I once stayed in Taiwan for an extended period of time, and the food I missed most were not from the fancy restaurants or hipster cafes.
But the daily breakfast from the humble street-side stores a short walk away – the warmth of the Taiwanese people, the hot piping Taiwanese Egg Pancake Rolls 蛋餅, Baked Pastries with YouTiao 燒餅油條, and of course Soy Milk豆漿. (Also read: 10 Taiwanese Cafes In Singapore)
Most people would recommend stores like Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿 or World Soymilk King 世界豆漿大王 (better known as Yonghe), but I enjoyed many breakfast experiences in the mum-and-pop shops.
After I discovered about True Breakfast 初早餐 in Singapore, I went back 4 times (decided not to write about it yet for various reasons).
Every time I visited, there was just more and more Taiwanese (can hear from the accent) and office workers from the vicinity visiting, and you know there is just that something about them.
This Taiwanese food eatery is not the easiest to find at CES Centre Chin Swee Road, which is a long working distance from Chinatown (a shorter one from People’s Park).
(A 10 minutes’ walk nearby at People’s Park Centre, there is also GATAO Taiwan Breakfast 角頭台灣早餐店 you may want to explore.)
Even upon reaching there, the outside looked like an unassuming bistro-bar and you won’t have known what lies on the inside.
”Huan Ying Guang Ling 歡迎光臨!”, oh… those Taiwanese friendly vibes when you enter through the door. The eatery can probably sit 8 to 10 diners comfortably maximum, playing KTV songs of MayDay and A-Lin.
On its menu are the typical Taiwanese breakfast items of Meat Floss & Egg Omelette Pancake ($3.50), Cheese & Eggs Pancake ($3.50), Pork Chop & Eggs Sandwich ($5), and Ham, Cheese & Egg Sandwich ($4). Nothing fanciful, but you know you are in a ‘right’ place.
I hope they sell hot Soy Bean Milk some day.
Be prepared to wait for a while. Even when I visited when the store was empty, food was freshly prepared in a small space, and some items needed about 15 minutes’ or so wait.
The pancake (not like the American ones people are more familiar with) came with a thin crepe-like chewy texture, filled with meat floss, then rolled up.
Was it anything fanciful or ultra-delicious? I would say “No”, but there was just that feelin’ of Taiwanese comfort.
To make it tastier, you can add some of the specially prepared fragrant garlic sauce or sweet chilli sauce.
The lunch items are slightly more extensive and impressionable, with Braised Pork Rice aka Lu Rou Fan ($5.50 for set, $3.50 for single order), Salted Pork Belly Rice ($6.50), Pork Chop Rice ($7) and Chicken Drumstick Rice ($7).
There are also snacks of Taiwanese ‘Hamburger’ with Pork ($2.80) and Fried Eggplant & Meat Floss ($3.80).
The one thing I would like to recommend would be the Chicken Drumstick Rice ($7) who came in a jumbo serving for its price, with the outer layer lightly crispy and moist, succulent meat.
There was also the seasoning used, that was reminiscent of the Taiwanese night markets.
To me, a lot of its charm came from its homely, no-frills setting. So, I hesitated a while before publishing this. Do take your time to visit this place (don’t have to hurry down now), avoid peak lunch-hours if possible, and be patient in waiting for your food.
True Breakfast 初早餐
171 Chin Swee Road, CES Centre #01-02, Singapore 169877
Opening Hours: Breakfast 7:30am – 11am, Lunch 12:30pm – 2pm (Mon – Fri), 9:30am – 2pm (Sat), Closed Sun
Other Related Entries
10 Taiwanese Cafes In Singapore
10 Luscious Lu Rou Fan In Singapore
Supreme Pork Chop Rice 一品排骨饭 (Beach Road)
Isshin Machi 一心一町 (East Coast Road)
Eat 3 Bowls 呷三碗車站 (Pasir Panjang)
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