Was intending to lunch at another stall nearby but the lack of comfortable seats and the pure sight of Lor Bak Rice on the banner outside of the eatery made us dine here instead. Paradise Gastronomy at The Bencoolen serves Taiwanese fare, including Oyster Mee Sua, simple bento sets as well as Taiwanese snacks such as the Sesame Crispy Chicken.

The version here may not be quite as mind-blowing as my favourites (which happens to be Scorch and Eat 3 Bowls), but the bowl here still proves to be satisfying for the folks who work around the area. While the braised meat wasn't quite as chunky as what I would have expected, it's still pretty tender considering they used diced pork belly that's slow-cooked. There's enough sauce and pork to go around the entire bowl, and the sauce was immensely flavourful and savoury; a good balance especially when had with the crunchy pickles at the side that gives an adequately sourness that cleanses the tastebuds. What was particularly interesting with this bowl was how they seemed to have included fried shallots with the braised pork to provide a crunch β€” something that makes it texturally different from other Lor Bak bowls out there.

PS: the lady that served us seemed to take a lot of pride in the food they have to offer and is pretty friendly given how she is making trips round the eatery to engage with the patrons β€” she gave us quite a few suggestions on how to have the Lor Bak Rice, including having it with their Chili and giving everything a good mix before digging in. The zingy chili that seem to somewhat resemble those that come with Oyster Mee Sua indeed gives the Lor Bak Rice a flavour burst; not too spicy, yet very uplifting!