One cuisine that I absolutely cannot resist is Taiwanese food. I mean, who can resist some Taiwan fried chicken or even a cup of bubble tea?
Taishike is a cosy restaurant located along Circular Road, joining the likes of popular haunts like Dumpling Darlings, Ilmiri, and Sonny’s Pizza among others. The storefront sports a very quirky logo which you definitely cannot miss.
You might find this name rather familiar, that’s because the brand started out as a home-based business during the pandemic. They’ve since graduated from cooking up yummy dishes at home to now owning their very first brick-and-mortar shop!
The restaurant has kept things fairly simple with their menu, featuring only a handful of iconic Taiwanese mains. Don’t worry, the quintessential Braised Pork Belly Rice (S$8.50) made it to the menu.
It comprises sweet and tender braised pork atop fluffy white rice and garnished with coriander and pickled radish. You also have the choice to add-on onsen egg (S$2) or a fried sunny side-up (S$1.50).
My only gripe is that the rice was a little too mushy for my liking. Flavour-wise, the sweetness of the sauce really elevated the flavours of the pork.
In true Taiwanese fashion, we also had the Braised Beef Noodles (S$15.50). This was by far one of the better versions of Taiwanese beef noodles I’ve ever tasted. The broth was super flavourful with a strong beefy flavour and a mild spice. I just wish they gave us more soup because it was so tasty.
The noodles were chewy and made in-house, it was slightly thicker than the traditional la mian, almost like a thin udon. The dish also came with thick and tender beef tendons, alongside some veggies — honestly quite a wholesome meal, especially for its price point. I’ll definitely be back for more!
No visit to a Taiwanese restaurant is complete without some snacks and of course we had to order the Fried King Oyster Mushrooms (S$5.90). It comprises large chunks of mushrooms deep fried to a golden brown and then dusted with some salt and pepper.
I kid you not, this was super crispy and oh so addictive, I could not stop myself from reaching out for more — and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t typically eat king oyster mushrooms.
Other sides include Crispy Chicken Bites (S$7.50), Golden Tofu (S$5.50), Drunken Prawn (S$9), Taiwanese Kimchi (S$4.50), Marinated Cucumber (S$4.50) and more.
Drinks-wise, you can look forward to slurping down some house-made bubble teas including the iconic Taiwanese drinks like Brown Sugar Fresh Milk (S$5) and Bubble Assam Milk Tea (S$5).
For something a little more bubbly, you can go for one of their hand-crafted cocktails like the Midnight Bloom (S$18), Summer Breeze (S$17), and Yuzu Whiskey Zest (S$18) amongst several others. They also have a selection of beers if cocktails aren’t your fancy.
If you love Taiwanese fare as much as I do, and don’t have any plans to visit the country anytime soon then you definitely have to check out Taishike. I know I’ll be back for more beef noodles and the king oyster mushrooms!
What is your favourite Taiwanese dish?
Taishike
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📍 18 Circular Road #01-01, Singapore 049374
🕑 11am–2.30pm, 5.30pm–11.30pm (Daily)
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Photos by Marcus Leong
I'm either mean or a meme, there's no in between.