I remember first writing about Taiwanese cafe Abundance which is located at a ‘sleepy’ neighbourhood of Lengkok Bahru opposite Redhill MRT station.
Having found many fans for its modern Taiwanese-style inspired dishes, it has done well enough to open a second outlet at Jalan Besar, and I decided to chiong down to make a return visit.
(Also read: 20 Best Taiwanese Food Places In Singapore)
Being called Abundance, a key food feature here is the “Gua Bao”.
A Gua Bao 刈包 often seen sold at Taiwanese night markets, contains a steamed ‘lotus leaf bread’ sandwiched with stewed pork belly, dressed with pickled mustard greens (suan cai), coriander and ground peanuts.
Abundance’s version, other than being on the pricey side at $7.90 (increased from $6.90), was a credible version which got a good balance of the savoury pork belly, sweet peanuts and tangy pickles.
The thick pork belly was cooked till melt-in-the-mouth, yet not overly fatty. There are also the cheekily-named CBB ($7.90) which means Crispy Chicken Bun, and Fish Bun ($10.90).
A new addition to the Jalan Besar outlet would be the Braised Beef Rice ($16.90) which is a twist to the familiar Taiwanese-style Lu Rou Fan which typically incorporates braised pork belly.
While slightly on the expensive side comparatively, the “Niu Lu Rou Fan” worked because the beef cubes were saucy and almost melt-in-the-mouth, balanced with pickled vegetables and chilli which you could add with a kick.
The only downside was the rice which was undercooked on the harder side (while could tell it was of good quality) and could be much fluffier.
If you need some other carbs, the Beef Noodle Soup ($16.90) and Niu Yolk Fried Rice ($19) which cooked with beef fat and topped with beef short ribs are recommended by the shop.
The Taiwanese-style modern eatery also serves up “xiao chi” which are sides of Mala Popcorn Chicken ($9), Red Hot Chilli Dumplings aka Hong You Chao Shou ($9.90), Golden Egg ($7) which is fried century egg, Prawn Toast ($6, $11), Pork Chop ($9), and Fried Beancurd Skin ($5).
I found it hard to stop at one (or two or three) for the Mala Popcorn Chicken, with the chicken pieces deep-fried till crispy and golden brown and coated in a light mala seasoning that was just a tad numbing.
What I liked was that the chunks were meaty and succulent, and not just starchy and covered with flour.
Most people would go for the Xiao Cai ($5.50) which was named like, prepared like, and looked like something Din Tai Fung regulars would find extremely familiar with.
Made with vermicelli, seaweed, beansprouts, tofu, spring onions and vinegar dressing, customers may not be able to tell a difference from a blind-taste test.
Singaporeans love their Taiwanese food and Abundance manages to balance both providing something authentic, yet with a twist for half of its menu.
If I wanted to nit-pick, perhaps more outlet specialty dishes or a wider variety of buns would be great.
Abundance – Jalan Besar
399 Jalan Besar, Singapore 209008
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 4:30pm – 10pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues
Abundance – Redhill
63A Lengkok Bahru, #01-378, Singapore 151063
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 4pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Other Related Entries
True Breakfast 初早餐 (Cuppage)
+886 Taiwanese Bistro (Jalan Besar)
Isshin Machi (Selegie)
Yu Ba Fang 御八方 (Raffles City)
MONKI 台灣小吃部 (The Star Vista)
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