Isshin Machi 一心一町 may sound like a Japanese restaurant, so some customers may be surprised to find themselves at a Taiwanese eatery.
After its first outlet at 224 East Coast Road, Isshin Machi has opened a 2nd at Selegie Road’s GR.ID boosting a striking exterior, spacious interior, and a wider variety of food offerings.
GR.ID?
This is the former POMO mall which has transformed to a youth-centric building to appeal to the students nearby, with a “Tetris” formation of stacked F&B and retail spaces.
The menu is divided into sections of appetiser dishes, fried dishes, vegetables, snacks, rice, soup, noodles, and beverages such as Brown Sugar Caramel Pearl Milk Tea.
This is probably one of the most extensive Taiwanese cuisine menus in Singapore, even with offerings of Tainan Guan Miao Noodles. However, there is a striking omission of Oyster Mee Sua – one of my must-haves in any Taiwanese eatery in Singapore.
In terms of rice dishes alone, there are items of Hakka-style Braised Meat Rice ($9), Golden Egg Fried Rice ($7.80), Fried Rice with Specialty Marinated Pork Chop ($12.30), Sunrise Crispy Chicken Cutlet Rice ($12.90), to even a Low-Calorie Vegetable Fried Rice ($10.80).
The Hakka-style Braised Meat Rice ($9) was quite ’legit, with deep-rich flavours of the braised meat, accompanied with salted vegetables, braised egg, cucumber on a bed of soft and fluffy white pearl rice.
There are often differing view of meat to rice proportion Lu Rou Fan. Generally the Taiwanese versions have less meat, while the Singapore palate gears towards more meaty flavours.
I thought that the balance was managed quite well here, without bring too greasy or plain.
As for the Fried Rice with Crispy Chicken Cutlet ($12.90), the meat cutlet was deep-fried till wonderfully-crisp yet still succulent on the inside, with a tasty fragrance of five-spiced powder.
The fried rice itself was a slight let-down though comparatively, as it could do with more seasoning. (I had to ask for extra chilli oil.)
You may want some nibbles to complete the meal, and available are Golden Fried Pork Wontons ($5.90), Golden Fried Tempura ($6.50), Golden Fried Shrimp & Pork Wantons ($6.90) and Hakka-style Golden Fried Chicken ($6.90).
I opted for a more interesting-sounding Moon Shape Prawn Cake ($11.00).
A “Moon Shrimp Cake” or 月亮蝦餅 is a popular Taiwanese snack with prawns, pork fats and other ingredients pounded then spread on a circular spring roll wrapper, pan-fried and served with sweet chilli sauce.
The name is derived from the shape of the presentation which resembles a full moon.
I liked that there was thin crispiness on the outside, and chewy with a good bite of the prawns on the inside.
Isshin Machi is a promising place that would make you want to return to try more items.
The prices though seemed a tad higher than the average Taiwanese eatery in Singapore, so I wondered if this would prevent young students who are price-sensitive from patronising more.
Isshin Machi
1 Selegie Road, GR.ID #01-01, Singapore 188306
Opening Hours: 9am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
224 East Coast Road, Singapore 428921
Opening Hours: 9am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
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