Comforting Taiwanese dishes served in metallic bento bins in Queensway Shopping Centre

Whenever I go to Queensway Shopping Centre, I at all times cross by Hei Lun Shi Tang, an old-school meals stall on the 2nd ground of the buying centre. With Taiwanese meals being one among my favorite cuisines, I do marvel why I didn’t patronise this store sooner.

Hei Lun Shi Tang’s distinctive promoting level is the truth that its rice dishes are served in metallic bento bins, including an additional layer of nostalgia to the stall. They supply a spread of basic Taiwanese dishes like braised pork rice, scallion oil noodles and even curry rice!

Hei Lun Shi Tang operates inside a shared area as one other cafe, so you may select to sit down outdoors subsequent to the primary kitchen, or choose to sit down inside.

I ordered a couple of dishes and bought able to tuck into my meal.

What I attempted at Hei Lun Shi Tang

Unlike many different Taiwanese locations that solely supply braised pork rice, Hei Lun Shi Tang offers diners the choice to select from 5 kinds of meat: braised pork, stewed pork stomach, pork cutlet, fried hen and braised hen.

Each possibility is on the market at S$6.50 for a small portion and S$7.50 for a massive portion.

I needed to strive all of the meats, so I bought the Signature Mixed (S$9.50), which got here topped with all 5 of Hei Lun Shi Tang’s meat choices.

I began off with the braised pork, which was tender and extremely flavourful. There was an enough ratio of meat to fats, and the marination and sauce made the braised pork each candy and savoury.

The pork cutlet got here as a moderately-sized pork slice. It tasted much like the braised pork, simply that texture-wise, it was somewhat firmer and chewier.

The stewed pork stomach was pleasant, because the fats portion of the stomach slice had a stunning melt-in-the-mouth texture. The meat portion was flavourful and well-marinated, albeit barely dry. However, it wasn’t robust in any respect.

The fried hen was yet one more nice ingredient, with a crispy and umami pores and skin and tender meat. The fried hen was seasoned very nicely, with a very good dispersion of flavour all all through.

The closing ingredient, the braised hen, was my favorite of all 5 meats. The texture was what made it stand out, because it was extremely tender and fell aside simply. It was additionally very flavourful because the marination soaked during the meat, making each a part of the hen as tasty.

The Signature Mixed rice additionally got here with a aspect of stewed cabbage and preserved greens for some added fibre. The preserved greens gave the dish a little bit of saltiness, balancing out the sweetness and savouriness of the remainder of the dish.

I loved Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Signature Mixed rice, although I did discover the value to be a bit on the upper finish.

Next up, I had Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Curry Braised Pork Rice obtainable in an S$8.50 or S$9.50 portion. I opted for the S$8.50 portion, which got here with an enough quantity of rice and meat.

Half of the rice was topped with braised pork whereas the opposite half was lined in curry, hen, potatoes and carrots.

Like the braised pork within the Signature Mixed, this braised pork within the Curry Braised Pork Rice was tender and flavourful. I discovered the quantity of braised pork served on the rice to be fairly beneficiant.

The curry jogged my memory of Japanese curry, and it made the rice somewhat mushier. The curry wasn’t very spicy and wasn’t too salty both. I preferred the softness of the potatoes and carrots served on the dish, and the curry hen items had been somewhat firmer than the hen on the Signature Mixed, however was tender nonetheless.

I didn’t discover this dish to be all that excellent, nevertheless it positively happy each my braised pork rice and curry rice cravings on the similar time.

Hei Lun Shi Tang gives Scallion Oil Noodles (S$4.50) as one among its noodle dishes, and you may additionally choose to get a meat topping. I ordered the Fried Chicken Noodles (S$6.50) and was served a bowl of scallion oil noodles topped with fried hen items, scallions and a half-boiled egg.

The noodles had a bouncy but smooth texture, which I adored. I might style the slight perfume of the scallion oil all through the noodles, although the flavour was barely too gentle for my preferences.

The fried hen was crispy and well-seasoned identical to those within the Signature Mixed. I preferred the pairing of the hen and the noodles, although components of the hen grew to become rather less crunchy from being in touch with the marginally moist noodles. Definitely devour this dish somewhat sooner to keep away from the hen from getting soggy!

Finally, I attempted Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Daily Soup and Braised Pork Rice Set (S$7). The stall’s day by day soup modifications primarily based on the day of the week: I visited on a Sunday, so I bought to benefit from the Snow Pear Pork Rib Soup. Other days supply soups like Watercress Pork Rib Soup and Herbal Chicken Soup!

The Snow Pear Pork Rib Soup had a transparent and refreshing style, with a lightweight sweetness rising from the snow pears. The pork ribs had been tender and smooth and the soup as a complete was comforting and homely.

The Braised Pork Rice was a pleasant addition to the soup, making your entire dish extra filling. The braised pork rice by itself was tasty because of the saucy pork added on high. The rice, served with nothing however braised pork, jogged my memory of genuine meals stalls situated alongside the streets of Taiwan.

Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Daily Soup and Braised Pork Rice Set tasted identical to a home-cooked dish, making it all of the extra comforting.

Final ideas

Hei Lun Shi Tang’s dishes jogged my memory of conventional old-school stalls I might patronise in Taiwan, with its home-cooked style and distinctive presentation. While the dishes are priced somewhat steeper than your common hawker, the parts are comparatively sizeable and corresponding to most different locations.

I wouldn’t journey all the best way to Queensway Shopping Centre for these dishes, however I might probably re-visit the stall when I’m within the space.

Expected harm: S$6.50 – S$9.50 per pax

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