Taishike 臺食客

most places in sg do lu rou fan with a little singaporean twist - the lu rou is cooked in dark soy sauce and comes as distinct drier pieces on top of rice (almost like black sauce minced pork/lean pork cooked in five spice).

i've been looking for a lu rou fan that recreates the one i had in taiwan - creamy, fatty without the sg black-sauce-five-spice flavour. and i incidentally found it at this bistro! highly recommend the lu rou fan i could NOT stop eating it!!!! 🤤🤤🤤🤤

the beef noodles were q clean tasting with a good bite to the noodles. enoki mushrooms were also a tasty snack to pair - came sufficiently crispy & not overly oily which made it easy to go for one after another 🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫

if you're around the area, rly recommend u to check this out! and for the price point of $37.05 for these 3 items, i'd say it's a steal~

will def be back to try their bobba that was sold out the last time we went! 💗

Got to learn about Tai Shi Ke 臺食客 when we were scrolling around social media — a brand that we had been noticing for quite a while, Tai Shi Ke is a brand that had only been established in 2020; essentially a home-based business that had started out due to the Circuit Breaker implemented in-line with the COVID-19 regulations back then. These folks have had previously ceased operations in 2021, but they seem to have returned back to the local F&B scene yet again after a bit of a hiatus; the brand had recently been resurrected and has now become a brick-and-mortar dining establishment that had found a permanent home at 18 Circular Road. Tai Shi Ke should be quite an easy location to find; the spot being in close vicinity to other notable establishments such as that of ceres haus, Sonny’s Pizza and the outlet of Dumpling Darlings that is situated there. Whilst Taiwanese-themed casual dining establishments are more common across the island these days, Tai Shi Ke is operated in a way that can be better described as a gastro-bar. The interior can be said as dimly lit to exude vibes of a bar, but the interior does seem to feature a contemporary design featuring some geometrical elements that gives it a modern and chic look that one would expect out of an establishment serving up mod-Asian cuisine. With all that being said, the food menu at Tai Shi Ke comprises of sections such as Main Characters (i.e. rice bowls / noodle bowls), Flavours Kickoff (i.e. appetisers), Crunch Fest (i.e. fried snacks) and Sidekicks (i.e. side dishes). The variety of beverages available at Tai Shi Ke does include non-alcoholic drinks, cocktails and beer.

Having tried similar offerings at other establishments before, we were actually quite intrigued with the Shredded Chicken Rice after noticing that Tai Shi Ke does carry the said item on its menu. Usually a rather underrated item that is being served at some Taiwanese-themed establishments here, Tai Shi Ke describes their shredded chicken rice to come drizzled with their special sauce, whilst being garnished with crispy fried shallots over the top. It is noted that the rice bowls served up at Tai Shi Ke are served as an individually-portioned rice bowl rather than a mini-sized one that some establishments would serve theirs by default. The wait staff at Tai Shi Ke has informed us that the best way to enjoy the Shredded Chicken Rice is to give all of the elements a good mix — we can also choose to either have the green chili dip on the side mixed into the rice bowl or enjoy it with the rice on the side as we wished. Giving everything a good mix, the Shredded Chicken Rice was definitely on-point; despite its rather plain looks, the bowl of rice was immensely flavourful especially given how it seemed to have been lacquered with all that scallion oil(?) and special sauce that gave a lingering savoury note which gave it a punch of flavours on its own. There was enough shredded chicken to go around the entire bowl of rice; the chicken still being fairly moist despite being more fibrous in terms of texture due to nature of it being shredded. The crispy fried shallots not only introduced a crispy texture to the entire bowl, but also helped add a garlicky note that went well with the savoury notes from the special sauce.

Meanwhile, the Braised Pork Noodles was also an item that is to our liking — mixing the entire bowl up, the noodles were done soft and springy with a slight element of chew; all that coming with crunchy strips of cucumbers as well as a braised meat slurry that is a right balance of sweetness and savouriness for a good flavour. During our visit to Tai Shi Ke, we also went for the Drunken Chicken — this was yet another dish that was to die for with its boozy kick from the Huadiao Wine in its finish; served chilled, the chicken here is also being served boneless which is a thoughtful touch for their patron’s convenience. The addition of gooseberries helps to add a light sweetness that goes hand in hand with the booziness as well. Meanwhile, the Golden Tofu here comes with a crisp texture on the outside that is light and not particularly greasy, while the tofu inside still remains smooth and moist without feeling porous or “old”. The Golden Tofu also comes dusted with pepper and salt just for a slight hint of flavour with the sweet-yet-savoury dip providing yet another burst of flavours as well. Overall, our experience at Tai Shi Ke was one that was particularly pleasant; all of the food items that we have had does suggest that there are plenty of hard work that went into the design of the dishes — all of that so as to ensure that the patrons get the best that they have to offer. Prices are pretty affordable at Tai Shi Ke; the priciest food item offered in the menu being the Braised Beef Noodle priced at $15.50. Considering how our experience was at Tai Shi Ke, these folks are probably a name that one would hear of a lot more in the local F&B scene in due time; definitely a spot which are also keen to make a revisit to try more items some time soon!