The Place Leisure Park Kallang is not a mall I frequent often but the addition of Song Yue Taiwan Cuisine which opened this January is an exciting one. Located on level one of the mall, the Taiwanese restaurant in Singapore is a spacious 120-seater, with a minimalist interior with natural wood and stone elements, as well as Chinese paintings. There are also private dining rooms and tea rooms.
The Food The concept of Song Yue Taiwan Cuisine is not the typical Taiwanese street food, but rather an extensive menu which boasts a line-up of fine produce-driven 台 湾 料 理, so you can expect elevated home-cooked dishes here.
Special mention goes to the beverage selection which include Taiwanese tea sourced directly from various small family tea farms across the island, brewed by an in-house certified tea specialist, with the likes of Taiwan High-Mountain Tea (S$5.90/pax), Dong Ding Oolong Tea (S$5.50/pax), Jin Xuan Tea (S$5.50/pax) and Muzha Tie Guan Yin (S$5.50/pax).
For a start, I tried some of the Taiwanese style home-pickled chilled dishes – including a refreshing Winter Melon Pickled with Fresh Passion Fruit (S$8.90), Pickled Cherry Tomatoes with Sour Plums (S$8.90) and crunchy Pickled Cabbage and Radish (S$7.90).
Next up I had the Traditional Ginger Duck (S$19.90 for Regular; S$36.90 for Medium), which is a great dish to go with some white rice. The best part for me is the rich and flavourful stew which I enjoyed it like a soup. The duck meat is tender, and it goes well with the stew with thick slices of ginger and black sesame oil.
I also recommend the Farm Chicken with Spring Onion (S$18.90 for Half; S$33.90 for Whole) where the chicken meat is tender and flavourful, to the extent I am surprised it uses local kampong chicken. Topped with heaps of fresh spring onion which really elevates the chicken flavour!
The best part of the Slow-Braised Pork Ribs with White Radish (S$18.90) is the white radish. The prime ribs taste is quite expected for me, while the white radish really soaks up the essence of the soy-based sauce infused with a variety of herbs.
Go for the Salt and Pepper Pomfret with Crispy Garlic Chips (S$35.90) if you like your fried fish, which I do. The deboned pomfret is cut into small pieces and coated in a light batter before being deep-fried to render a crispy and golden exterior. Seasoned with salt and pepper, the fish slices are then topped with crunchy deep-fried garlic chips which are super addictive.
A popular choice across many restaurants in Taiwan, the Pineapple Prawns with Crispy You-Tiao (S$18.90) features crispy battered prawns wok-tossed with pineapples in a light citrusy mayonnaise dressing. Song Yue’s rendition includes homemade dough fritters stuffed with hand-beaten squid and prawn paste which lends additional texture and flavour to the dish.
For a vegetable dish, the Silken Tofu with Pumpkin and Crabmeat (S$18.90) is another ideal dish to go with white rice as the silken white tofu is mixed with sweet golden pumpkin and crabmeat.
I love eggs and the Crispy Eggs with Black Sesame Oil (S$16.90) does the trick for me as the fried fresh eggs are lightly simmered in a sweet-and-savoury sauce made up of fragrant local black sesame oil.
For carbs, one of the highlights on Song Yue’s menu is the Ah Ma’s Rice Vermicelli and Taro Soup (S$19.90 for Regular; S$32.90 for Medium), which uses rice vermicelli from ‘Xin Zhu’. The vermicelli is served in a pork bone broth alongside sliced pork, dried shrimp, lala or clams, shiitake mushrooms and fragrant taro. It is a decent vermicelli dish though not outstanding for me.
Alternatively, I enjoyed the Cabbage and Hokkaido Scallop Stone Pot Rice (S$19.90 for Regular; S$32.90 for Medium) more than the vermicelli. This rice dish uses Grade 1 short-grained rice harvested in ‘Tai Chung’ presented in a piping hot stone pot which gives the rice a nice smoky flavour, along with seared Hokkaido scallops. You also get a nice socarrat where parts of the rice is crispy and crusty.
Of course, there is also Braised Pork Belly Rice (S$9.90/serving) if you love your ‘Lu Rou Fan’ which is a decent portion.
For desserts, I had the Chilled Oolong Ai-Yu Jelly with Green Lemon (S$6.90), a simple chilled end to my meal.
Rants The portion of some dishes are more suitable for 3-4 people, and you will need to order multiple portions for a bigger group.
Will I Return Again? I enjoyed my meal at Song Yue, and it is nice to see a wallet-friendly restaurant which focuses on Taiwanese dishes, and yet execute them well. The extensive menu only means I need to be back again to try some of the dishes which I did not manage to this time.
This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.
TheRantingPanda says:Taste bud: 4/5Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5Ambience: 4/5Overall Experience: 4/5
Song Yue Taiwan Cuisine Leisure Park Kallang, #01-38/39 5 Stadium Walk Singapore 397693 Tel: +65 9012 9585
Opening Hours Sunday to Thursday: 11.30am to 3.30pm and 5.00pm to 9.00pm Friday, Saturday and eve of Public Holidays: 11.30am to 3.30pm and 5pm to 9.30pm
Ranted by The Ranter
