Typhoon Cafe Bugis+

elizbeartravel

January 30

I visit the Bugis area at least once every other month so I like to explore new places to eat around the area. Other than Japanese and Korean food, we were looking for something different when we stopped in front of Typhoon Cafe at Bugis Plus

Styled to resonate with Taiwan's quaint Fujian Cafe Street, the cafe is an unpretentious and casual dining restaurant with a mission to bring the taste of Taiwan to Singapore

Other than the usual suspects like Lu rou fan, bubble tea and oyster omelette, the cafe also introduces other signature dishes like Steamed Barramundi with Shimeji Mushrooms in Hong Kong Sauce and Claypot Sambal Sauteed Clams

As a lover of Taiwanese egg rolls, I decided to order their egg roll with pork floss to give it a try to see if the flavours were authentic. I was slightly disappointed as the flavours of the egg roll were flat and bland as compared to the ones sold at Shilin or the ones sold in Taiwan. It was missing the savoury flavours as the floss and the egg roll did not combine well and tasted very much separate

The other side we ordered was the deep-fried large pork intestines which my nephew totally loved. There was no nasty smell from the intestines but it tasted extremely pork as the boar taint was very strong. Those who love pork like my nephew would love it but I personally found the boar taint a little too strong for my liking. Aside from that, the intestines had a nice crispy skin with a soft chewy inside and were not too fatty so it was quite enjoyable to chew on

The last side we ordered was this deep fried Shimeji mushroom which was served last after multiple reminders from us. The mushrooms were lightly sprinkled with chilli pepper powder so the flavour tasted very much like those fried chicken chops you can find in most Taiwanese night markets. The mushrooms were fried to golden crispiness and tasted very good with the seasoning. As it was served only after we finished our mains, we could only put most of it in a take-out box which surprisingly kept part of its crispiness when we reached home an hour later

For mains, we had the Taiwan Lu Rou rice which came with pork floss topping and a side of pickled vegetables. The serving was pretty huge since it cost SGD 13.80 which is multiple times more pricey than usual lu rou rice. The gravy was thick but not gluey and came with generous amounts of pork belly chunks. The flavours were not too bad with a deep savoury taste from the braising sauce and the meat was cooked till soft and tender. The flavours were however not really similar to what I had in Taiwan

I was deciding between ordering their oyster mee sua or sauerkraut fish noodles when I saw the next table's food being served and immediately I got attracted by this gorgeous view. In the end, I ordered the Taiwanese shrimp fried rice with crabmeat gravy. The entire plate was overflowing with the crabmeat gravy and I loved how it looked on the exterior. The fried rice itself was nothing too extraordinary and I found it quite dry. The saviour for the dish is really the crab meat gravy which provided some moisture to the rice when eaten together. The gravy tasted similar to fish maw thick soup so there was a nice smooth texture to it which coats the fried rice well. I do find the dish extremely filling as the serving is pretty large and the gravy can get very heavy on the stomach. I would recommend this for sharing with smaller eaters

Overall, the atmosphere of the cafe was nice and casual and great for quick meals. The menu is also quite extensive with a range of Taiwanese favourites and fusion Chinese dishes. Although the dishes are not exactly that authentic in flavours, I would say they are 70% close and to compensate for a higher price range, their serving sizes are quite large. My only complaint is the speed of serving their dishes as I got my fried mushroom very late and my next table had to wait very long for their souffle dessert

Address: 201 Victoria St, #04-08 Bugis+, Singapore 188067

Operating hours: 11.30 am to 10.30 pm