Wen Li Taiwanese Food: Mee Sua with oysters and bonito flakes and $5 for a packed bowl of braised pork rice

There’s been an increase in eateries that specialise in Taiwanese food in Singapore, and I am so here for it. Taiwan may not have an international dish per se but we just associate certain foods with the country anyway.

While I usually have the luxury of dining at Taiwanese restaurants, this review is for a cosy little stall at Golden Mile Food Centre. 

Wen Li Taiwanese Food is a 2 man show starring Joe Cheong and Donovan Wong, also known as, Wen Li and Jun Wen. The duo are an experienced pair who have been in the food industry for quite some time. They met at Five Guys, and that was the start of their partnership. 

They opened Wen Li Taiwanese Food in Nov 2021. It’s quite a feat that they’re thriving, considering the pandemic made a large number of stalls shut down. 

My first impressions were a delight. Joe was making small talk with the customer before me, and when he was done with her, he gave her a cheery greeting to enjoy her meal. In fact, I observed that he gave that greeting to every customer who bought from him. 

It didn’t take long for him to take my order and have my food on the way. It was less than 5 minutes and I, too, got my parting words delivered with genuine happiness. 

What I tried at Wen Li Taiwanese Food

While you could get the dishes off their menu a la carte, I decided to go for the set. A bit of a spoiler for further ahead, but I consider the prices wallet-friendly.

First up was Set A (S$6.80) which comes with a packed bowl of Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice (S$5) and Homemade Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (S$4). 

A bowl of braised pork rice is my go-to for Taiwanese food, and it’s a delight to see that it’s the staple here. It consists of a layer of saucy braised meat over rice, tightly packed into a bowl. The picture doesn’t quite do it enough justice as to how much rice there was.

The braised pork recipe is from Donovan’s Taiwanese Grandma but you can tell it has been modified to suit a Singaporean’s palette. Jo will ask if you’d like chilli with your rice bowl, which is a dead giveaway.

I would fully recommend you get it without chilli. The braised pork shines best in all its simple and rustic charm. The tender meat paired with the rich gravy that clings to the pearl rice and the jelly yolked egg combine to make a meal that you won’t stop shovelling into your mouth.

The pickled cucumber salad coated with a sweet and spicy chilli adds a refreshing bite to the whole bowl. As odd as it is, I find mixing everything together creates a bowl that has harmony with every scoop.

Chong Jia Food: Family-run Taiwanese hawker stall’s solid braised pork rice & noodles from $5.50

Set B (S$6.80) on the other hand, which stars the Pig Intestine Mee Sua (S$4) was more of a mixed bag. Like Set A, it also comes with the popcorn chicken.

After the high that was the braised pork rice, the mee sua just paled in comparison. I’m not saying it’s weak in flavour by any means. The gravy was topped with garlic paste and bonito, which resulted in a rather salty bowl of mee sua. 

The combination resulted in rather intense mouthfuls, however. Maybe it was just too much at once for me.

I will give props to Wen Li for the pig stomach, as it was likely braised in the same sauce as the pork bits from the rice dish. There’s no sudden chewiness and it tore apart easily.

If you top up S$1, you can add oysters to your mee sua. Joe was kind to give two in my bowl to try. Although it may make your set pricier, I do recommend it if you like oysters. They were fresh and didn’t taste chalky to me. 

Overall, I preferred the braised pork rice.

Finally, the Homemade Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. Both sets come with a generously sized bowl, fresh off the frier. If you get Set B, I advise you to drink plenty of water as the popcorn chicken is seasoned with an overly generous coating of salt and pepper. It has a nice crisp to every piece though, which can be addictive. 

Final Thoughts

The braised pork rice bowl was so good I packed an extra Set A to bring home. It’s a huge pity that the mee sua isn’t at the same level for me, but I’m sure it can hook certain customers.

My thoughts as a whole are that it’s really bang for your buck, considering what you’re getting for under S$7 when you get a set. Maybe drop by during lunch as it’s not open for late dinners, sadly.

Expected damage: S$4 to S$7

Order Delivery: foodpanda 

Jyu Gae Bistro: Taiwanese all-day breakfast, braised pork rice & other delights at Bras Basah