Prince Taiwan Porridge: It's 2am and I need something to warm my tummy!

With ieatFamily and skinnyfoodie


Do you know what is the difference between Taiwan Porridge and Teochew Porridge? No I don't mean the dishes, I mean the porridge itself. I just found out that aside from the addition of sweet potatoes, Taiwan porridge is cooked from Japanese Short Grain rice (Zhen Zhu Rice) whilst the Teochew version is made from jasmine rice. So real Taiwanese porridge is very much stickier than Teochew porridge. However, because Singaporeans are more used to the Teochew version, this stall makes its porridge from a mixture of short grain and jasmine rice.



Whenever I eat Taiwan Porridge, I usually order the same stuff. I think most of us tend to be that way. Either because we are creatures of habit or we are Kiasu and not wanting to waste our calories on something that is not nice. So, the cold tofu is quite a standard dish for me.

I found this particular sauce a bit too salty and less sweet then others. I did not like it but ieatMrs and skinnyfoodie did. But since I am rating it, it gets 3/5 $4



The Kong Bak Pau was good. The buns here are specially made to order and were really very big and fluffy. One of the best ones (the buns that is) I have tried. The Kong Bak was tasty and really tender. It was good but it lacked that OOmph factor to make it a die die must try. $12 for a set that makes 6. 4/5. Still, it is well worth trying if you are yearning for a good KBP in the area.



The chicken in wine sauce was ok. When you eat it, you know that the chicken was prefried and the sauce was added just prior to serving. It would have been better if the chicken was freshly fried. $6 3.5/5



A good Chye Poh ommelette should be really fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. To do that, you need skill, a really hot wok and hot oil. The one was good, but tasted like something you could make at home. 3/5

Conclusion

Some dishes were good, some not so, but all is not lost. This place is opened till 3am daily, it is air-conditioned and they don't charge GST and service charge. So it is still a great and comfortable place to get something nice to eat in and warm the tummy if you are working the late night shift!

7/10 (T2+V2+S2+E1)

Prince Taiwan Porridge
9 Cheong Chin Nam Road
64670289
11am - 3pm
5.30pm - 3am Daily

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Yong He Eating House: Taiwanese Snacks 24 hours a Day

Feeling peckish in the middle of the night and not wanting to eat something too rich that would give you a glutton's hangover the next day? Well this might be the thing for you.

Situated in the middle of all the action at Geylang is this 24 hour place selling Tau Huay and You Char Kway. The Tau Hway may not be as smooth as Rochor Tau Hway over the other side of Geylang, but this stall does offer a few interesting and less common Taiwanese style snacks.



One is the the Omelette "Biskuit" which is a light pastry (like Pong Piah) cut open with egg omelette and pork floss in it. Not particularly die die must try, but light and satisfying when eaten together with Tau Huay. 3.5/5



Another is the You Char Kway with Pork Floss wrapped in Glutinous Rice. Some foods you can imagine the taste by what you see. This is one of them. Yes it tastes like You Char Kway and Pork Floss and Glutinous rice. Again light and satisfying. 3.5/5

Conclusion

More comfort food than shiok food. It is the sort of stuff you eat to feel comfortable in the tummy. This stall has been around for 20 years before the current wave of new Taiwanese eateries in Singapore offering street food and the menu is a bit of a hodge podge of Taiwanese and current favourites like Xiao Long Bao and Tea Eggs.

Yong He Eating House
239-241 Geylang Road
67455682
Open 24 hours Daily

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First Time in a Taiwanese Restaurant

Today I decided that I wanted to try something new. Before today, the only Taiwanese cuisine I had before was crispy chicken and chicken floss crepe at the Shinlin outlets. I never really thought much of Taiwanese cuisine, but lately it is becoming more popular in Singapore, so I thought any self respecting foodie should at least give it a go.

The restaurant manager seemed quite passionate about his craft and insists that all the ingredients used have been specially imported from Taiwan, so that we get to eat authentic Taiwanese food. That's always a good sign.

1. Chou Dou Fu (Smelly Beancurd) $5



I was expecting something akin to blue cheese, but surprisingly Chou Dou Fu isn't so smelly after all. I guess its ok. Nice and crispy on the outside. The bean curd tastes quite savoury and goes well with the chilli. Good but unremarkable.

2. Noodles with Minced Pork $5



Noodles were nice and Al Dente. Sauce was nice too. But for me it still lacks the "When am I coming back again?" feeling. Good but unremarkable

3. Pancake with Chicken Floss $3



Now things are starting to look better. The pancakes here are definately better then the ones I had before. They use a nice soft batter which is a little more on the chewy side, so you can really sink you teeth into it. Definitely can try again.

4. Crispy Pork Rib Soup $4



I like this soup. The pork ribs are first deep fried and then simmered in the soup. This gave the soup a real unique taste which is really quite novel for me. Definitely can try again.

5. Crispy Spiced Chicken $5



I had high hopes for this icon of Taiwanese Xiao Chi (Small Eats). Having tried the Shilin version before, I thought this would be the benchmark for them. Unlike Shilin, they use chicken thigh mean and it comes out in cubes. I guess if this is as good as crispy spiced chicken gets, then I would rather have Chicken Karaage anyday. Don't get me wrong, it is good, not as good as the Shilin version but it is really crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Its just that I don't think much about the spices.

Conclusion

If this is the most authentic Taiwanese Restaurant in town as claimed by the restaurant manager, then I am not crazy about Taiwanese food. For Japanese food, at least I dream about having Kobe beef in Japan. For Thai food, I dream about having Sticky Rice and Fried Chicken in Bangkok. But I don't dream about eating anything in Taiwan.

The food is good. There is just nothing that would pull me back to eat here again anytime soon.

Peng Lai Ge is situated at 456 Joo Chiat Road. Tel 64781787. They are opened from 11am to 10pm.

3.5/5

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