So Jyu Gae Bistro 聚閣 located at Lazada One along Bras Basah Road, has done well enough to open a sister joint called Jyu Lae Bistro 聚樂 at Suntec City.
It is a vibrant spot for Taiwanese cuisine, offering a mix of traditional street food and some modern takes on classics.
The bistro is designed to be a gathering place, evident in its name where “jyu” means “gather”.
One major draw to many is the live band performances every night from 8pm, creating a lively and entertaining atmosphere.
The bistro’s interior includes plenty of seating, a bar counter under hanging red lanterns and an outdoor open-air area, adding to its appeal.
Jyu Lae Bistro 聚樂 offers a variety of Taiwanese dishes with a modern twist.
Their menu includes appetisers like Taiwanese Style Popcorn Chicken ($14.90), XO Sambal Stir-Fried Radish Cake ($14.90), Duo Wings Platter, Taiwanese Fish Tempura ($12.90), and Crispy Wasabi Squid Rings ($14.90).
They also serve Taiwanese Stir-Fried items such as Taiwanese-style Clams with Basil ($16.90), Berrylicious Pork Ribs ($22.90), Kung Pao Century Egg ($15.90) and Sasha Beef with Kangkong ($17.90).
The usual Taiwanese classics such as Grandma’s Secret Recipe Oyster Mee Sua ($14.90) and House Special Braised Pork Ribs ($15.90) are available.
I decided to go for something interesting, which was the Concubine’s Lychee Shrimp Rolls ($18.90) served on sticks in a olden-Chinese wine bottle and a little drama of dry-ice.
The balls are crafted to resemble lychee balls, encapsulating succulent shrimp within, accompanied with sweet mayonnaise and some actual lychees. Not bad lah.
The Taiwanese Style Popcorn Chicken ($14.90), available in varied flavours like salt and pepper, wasabi, or spicy, was a safe choice with crispy exterior.
The bite-sized chicken pieces had golden-brown crispness, and I ordered the spicy version which was just a tad numbing. Though the saltiness could have been brought down a notch.
I happened to like the Taiwanese Style Stewed Beef Noodle Soup ($16.90). Done hong shao style, the broth was rich and flavourful, with slow-cooked beef, and tender noodles.
The broth was the highlight, with Chinese five-spice, giving it a deeply aromatic and savoury taste.
The House Special Braised Pork Rice ($15.90) is their take on Lu Rou Fan, featuring finely chopped, slow-braised less-fatty pork ribs in a mix of floss that provided some sweetness.
The bowl of steamed rice was relatively warm, and also the fluffy grains did soak up some of that savoury sauce.
I generally thought that the service was friendly, ambiance energetic and lively.
But your dining experience could be somewhat affected depending on where you seat.
There are certain sections (particularly in the 2 pax seating area far from the stage), which can be somewhat dark, which might affect the visibility of these beautifully presented dishes.
Additionally, the proximity to the kitchen sometimes brings unintended aromas to the table.
The music volume (and I meant outside of live band performances) can be uneven – sometimes very loud, and so you cannot really hear conversations at the table.
Jyu Lae is open from Sunday to Thursday until 1am, and on Friday and Saturday until 3am, catering to both lunch crowd and night owls.
Jyu Lae Bistro 聚樂
Suntec City #01-315/316, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983 (Convention side)
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 1am (Sun – Thurs), 10:30am – 3am (Fri – Sat)
Other Related Entries
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STR TAO Taiwan Cuisine 台湾街头 (Alexandra Central)
Lee Lai Jiak 李来呷 (Tiong Bahru Plaza)
Jyu Gae Bistro (Bras Basah)
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