Wen Li Taiwanese Food at Golden Mile
Golden Mile Food Centre is one of my go-to places to dine at. The place has countless hawker stalwarts and also attracts many young entrepreneurs hoping to appeal to the office crowd nearby. I’ve tried most of the stalls here, barring the newer ones that pop up in between my visits. Thus when I first noticed a shuttered Wen Li Taiwanese Food one weekend, I knew that I had to return and give them a proper try.
The seven-month-old stall is the creation of Joe Cheong and Donovan Wong, whose Chinese names, Wen Li and Jun Wen, respectively lend themselves to the store’s moniker. Although Wen Li Taiwanese Food is neither Joe nor Donovan’s first rodeo in the F&B industry, it is the first stall that they own.
Of the two, Joe’s the more outspoken partner, responsible for taking orders and managing the customers, while Donovan’s mainly behind the stove. The reason for this allocation of duties is simple: Donovan learnt the recipe for their Braised Pork Rice from a Taiwanese grandma prior to opening their stall.
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Food at Wen Li Taiwanese Food
As such, we wasted no time in eating the Braised Pork Rice Set ($6.80), which gets you a bowl of lu rou fan, a ‘jelly heart egg’, or ‘糖心蛋’ as it’s known in Chinese, a side of cucumber salad, and a small portion of Homemade Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. That’s quite a lot of food for under $7, which made me a happy camper.
I was thus extremely excited when I found out that it tasted as good as it was touted to be. The braised meat was remarkably fragrant, and the savouriness of the pork paired well with chewy Taiwanese pearl rice. Don tells me that is because they use a Taiwanese brand of soya sauce, which has a more refined savouriness as compared to local offerings.
I also loved that the fat and lean meat were separate, as that created a great contrast in texture. For the health junkies, you can easily pick apart the lard from the meat, though I sincerely implore you not to.
Even if you can’t take too much spice, I strongly recommend adding some chilli padi to the bowl of braised pork rice. There’s just something about the slight kick that makes the dish extra moreish.
Since we ordered the set, our Braised Pork Rice came topped with Chilled Cucumber Salad and an Omega3 Soft Boiled Egg, which costs $1.50 on its own. The cucumber salad served as a refreshing crunch in between bites, while the egg also featured a perfect cook.
I personally felt that the marinated jammy egg could have been saltier, but this could have been a conscious choice on Wen Li Taiwanese Food’s part, as the braised pork was already savoury.
Moving on to the popcorn chicken, the house-made snack was seasoned generously with salt and white pepper. Though I felt that the popcorn chicken was a wee bit floury, I definitely appreciated it being made in-house and fried to order.
The other main available at Wen Li Taiwanese Food is the Pig Intestine Mee Sua ($3.50). Unlike the Braised Pork Rice Set, the Pig Intestine Mee Sua Set does not come with the marinated egg and cucumber salad. Instead, you get a full portion of their Homemade Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken for maximum snacking.
There’s no elegant way to eat the mee sua—you just have to slurp it. Each mouthful was smooth and punched with just the right amount of black vinegar, raw garlic, and coriander. As for the protein, the pig intestine was thoroughly cleaned and very umami.
I do wish that the intestines were not sliced so thinly, as I feel that it would have given the dish more bite. That said, the Pig Intestine Mee Sua is probably suitable for young and elderly diners, as it’s stewed for more than two hours such that it melts in your mouth.
If you don’t like pig intestines, Wen Li Taiwanese Food swaps it out for shredded chicken. We didn’t manage to taste the chicken version of the mee sua, but we’d imagine it to be just as tasty.
Unlike my colleague, I feel uneasy if I don’t have vegetables with every meal. Thus, I ordered the Braised Chinese Cabbage ($2) in spite of her protests. Although it did not appear to be quite appetising, the dish was, in fact, pretty flavourful.
For only $2, the Braised Chinese Cabbage is value-for-money. You get pieces of pork belly and shiitake mushroom within the heap of tender wombok, which makes eating the vegetables less torturous.
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Ambience at Wen Li Taiwanese Food
Wen Li Taiwanese Food is across the road from Nicoll Highway MRT Station, but if you’re travelling by the Downtown Line instead, alight at Bugis MRT Station. Nothing much needs to be said about Golden Mile Food Centre, but if for any reason, you’ve never been there before, note that the hawker centre spans two stories.
The Taiwanese food stall is found on the first floor, near where YouFu Hokkien Prawn Mee is located. If it’s not too crowded, stay here to have your meal—we prefer it as it is better ventilated.
You’ll also get a queue number for when things get busy, though we’ve observed that the lines aren’t very long.
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The verdict
If you’re looking for affordable Taiwanese cuisine in Singapore, Wen Li Taiwanese Food is the place to go. The food here is pretty decent, but it’s the affordable prices that make the stall a must-visit in my books. Hearty braised pork rice for only $3.50—that’s irresistible in and of itself.
Another Taiwanese food option that’s been quite popular recently is Want Food Taiwanese Delights, which sells oyster mee sua for under $10! If you’re looking for alternative stalls to patronise within Golden Mile, check out our Golden Mile Food Centre guide!
Address: 505 Beach Road, #01-65, Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11am to 4pm
Tel: 8161 5793
Website
Wen Li Taiwanese Food is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Tanya Tham.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg
The post Wen Li Taiwanese Food Review: $3.50 Braised Pork Rice And Pig Intestine Mee Sua By Young Hawkers appeared first on EatBook.sg – Singapore Food Guide And Review Site.
