Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine is a Taiwanese eatery based in Johor Bahru with two outlets in Johor Jaya and Permas Jaya. Its first and only Singapore hawker branch opened in Taman Jurong Food Centre in mid-Jan 2025 and, as a Westie, I was surprised to discover it so late.
HOJA’s founder, Taiwan-born Tang Cheng Yu grew up in Malaysia and graduated from an arts school in Singapore. He returned to his birth country for work, where he grew to develop a greater appreciation for its cuisine.
These experiences would influence his future brand’s dishes – for instance, he learned to make braised pork rice from an old shifu in Tainan. Tang then established HOJA (“delicious” in Taiwanese dialect) 6 months after returning to Malaysia to share the “home-cooked”, authentic Taiwanese cuisine with his customers.
I reached the Food Centre before the lunch rush crowd did, so I found a seat and ordered rather quickly. While the founder wasn’t present at the SG stall, the vendor running it was also Taiwanese – it was clear from her accent.
What I tried at HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine
I started off with the Signature Tainan Minced Pork Rice Bento (S$7). Presentation-wise, it wasn’t special but looked decent – a bowl of minced lurou (braised pork) with rice and Taiwanese sausage.
Right away, I started doubting whether there was enough minced pork to satisfy my cravings. It wasn’t quite enough for my liking, as I prefer meat and vegetables over carbs.
Thankfully, I had no qualms taste-wise; the rich meaty favour made up for the somewhat small serving. From what I had learned, Tainan was also a major hub for sugar production, and this characteristic was reflected in the sweetness of the minced pork belly. It seemed to melt on my tongue like butter from how soft and fatty it was, and it was just the right amount of fat that didn’t make me feel jelak.
As the portion of rice was quite generous in comparison to the meat, the ratio of ingredients was a little disproportionate in my opinion.
When I received the plate, the gravy that came with the pork had already seeped into the steamed white rice. Though soggy, the rice had absorbed its flavour nicely. There were also 3 pieces of Taiwanese sausage laid on top of the meat and rice. This was unfortunately all the sausage the dish contained, which didn’t really add much aside from the faintly sweet flavour.
Every Bento comes with 3 side dishes: cabbage, mustard greens and a braised egg. I received these in a separate dish alongside my Braised Pork Rice.
On the left was a small handful of cooked flat cabbage and shredded carrots, which while not heavily seasoned had a light earthy taste. The pickled mustard greens in the middle had the strongest flavour and were sweet and tangy to go with the meatiness of the braised pork belly.
My favourite was the braised egg, which had absorbed the gravy’s savoury flavour. While slightly rubbery, it was not dry and a nice addition to the rice.
Taiwan Fan Bao: Taiwanese-style cai fan with saba fish, chicken thigh & $3.50 pork belly buns
HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine also serves noodle dishes, so my friend selected the Sichuan Mala Braised Beef Soup Noodle (S$9). It surprised us to find a Sichuan-inspired dish on the menu of a Taiwanese eatery, but it wasn’t too big of a deal for us.
We agreed on Xiaola (least spicy) (choose from Xiaola, Zhongla and Dala) because neither of us wanted to end up dying from spice that day.
Maybe I should’ve taken my first sip of broth a little more cautiously given that it was swimming with mala chilli oil and chilli slices. Straight out of the gate, an intense numbing heat whacked the back of my throat, catching me by surprise. Even my spice-loving companion found it quite powerful for Xiaola!
Despite this, the soup itself wasn’t spicy; the fiery kick was present purely from the oil. It had a hearty, beefy flavour which seemed to have come from being simmered with the meat for a long time.
The braised beef was gorgeously done – rich and tender, with just the right amount of bite. The meat which seemed to be beef shank contained some cartilage-like bits that provided a nice chew to accompany the meatiness.
Al-dente and bouncy, the flat noodles coated with the beefy flavour and chilli oil were quite toothsome. On the other hand, the bok choy had been cooked to the point of limpness, which was sad since I would’ve liked a gentle crunch at least.
My friend felt that there wasn’t enough meat and vegetables in comparison to the noodles. Still, the portion of beef was much better than that of the braised pork for me.
Final Thoughts
In terms of flavour, the fare at HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine was satisfactory. While I can’t say for sure that it’s truly authentic since I’ve never been to Taiwan, it wasn’t too bad. In particular, the beef and broth knocked my socks off with their rich taste and texture.
Are the dishes worth the price though? I humbly disagree, given I didn’t receive much for a S$7 bowl of Minced Pork Rice. The saving grace would be that I enjoyed the sweet meatiness of the pork. If only the Bento came with a larger portion!
Expected damage: S$7 – S$9 per pax
Order Delivery: foodpanda
Lin’s Braised: Authentic Taiwanese lu rou fan, but Hakka-style from $5
