Lu Ding Ji 卤鼎记: Authentic Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice & Other Delights In Bedok

Taiwan is famously known for its food scene, with an endless variety of dishes. One of the most well-known dishes that you’ll see in Taiwan would be lu rou fan 卤肉饭, also known as braised pork rice.

If you ever have a craving for some of that rich and tasty goodness, Lu Ding Ji 卤鼎记 offers the best braised pork rice I’ve ever tasted.

Lu Ding Ji is tucked away on the first level of Viva Business Park in Bedok. It’s easily spotted because of the bright store sign against the cool interior background.

A collection of antiques on the shelves along with the large framed pictures gave it a modern vibe, while still reminding diners of the Taiwanese culture. 

This restaurant serves up a variety of Taiwanese-inspired dishes, including Soft Shell Crabs, Taiwan Snow Ice and the drink that’s all the hype now: Bubble Tea.

I’ve tried the glorious brown sugar bubble tea at so many different shops that it wouldn’t hurt to try one more. The Brown Sugar Milk Tea (S$3) was what you’d expect — sweet and intense.

The Bubblegum Green Tea (S$3) on the other hand, was more stimulating. As I took the first sip, the taste of the bubblegum hit hard, then left an aftertaste of the green tea. The concoction was oddly refreshing, actually.

While we were there, founder and director of Lu Ding Ji, Mr Kayne Tan shared that all the dishes on the menu are his original recipes that have been passed down to his chefs.

Mr Tan is also constantly coming up with new recipe ideas, like the LDJ Crispy Chawanmushi (S$8).

Bits of mushrooms can be found in the chawanmushi which is cocooned in a layer of fried skin. With both the smoothness of the egg and the crisp texture of the fried skin, the contrast was lovely.

It’s almost a given that we had to try their famous Braised Pork Rice Bowl (S$9.50). When the server was walking over with our food in hand, the aroma hit us and made our stomachs grumble even before we had a chance to take a bite. The presentation of the rice bowl alone was enough to make us drool.

The braised pork was drizzled with a house special sauce that has a sweet yet savoury taste that lingered on my tongue.

The customisation of the dish is entirely up to the diners. You can choose between the Chicken Bowl (S$8.50), Beef Bowl (S$10.50), Mushroom Bowl (S$8.50) or even a Vegetable Bowl (S$7.50). There are also premium options such as the Kurobuta Bowl (S$14.50) and Wagyu Bowl (S$18.50).

Saying that I love half-boiled eggs is an understatement. The brightly-coloured yolk gives any dish a pop of colour but especially so for this primarily brown dish. Also, it went perfectly well with the tender pork and rice.

Lu Ding Ji ensures that the process of cleaning the pig intestines is thorough before cooking and serving the dish. More commonly seen in our local dish kway chap, Lu Ding Ji uses pig intestines and incorporates them into the Intestine Mee Sua Bowl (S$12.50).

To enjoy this dish properly, slurp up the thinly-cut noodles with a piece of pig intestine dipped in chilli sauce. The spice mixed with the tangy bite will leave you wanting more.

Their Crispy Soft Shell Crabs (S$12) is the epitome of pure bliss. Biting into the crispy crab produced an audible crunch.

For anyone who’s been to Taiwan, you’d know that you’ve got to try their mango snow ice. And who can resist dessert? In the Snow Ice series, Lu Ding Ji has a number of flavours to choose from. We ordered the Unicorn Dream Snow Ice (S$8) as it was one of the customers’ favourites.

Dip the scrumptious butter waffle in and scoop up some of the snow ice with the toppings. These include mini marshmallows, exploding pearls, rainbow sprinkles and some jelly bits.

The frosty ice mountain was demolished within minutes. This invigorating dessert will perk you right up, especially with Singapore’s sweltering weather.

My favourite dish had to be the Intestine Mee Sua Bowl. The succulent entrails were quintessential and went well with the Mee Sua. Although the food and service were impeccable, I’d have to say the drinks could be a little milder because the sudden rush of sugar could be briefly unsettling.

Missing Taiwanese food but don’t have the time nor money to fly all the way to Taiwan? Lu Ding Ji offers the best spread of Taiwanese cuisines within an affordable price range.

Expected Damage: S$28.50++ per pax

Lu Ding Ji 卤鼎记: 750 Chai Chee Road, #01-13, Viva Business Park, Singapore 469000 | Tel: +65 9382 5657 | Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9.30pm (Daily) | Website