Modern Taiwanese cafe Abundance opened its second outlet in Jalan Besar.
The hole-in-a-wall outlet offers a clean, minimalistic interior, with a bar on one side and seats on the other.
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
The cafe seats about 45 people.
Taiwanese comfort food
Abundance offers a modern play on familiar Taiwanese street food.
Here are some of the highlights from the menu:
Gua Bao (S$7.90++)
Photo by Livia Soh.
Also known as pork belly bun, this is a quintessential Taiwanese dish.
Abundance's version comes with tender pork belly, pickles, and a generous amount of peanuts.
CCB (S$7.90++)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Also known as Crispy Chicken Bun.
This bun comes with a huge piece of fried chicken, peanut butter sauce, and mango salad.
There's a slight spice to the salad dressing.
Niu Yolk Fried Rice (S$19++)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
One of the most well-known dishes at Abundance is their Din Tai Fung-esque fried rice.
The al dente rice paired well with the runny onsen egg, and had a light truffle aroma.
The highlight, though, was the perfectly charred yet tender beef.
Herbal Braised Pork Rice (S$12.90++)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
This is another Taiwanese staple.
Rather than the usual hard-boiled egg, Abundance's braised pork rice comes with an onsen egg that blankets the pork and rice when you cut into it.
Beef Noodles Soup (S$16.90++)
Photo by Livia Soh.
The noodles had a satisfyingly bouncy texture, while the beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Despite its reddish hue, the broth wasn't very spicy.
Golden Chicken Mee Sua (S$13.90)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Flavour-wise, the shaoxing wine was the predominant element of the dish.
The mee sua was also cooked to a great texture: soft but not mushy.
Bacon Cabbage (S$10.90)
Photo by Livia Soh.
Stir-fried in chilli oil, the cabbage and bacon had wok hei fragrance.
Some of us did find it a little too peppery, however.
Smaller Bites
Abundance also has sides that accompany your main dishes, including:
Mala Popcorn Chicken (S$9)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
The chicken was crispy, and more ma (numbing) than la (spicy).
Balsamic Vinegar Fries (S$10)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Despite being drenched in the dark, sticky balsamic vinegar sauce, the fries weren't soggy.
The sweet and tangy flavour profile of the sauce made this snack addictive.
Xiao Cai (S$5.50)
Photo by Livia Soh.
This dish was simple.
It's made with seaweed, tofu, and vermicelli, all tossed in a tangy vinegar dressing.
Sweet Offerings
Peanut Ice Cream Roll (S$6.90)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
A popular snack at Taiwanese food markets, this dessert is shaped like a popiah.
It even tastes like a popiah, with the hand-roasted peanuts and chopped coriander.
The difference, of course, lies in the fact that this contains vanilla ice cream, which was milky and creamy.
Black Sesame Ice Cream Roll (S$6.90)
Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Not a fan of peanuts and coriander?
They also have the dessert in a black sesame version, which comes with the same doughy skin and vanilla ice cream.
Fizzy teas (S$4.90++ each)
Left to right: Fizzy Lychee Oolong Tea, Fizzy Jasmine Peach Tea, Fizzy Iced Lemon Tea. Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Wash down your hearty meal with the cafe's carbonated versions of familiar drinks:
- Fizzy Iced Lemon Tea
- Fizzy Lychee Oolong Tea
- Fizzy Jasmine Peach Tea
Abundance
399 Jalan Besar, Singapore 209008
Opening hours: 11am to 11pm, daily. Kitchen closes from 3pm to 4.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays.
This was a media preview at Abundance.
Top photos from Celeste Ng and Livia Soh.