It does seem like quite the coincidence that two of the former locations in which the now-defunct Kyushu Pancake Cafe had occupied in the past are currently occupied by Taiwanese eateries — whilst we had written about the outlet of WANt Food Taiwanese Delights 恋恋湾味 that has taken over the former location of Kyushu Pancake Cafe along Lorong Liput in Holland Village, the Kyushu Pancake Cafe outlet that was at Junction 8 at Bishan has been taken over by Taiwan Fullhouse. Located at the second level of the mall, one can easily find Taiwan Fullhouse — it occupies the shop unit that is located just right beside the outlet of Ambush European Restaurant there. For those they had either been to or passed by Kyushu Pancake Cafe there in the past, one would find that the shop’s facade and interior decor has been pretty much kept intact with the change of tenants — this was also pretty much the same with WANt Food Taiwanese Delights 恋恋湾味 at Lorong Liput as well; the interior is decked with simple wooden furnishings that is surrounded by a white wall and wooden flooring, which one can describe as simple, functional and tasteful. Being an establishment that serves up Taiwanese cuisine, the menu is split across various sections comprising of rice, noodle, side dishes and curry rice; the beverage menu featuring a line-up of different tea typically found in Taiwanese eateries such as that of Winter Melon Tea, Roselle Hawthorn Tea as well as a hot Brown Sugar Ginger Tea amongst others — this would be aside from Japanese teas such as the Japanese Sencha and Japanese Houji-cha that they also offer here.

Given how Taiwan Fullhouse is a Taiwanese eatery, we felt that the experience would not be complete here if we did not have either the Taiwan Minced Meat Rice or the Salted Fried Chicken Rice here — both dishes being considered as rather quintessential dishes to the Taiwanese food culture. For those whom are ordering the Salted Fried Chicken Rice at Taiwan Fullhouse, you would probably be glad to hear that the Salted Fried Chicken Rice is actually served in a way that one could have the best of both worlds — it comes served with a bowl of Taiwan Minced Meat Rice where it comes with a small serving of minced meat as opposed to the serving size of the same if one orders the Taiwan Minced Meat Rice on its own, as well as a plate of salted fried chicken that comes served separately on the side. Patrons can actually specify if they wish for the salted fried chicken to be served spicy or non-spicy — we went for the former, where paprika powder is actually sprinkled alongside a salt and pepper mix that already comes with the chunks of fried chicken that comes over the top. Digging into the bowl of rice first, we did not particularly like the rice here — there is no doubt that the minced meat was actually done pretty well here; the braised minced meat was sauce-y and carried much of a subtle hint of savouriness with melt-in-the-mouth meat that provides an additional burst of flavour. That being said, we felt that the short-grain rice here was a tad undercooked; the rice was not only dry, but it also did not manage to absorb all of that braised sauce from the minced meat that was drenched above — the texture causing the dish to be a little off even though it has some nice touches such as the inclusion of preserved vegetables, Taiwanese sausage and a half of a braised egg to spruce it up a little. The salted fried chicken was thankfully done as per how it should be — crisp on the exterior, the meat within was tender without too much effort to chew apart; the chicken chunks were also well-flavoured being just a little salty, peppery and lightly spicy from all the powder dusted on the top.

Authentic Taiwanese fare might be something that was a little difficult to find around the island in the past, but it does seem to be a little commonplace these days — perhaps in part thanks to how Eat Three Bowls 呷三碗 being much of a success that led to the opening of more of such establishments all across the island. With how saturated the market for Taiwanese fare has become around the island, we felt that the food at Taiwan Fullhouse was a little disappointing even though they had attempted to be as authentic as possible with their offerings. One thing that is of concern with their rice dishes was the texture of the rice; the rice being dry and a little hard to chew does pretty much hamper the experience of the food at Taiwan Fullhouse — this is especially considering the variety of items that makes use of rice as a carb here. We could only wish that they could possibly pay more attention to the texture of the rice that is being served here in order to improve the overall experience of their food here. Apart from the Salted Fried Chicken Rice and the Taiwan Minced Meat Rice that we have had, we had also tried the Fried Oyster Mushrooms that are listed on the side dish section of the menu. This was also a dish which we found to be a miss; whilst they did not come particularly greasy, these came too dry and was unnecessarily crunchy — they lacked that natural bounciness that the mushrooms usually carried, and was yet another item which we felt that they could most certainly relook into and improve upon. With the mains being priced $8.50 to $11.90 for the rice and noodle dishes, and $13.90 to $18.00 for the Curry Rice dishes, the mains at Taiwan Fullhouse are somewhat reasonably priced considering how they are casual eatery with an individual space within the mall. That being said, we do think that some refinement in the recipes might be needed for a better experience overall.