Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
It’s been ages since I stepped foot into Taiwan. I greatly miss the sights, sounds, and food from there! To satisfy my cravings, I decided to head down to a relatively new establishment called Jyu Gae Bistro. They’re located at Lazada One along Bras Basah Road and offer various Taiwanese delights.
I chose to sit in their al fresco section, where I could people-watch while waiting for my food to arrive. The ambience of this place was cool with tons of wood and black accents everywhere.
The indoor seating section has a small stage where local bands come to perform daily from 8pm onwards. There was also an impressive-looking bar with rows of spirits and liquor proudly on display— too bad, they’re only for serious alcohol drinkers like my boss, Seth.
What I tried at Jyu Gae Bistro
I was excited about Jyu Gae Bistro’s all-day breakfast section on the menu. I clearly remembered being blown away by egg crepe rolls in Kaohsiung when my Taiwanese friends introduced me to it.
To relive that experience, my dining partners and I went for the Taiwanese Pork Floss Egg Crepe (S$10.90). It was basically pork floss and egg wrapped with roti prata, served with a dip filled with garlic bits— the Taiwanese version uses actual crepes, though.
I loved how the rolls remained crispy even after dunking it into the sauce, which had a robust garlic infusion.
The garlic bits clung onto the crepe and further enhanced the garlicky flavour, which went really well with the egg and sweet-salty pork floss.
I also loved that there was a subtle spice surprise at the end, catching me off guard— this dish had managed to hit the spot after all!
https://sethlui.com/886-bistro-singapore/
I then moved on to the next dish, the Jyu Gae Signature 3 Bowls Set (S$17.90). It was a degustation of Taiwan’s renowned street food, which consisted of braised pork rice, salt-pepper popcorn chicken, and oyster mee sua.
The braised pork rice had a pile of pork belly resting on a bed of short-grain rice. The meat with its creamy layers of fat disintegrated in my mouth in an instant.
Perhaps my only negative comment about it was the pork belly’s flavour— it became muted after mixing it with the rice.
For the popcorn chicken, I was given a choice between mala, spicy or original. I got the mala, and popped a piece into my mouth. Dang, what an experience it was! Within seconds, the spice came at me in full swing.
Subsequently, my tongue got accustomed to the heat and before I knew it, I was hooked.
The mee sua had 3 cooked oysters and a pile of minced garlic. I loved how plump and fresh the oysters were. The velvety strands of mee sua had enveloped the umami-ness of the broth really well, with tiny punches of garlic.
I added the accompanying vinegar into the bowl, which uplifted the dish with its acidity. The whole combination tasted like it was made like a Taiwanese local, true to its original taste.
For dessert, I went for the Taiwanese Ice Cream Popiah (S$10.90). It came in a board with 2 pieces of popiah skin, crushed peanuts, coriander, and 2 scoops of ice cream (muah chee and taro yam-flavoured).
I placed the coriander sprigs at the bottom followed by the muah chee ice cream on top.
I spread the ice cream evenly on the skin and sprinkled the peanuts before rolling it. For those who think that this combination is unorthodox, it actually works (haters of coriander will probably call the police on me).
The crunch from the peanuts and the fresh citrus notes of the coriander worked well together to enhance the creamy flavours of the muah chee ice cream. We had a tough time chewing the popiah skin though, which was slightly dry and cardboard-ish (what a pity).
I preferred the taro yam ice cream, which was much stronger in taste compared to the muah chee.
Final Thoughts
When you dine at Jyu Gae Bistro, you’ll be temporarily transported to Taiwan without having to purchase an air ticket.
Delicious food, great service, warm ambience… what’s there not to love? I’ll be back soon!
Expected damage: S$11 – S$19 per pax
https://sethlui.com/ms-aiyu-singapore/
