KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — Hardly a week or two goes by without me having a bowl of lu rou fan, a classic Taiwanese comfort dish of braised pork and steamed white rice. The meat is typically on the fatter side, and served with an egg stewed in the same gravy.
Now this is what I call soul food.
But even a fan tong (translated from Cantonese as literally “rice bin”) like me would like to change it up once in a while. Sometimes noodles hit the spot better than rice.
Which was why I ordered the Signature Braised Pork QQ Noodles when I dropped by Taiwanese House in Yulek, Cheras for lunch one day.
Here the chewy and springy noodles are served as a biandang (Taiwanese version of a Japanese bento), with a bowl of the soup of the day, pickled cucumbers and some fiery chilli sauce.
The fatty pieces of pork are cut fine rather than coarse and the aromatic braising liquid leans towards the sweet side rather than savoury. When served hot, the effect is that of a simple dish that is nonetheless simply satisfying.
There are many Taiwanese restaurants and chains nowadays, of course. But few are as pet friendly as Taiwanese House, with a special cordoned off area for customers who bring their pets along when they dine.
This makes for fun pet watching, while waiting for our food to arrive. One table might bring a black poodle, another a golden retriever.
Indeed, Taiwanese House has expanded with four branches in Sungai Long, Kepong, Puchong and Taman Paramount, PJ, proving the popularity of this pet friendly approach. (The Yulek outlet is the original.)
Another reason might be the restaurant’s extensive menu — you’d feel as though you have stumbled upon a yeshi (night market) in Taipei, with the wide variety of tempting offerings.
From Taiwanese sausages and yansuji (salted crispy fried chicken) to danbing (egg crêpes) and bouncy aiyu jelly flavoured with lemon juice, we are spoiled for choice. That is the guilty pleasure of places that try to fit every craving rather than specialise in one or two dishes.
To quench our thirst, we opted for their Homemade Soy Milk, one with yam and the other with grass jelly. One could have it with taro balls too or plain.
You can’t visit a Taiwanese shop without some street style snacks to share. Top of that list has to be everyone’s favourite Sweet Plum Potato Fries.
There is something innocent and magical about deep-fried chunks of sweet potato dusted with tangy-sweet sour plum powder. Every bite reminds one of walking in the pasar malam of our childhood, perhaps — the crispy and irresistible fries can’t help but evoke memories of yesteryear.
For our proteins, we ordered the House Crispy Chicken Chop and the Claypot Yellow Wine Chicken. The former was exactly as one would expect it, crunchy and well-seasoned, but the latter, which isn’t a dish one solely associates with Taiwanese cuisine, was the surprise hit.
What we got was a belly warming rendition, the tender morsels of chicken infused with the subtle fragrance of the wine and enlivened by the heat of julienned old ginger. Sip slowly, a nod to the hours of slow simmering to create this humble but hearty dish.
Yes, the shop serves decent Taiwanese dishes, but what this is, when the mood strikes, is purely soul food.
Taiwanese House 臺式老屋
6, Jalan Kaskas 2,
Taman Cheras, KL
Open daily 11:30am-9pm
Phone: 011-1050 6701
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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