurant, we were transported back to the eighties, with big groups of people of all ages gathering around the different big round tables chatting and eating. Live seafood displayed in tanks near the kitchen area and most of the service staff are local aunties who probably have been working for Por Kee since their youth.

Home Made Bean Curd With Beans and Mushrooms

You just have to try the Home Made Bean Curd With Beans and Mushrooms! It's fried to golden perfection and served with carrots, sweet beans, mushrooms and sea cucumber.
I really wonder how they did it. The beancurd is very soft and very fragrant. I wonder if they drizzled some special sauces over it to give it that fragrance and savouriness!
A very humble and ordinary dish by appearance. But the bean curd is out of this world! As I am writing this, I have deleted countless of adjectives like "smooth", "light" and "flavourful", and I am stuck as I really cannot find an appropriate word to describe this dish. Yes the dish is smooth, light and flavourful, but its better than that! You just have to try it for yourself. Best tofu dish I've tried at zichar stall.
**PS : Bernard, this is much much much better than the tofu at Two Chefs. I swear. It's TMD 好吃!

Crunchy Fried Egg With Shrimp

Their Fried Egg With Shrimp is is really good! the sides are really crispy.. the centre is ok fluffy and the shrimps are soooo crunchy! very nice!

Frog Legs with Chicken Essence

I am not a fan of chicken essence. Bleah...!!! But for some strange reason I love the Frog Legs with Chicken Essence here. It's so good! The sauce yummy and the frog legs are so tender! 
ITS SO DAMN GOOD!!!

Champagne Pork Ribs (small version)

Champagne Pork Ribs. This is one of their specialty and the presentation is so old school! It has been ages since I saw these flowers used as deocrations on plates. LOL..

Fried Salt & Pepper Chicken

Next came the Crispy Fried Salt & Pepper Chicken. This dish was well executed as the skin was super crispy, no fats under the skin (wonder what is their secret?) and the meat moist and juicy. When dipped in the salt provided, it was a delightful burst of flavours! 

Salted egg crayfish

The Salted Egg Crayfish was very good! A very distinctive salted egg taste, very crispy some so crispy that you could even eat part of the shell. The meat was firm and juicy.

Steam Fish Thai Style

A must try is the Steam Fish Thai style - the steam fish is served in a metal plate. the waitress will then pour the spicy thai soup over the fish. the fire below is really strong, which allowed the soup to keep boiling. Fish is fresh and sweet. Highly recommended, but is quite spicy.


Por Kee Eating House 1996
Blk 69 Seng Poh Lane #01-02
Singapore 160069
Tel: 6221 0582
Opening hours:
Lunch – 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner – 5.30pm to 12.30am

Don Quijote Spanish Restaurant... Great Tapas!

I first ate at Don Quijote was at their now defunct branch at Lorong Kilang.
Sanjay was running the place then, but he has since left and is now the head honcho of the Gusstimo Group of restaurants. *clap clap*
Alot of memories there man... how me and Sanjay came up with Hokkien alternative names for their menu. Hahaha!

Nice logo :P

Well... they have shifted to Dempsey and the food is still great I must say!
It's a little pricier than other Spanish Restaurants and there are some comments about the food being just mediocre. But me being the Queen of Nom-ing, I rolled my eyes at those clueless comments.
If you have never been to Spain & tried real Spanish food, PLEASE SHUT UP!
*Cue evil laughter*

Heavenly Red Sangria

Don Quijote has never disappointed me. Their food is of amazing standards and you can actually taste the freshness of the seafood. They go to Spain periodically to make sure they’re on top of things. Plus, the new restaurant is roomier and have two private rooms to accommodate private parties or functions. And their sangria is one of the best I have tried in Singapore! :p

Warm bread with garlic butter dip

The warm bread rolls with garlic butter dip are amazing.
I like rolls with a strong yeast taste & the ones here went very well with it's accompanying dip.
But DO NOT eat too much of it as the food here only gets better and better.

Garlic Fried Shrimps

Garlic fried Shrimps were fresh, crunchy and the crispy fried garlic in olive oil adds a subtle heat and fragrance to the dish. Very addictive. The Garlic Shrimp rolled in eggplant is worth a try too.

Asparagus Rolled in Bacon

Asparagus Rolled in bacon was really nice too but I thought it was a little too pricey.
The bacon was not too salty and the asparagus was sufficiently well cooked. And asparagus is known to be an aphrodisiac. Kekekeke...

Mussels in Garlic & White Wine Sauce

The Mussels in Garlic & White Wine Sauce were very nicely done, with a garlic and white wine sauce that had us licking our spoons. I like to dip some of the bread rolls into the sauce. Mmmm..... Shiok!

Beef Cheek in Red Wine Reduction

Beef Cheek in Red Wine Reduction was another yummy delight. The dry-ish red wine enhanced the "beefiness" of the red meat. Melts in your mouth goodness.

Tenderloin Steak Cubes with Blue Cheese

Tenderloin Steak Cubes with Blue Cheese was amazing, mindblowing, out of this world yummy. The beef was robust & super tender, and the cheese sauce was creamy, aromatic & just heavenly.

Stewed Pigs Feet with beans

Stewed Pigs Feet with beans.
Most girls shrug at pig's feet or trotters. But I LOVE IT! The meat simply slides off the bone and every bite screams C . O . L . L . A . G . E . N
The broth is so power packed with flavours that you can taste the stickiness and imagine the hours put into making this stew.

Don Quijote Special Paella

Don Quijote Special Paella.
The rice was moist, flavoursome and absolutely addictive. I particularly liked scraping off the burnt edges. Those who complained that the rice is too overcooked don't know shit about Spanish Food.
It's the burnt edges that is the gem... Get it? Duh...
 

Warm Chocolate Cake

For dessert, you must try the warm chocolate cake that’s made with Spanish chocolate served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. The chocolate cake would be nothing short of the cherry on the icing of awesomeness – it was moist, and the warm chocolate lava that oozes of sweet, sweet decadence that would give you just the right sugar high. Phoarrrrr......!!!

**PS : This post is done with Ah Heng in mind. Please bring Joy there ok? *Big Smile*

Weekend Brunch Buffet :
Sat, Sun & Public Holidays - 11am till 2.30pm
25 Food Items, Unlimited Servings and Free Flow Beverages!
Price :
Free flow Juices & Soft Drinks - $33++
Free flow Beer, wine & Sangria - $48++
Free flow any combination plus Sangria de Cava - $62++

Don Quijote Spanish Restaurant
Blk 7 Dempsey Road
#01-02 Singapore
Tel: +65 6476 2811
Sun to Wed: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Thu to Sat: 11.30am – 1am
Website : http://www.don-quijote-restaurants.com/

Sapporo Miharu Ramen

Sapporo Miharu Ramen

Ramen joints are aplenty in Singapore and Miharu is one of the few places that have remained consistently on the tip of people’s tongues.

Simple One page menu

Maybe you have not heard of Sapporo Ramen Miharu but it has earned its reputation purely through word-of-mouth. Firstly, not many people know of this haunt as it is not widely advised. Secondly, it is at a rather hidden corner of Gallery Hotel, a distance away from the bus-stops and MRT station.

Sapporo Nishiyama Noodles

This is the real deal. The only place in town you can get 100 percent authentic Sapporo Ramen.
Sapporo is from the Northern part of Japan. The noodles vary from different parts of Japan.
At Miharu, the popular Sapporo Nishiyama brand noodles are specially imported from Japan . Made with well water, these Japanese noodles come frozen and have to be thawed for 3 days, in order to reach the perfect texture.

Miso Tonkotsu Ramen

They serve 4 different types of soup bases, Shio (Salt), Shoyu (Soy Sauce), Miso (Bean) and Tonkotsu (Creamy pork bone). 
The soup was SALTY, full of miso and pork-flavoured fragrance. It almost felt like the all the goodness of the pork has been absorbed by the soup from the long hours of cooking. The broth was so tasty, I finish every single drop of the soup.

Tonkotsu Tonshio Ramen

The pinnacle of the meal however, has to be the special Sapporo egg that comes with the noodles. The egg has a brownish surface, with a flaming orange yolk, so soft it melts like butter on the tips of your tongue. The eggs are made with a “secret recipe”. Soaked in a soy blend for half a day, these eggs are later boiled to perfection.

Shiso Gyoza with Perilla Leaf

Crispy gyoza with very thin skin. The addition of perilla leaf was evident, giving the gyoza a mildly herby taste. If you dislike herby flavors, go for the normal gyoza.


Sapporo Miharu Restaurant
1 Nanson Road
#01-11 The Gallery Hotel
Tel : +65 6733 8464
Open Hours :
12-3pm, 6-10pm
Closed on Wednesdays.

Japanese Ramen - Top 6 Hits

Well well well... I really do not fancy posting about popular food joints, but I get asked about ramen alot, so I have decided to summarize my Top 6 favourite ramen places here.

** Coming Up!
Individual posts will be created just for Sapporo Miharu & Keisuke as they are "Die Die Must Try!!!"

In Order of Ranking...

1st) Sapporo Miharu Ramen
1 Nanson Road
#01-11 The Gallery Hotel

Tel : +65 6733 8464
Open Hours :
12-3pm, 6-10pm
Closed on Wednesdays.

Signature Dish : Tokusen Miso Ramen

This is the real deal. The only place in town you can get 100 percent authentic Sapporo Ramen. At Miharu, the popular Sapporo Nishiyama brand noodles are specially imported from Japan . Made with well water, these Japanese noodles come frozen and have to be thawed for 3 days, in order to reach the perfect texture.
The pinnacle of the meal however, has to be the special Sapporo egg that comes with the noodles. The egg has a brownish surface, with a flaming orange yolk, so soft it melts like butter on the tips of your tongue. The eggs are made with a “secret recipe”. Soaked in a soy blend for half a day, these eggs are later boiled to perfection.

2nd) Keisuke Tonkotsu King
1 Tras Link
#01-19 Orchid Hotel
Tel: +65 6636 0855
Opening hours :
Daily: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm

website : http://www.facebook.com/KeisukeTokyoSG

Signature dish: Tonkotsu Ramen Special

Keisuke Tonkotsu King is tiny with only 16-seats.
It offers three types of ramen – tonkotsu ramen, black spicy tonkotsu ramen and red spicy tonkotsu ramen.
You get to customise the strength of the broth, the amount of chicken oil & texture of the noodle.
The chashu is really good. These are big slabs of marbled and unbelievably melt-in-the-mouth pork belly, guaranteed to send you straight to heaven!
 
3rd) Nantsuttei
9 Raffles Boulevard,
#P3-06 Millenia Walk (Inside Parco)
Tel : +65 6337 7166
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11.30am-10.30pm
Website : http://www.nantsu.com/sg/index.html

Signature dish: Chashu ramen

Robust, savoury tonkotsu broth topped with black ma-yu (roast garlic oil) with the sweet fragrance of roasted garlic.
I like the taste of garlic oil mixed in as a contrast to give a slightly different twist to the usual tonkotsu (pork bone) soup. It was more fragrant and flavourful, leaving a nice aftertaste. The ramen was also al dente, a mark of precision as most ramen places I've been to tend to overcook their noodles, becoming too soft as it seats in the hot broth after being served at your table. 

4th) Ippudo Tao
207 River Valley Road
#01-55/56 UE Square (facing Mohamed Sultan Road)
Singapore 238275
Tel: +65 6887 5315
Mon-Thur: 11am to 3pm; 5pm to midnight (last order 11pm)
Fri-Sat: 11am to 3pm; 5pm to 2am (last order 1am)
Sun 11.30am to 11pm
Website : http://www.ippudo.com.sg/

Signature Dish : Tao Kuro & Tao Aka

I love Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen with thin wiry noodles, and that's why Ippudo is one of my favourite ramen places in Singapore. I’ve tried the original branch in Tokyo before and to be honest I don’t think there’s a discernible difference in the quality we get here.
They have a main outlet in Mandarin Gallery, but I prefer this outlet at Mohd Sultan because there is no mad queues or elbow to elbow type seatings.

5th) Ramen Santouka
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-76 The Central
Tel : +65 6224 0668
Opening Hours: 11.00am – 9.30pm Daily

Signature Dish : Tokusen Toroniku

Before Ippudo came to town, the most positively reviewed yet unnoticed ramen shop was Santouka. The house speciality is the Tokusen Toroniku, which comes with a piping hot bowl of ramen in broth, and the pork cheek on a separate plate. It is said to be limited to 60 servings per day. This is because a few hundred grams of pork cheek can be retrieved in each pig. No wonder the costly price tag of $19.90. The pork cheek was superbly tender, soft, fatty and melts almost instantly in your mouth,

6th) Menya Musashi
252 North Bridge Rd
#01-16 Raffles City Shopping Centre
Tel : + 65 6336 6500
Open Hours :
Daily 11.30am-10pm

2 Orchard Turn
#B3-25 Ion Orchard
Tel: +65 6509 9394
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm

Signature Dish : Tsukemen
One of Japan’s most highly rated ramen shop, has arrived to Singapore. Menya Musashi is featured on Japanese television frequently for its famous ramen, and its most popular branch at Shinjuku keeps packing in the crowd.
The halved eggs in both versions had moist centres, but not as gooey-soft as I liked them to be.
Made in Singapore, the noodles were fresh and clean-tasting. Thicker like Hokkaido ramen but not as curly.
Oh... skip the gyoza. It tastes like frozen ones from the supermarket.
Those who want to build up their skin and bones with collagen might be mad about the thick, sauce-like soup and the richer sauces for the Tsukemen.
But those watchful of their fat intake might recoil in horror seeing the layer of grease on top. It's so rich a skin formed on top of every soup after they were left to cool down a little before trying.
But ramen and collagen lovers would be happy to ladle it down their throat.
**Be warned that there is a long queue for it. I'll probably only go back after the hype is over.