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Whenever I visit Queensway Shopping Centre, I always pass by Hei Lun Shi Tang, an old-school food stall on the 2nd floor of the shopping centre. With Taiwanese food being one of my favourite cuisines, I do wonder why I didn’t patronise this shop sooner.
Hei Lun Shi Tang’s unique selling point is the fact that its rice dishes are served in metal bento boxes, adding an extra layer of nostalgia to the stall. They offer a range of classic Taiwanese dishes like braised pork rice, scallion oil noodles and even curry rice!
Hei Lun Shi Tang operates within a shared space as another cafe, so you can choose to sit outside next to the main kitchen, or opt to sit inside.
I ordered a few dishes and got ready to tuck into my meal.
What I tried at Hei Lun Shi Tang
Unlike many other Taiwanese places that only offer braised pork rice, Hei Lun Shi Tang gives diners the option to choose from 5 types of meat: braised pork, stewed pork belly, pork cutlet, fried chicken and braised chicken.
Each option is available at S$7 for a small portion and S$8 for a large portion.
I wanted to try all the meats, so I got the Signature Mixed (S$10), which came topped with all 5 of Hei Lun Shi Tang’s meat options.
I started off with the braised pork, which was tender and incredibly flavourful. There was an adequate ratio of meat to fat, and the marination and sauce made the braised pork both sweet and savoury.
The pork cutlet came as a moderately-sized pork slice. It tasted similar to the braised pork, just that texture-wise, it was a little firmer and chewier.
The stewed pork belly was delightful, as the fat portion of the belly slice had a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture. The meat portion was flavourful and well-marinated, albeit slightly dry. However, it wasn’t tough at all.
The fried chicken was yet another great element, with a crispy and umami skin and tender meat. The fried chicken was seasoned very well, with a good dispersion of flavour all throughout.
The final element, the braised chicken, was my favourite of all 5 meats. The texture was what made it stand out, as it was incredibly tender and fell apart easily. It was also very flavourful as the marination soaked all the way through the meat, making every part of the chicken as tasty.
The Signature Mixed rice also came with a side of stewed cabbage and preserved vegetables for some added fibre. The preserved vegetables gave the dish a bit of saltiness, balancing out the sweetness and savouriness of the rest of the dish.
I enjoyed Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Signature Mixed rice, though I did find the price to be a bit on the higher end.
Next up, I had Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Curry Braised Pork Rice available in an S$9 or S$10 portion. I opted for the S$9 portion, which came with an adequate amount of rice and meat.
Half of the rice was topped with braised pork while the other half was covered in curry, chicken, potatoes and carrots.
Like the braised pork in the Signature Mixed, this braised pork in the Curry Braised Pork Rice was tender and flavourful. I found the amount of braised pork served on the rice to be quite generous.
The curry reminded me of Japanese curry, and it made the rice a little mushier. The curry wasn’t very spicy and wasn’t too salty either. I liked the softness of the potatoes and carrots served on the dish, and the curry chicken pieces were a little firmer than the chicken on the Signature Mixed, but was tender nonetheless.
Taiwan Fan Bao: Taiwanese-style cai fan with saba fish, chicken thigh & $3.50 pork belly buns
I didn’t find this dish to be all that outstanding, but it definitely satisfied both my braised pork rice and curry rice cravings at the same time.
Hei Lun Shi Tang offers Scallion Oil Noodles (S$4.50) as one of its noodle dishes, and you could also opt 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 chicken pieces, scallions and a half-boiled egg.
The noodles had a bouncy yet soft texture, which I adored. I could taste the slight fragrance of the scallion oil throughout the noodles, though the flavour was slightly too mild for my preferences. The fried chicken was crispy and well-seasoned just like the ones in the Signature Mixed. I liked the pairing of the chicken and the noodles, though parts of the chicken became a little less crunchy from being in contact with the slightly wet noodles. Definitely consume this dish a little faster to avoid the chicken from getting soggy!
Finally, I tried Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Daily Soup and Braised Pork Rice Set (S$7). The stall’s daily soup changes based on the day of the week: I visited on a Sunday, so I got to enjoy the Snow Pear Pork Rib Soup. Other days offer soups like Watercress Pork Rib Soup and Herbal Chicken Soup!
The Snow Pear Pork Rib Soup had a clear and refreshing taste, with a light sweetness emerging from the snow pears. The pork ribs were tender and soft and the soup as a whole was comforting and homely.
The Braised Pork Rice was a nice addition to the soup, making the entire dish more filling. The braised pork rice on its own was tasty due to the saucy pork added on top. The rice, served with nothing but braised pork, reminded me of authentic food stalls located along the streets of Taiwan.
Hei Lun Shi Tang’s Daily Soup and Braised Pork Rice Set tasted just like a home-cooked dish, making it all the more comforting.
Final thoughts
Hei Lun Shi Tang’s dishes reminded me of traditional old-school stalls I would patronise in Taiwan, with its home-cooked taste and unique presentation. While the dishes are priced a little steeper than your average hawker, the portions are relatively sizeable and comparable to most other places.
I wouldn’t travel all the way to Queensway Shopping Centre for these dishes, but I would likely re-visit the stall when I am in the area.
Expected damage: S$7 – S$10 per pax
