If you find the name Str Tao familiar, it's probably because this is not an entirely new eatery. Previously based in Enterprise Hub over at Jurong East, it moved over to this location at Alexandra Central mall at the start of the year. However, due to its location in a low-key mall, there hasn't been much online buzz or fanfare since the move. It's not helped by the mall's tactic of maximizing floor area by planting shops in the middle of the atrium, greatly reducing the frontage and exposure to the dining crowd. In fact, I only managed to locate the shop after doing a full circle around the mall.
Now a cosy, air-conditioned eatery with no more than 8 tables, it is a stark contrast to its previous premises at an indusrial estate coffeeshop. But while the setting has changed, the menu has not; it is an impressive array of Taiwanese street food ranging from favourites such as mee sua & lu rou fan (braised pork rice) to classic fried items like sweet potato chunks & XXL chicken cutlets.
What may come as a surprise is that the chef-owner Johnson hails from Malaysia, though he has been whipping up Taiwanese grub for several years now. In his own words, it is his personal favourite cuisine - so you can trust that he knows what he's doing.
The Food
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| Taiwan Braised Pork Rice 台式卤肉饭 ($7.80) |
Lu rou fan is probably the most frequently ordered item in any Taiwanese eatery - for one, it is top of my daughter's order list whenever it is available. The Taiwan Braised Pork Rice here has noticeably more sizeable chunks of meat compared to the norm, presumably for a better bite. The braise itself is competent, with a strong aroma of star anise and five-spice powder. It also comes with a side of braised peanuts, pickled cabbages and a dollop of their in-house chilli paste that adds some kick to an otherwise heavy dish.
I must say that it's a generous portion for this price, and I pretty much fancy mixing in the chilli paste to help vary the flavours a little. It's not the most tender braised pork I've had though, even if I think they did get the meat-to-fat ratio right.
The Mee Sua here comes with a choice of toppings - you can choose from oysters, braised intestines or shredded chicken. The fragrance of bonito flakes is distinct in the gravy, with a texture that is rich and thick. I love how plump and fresh the oysters are - it makes a difference as it is more satisfying that way. If I were to nitpick, I wished that the minced garlic and chilli oil were sharper and more piquant; that would have added more zest to the bowl.
I was initially deceived by the layer of red chilli oil floating devilishly atop the Braised Beef Ramen Soup when it arrived. But it tasted milder than it looked, such that I could enjoy the original fragrance of the beefy, umami broth. And it's is probably one of the best beef broth I've had in a while. The peppercorns & salted vegetable flavours were obvious, plus there were subtle hints of cinnamon as well. Nicely-balanced flavours that made the soup robust and rich without being overwhelming.
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| Taiwan Mee Sua with Oyster 台湾豪仔面线 ($7.80) (Recommended) |
The Mee Sua here comes with a choice of toppings - you can choose from oysters, braised intestines or shredded chicken. The fragrance of bonito flakes is distinct in the gravy, with a texture that is rich and thick. I love how plump and fresh the oysters are - it makes a difference as it is more satisfying that way. If I were to nitpick, I wished that the minced garlic and chilli oil were sharper and more piquant; that would have added more zest to the bowl.
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| Taiwan Braised Beef Ramen Soup 红烧牛肉拉面汤 ($13.80) |
I was initially deceived by the layer of red chilli oil floating devilishly atop the Braised Beef Ramen Soup when it arrived. But it tasted milder than it looked, such that I could enjoy the original fragrance of the beefy, umami broth. And it's is probably one of the best beef broth I've had in a while. The peppercorns & salted vegetable flavours were obvious, plus there were subtle hints of cinnamon as well. Nicely-balanced flavours that made the soup robust and rich without being overwhelming.
The beef came in large cubes and were lean, soft but slightly tough. The tendons were slippery and delightfully gelatinous though. It's pricier at $13.80, but the portions do justify the price. In short, it's a hearty and comforting bowl of beef ramen that was largely satisfying.
It's supposed to be fried with shallot oil, but I did not detect any of the aroma in the Fried Rice. I felt that the pearl rice grains were a little too moist to begin with, such that the end-product turned out slightly clumpy. The lightly-battered chicken cutlet was nice and crisp, but I didn't like the Japanese sesame dressing drizzled on top - sweet paired with savoury just didn't work for me .
If there was one item on this list that I'd not order again, this would be it. The Scallion Egg Pancake tasted like frozen prata, and we could barely detect any scallion oil and the cheese was barely noticeable too. The saving grace was the tobiko (flying fish roe) generously piled on top. But everything didn't come together well. I'd pass on this the next time I'm here.
What's Taiwanese cuisine without their deep-fried snacks? And over here at Str Tao, they do these really well. Arguably the best of the lot would be their Sweet Potato, little nuggets of goodness fried to a perfect golden-brown then lightly-dusted with plum seasoning. I'm never a fan of sweet potatoes but these were so good, I may just change my mind about sweet potatoes henceforth.
The Fried Enoki Mushroom was equally awesome. The strands of enoki mushroom was fried to an almost crumbly texture, and paired with the same plum seasoning. This would be perfect with an ice-cold beer and a good Netflix drama, I swear.
You can try out the Deep-fried Eggplant with Pork Floss too, although this would've been better with a little more salt since eggplant is generally blander. Still good, but slightly less impressive.
The Street Bombing Chicken Cutlet (yeah I know, the English is a little off here) arrived cut into bite sizes, so we couldn't tell how XXL it was. Taste-wise, you can detect some salt and pepper, though we opted not to have the chilli powder so that the young ones could try them out. Definitely competent, but not the best version of Taiwanese chicken cutlet I've tried, for sure.
Address: Alexandra Central Mall 321 Alexandra Road #01-10 S(159971)
Update: STR TAO has moved to 3752 Bukit Merah Central, #01-3752, Singapore 159848
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| Fried Rice with Pan-fried Chicken Cutlet 香煎鸡排拼葱油炒饭 ($8.80) |
It's supposed to be fried with shallot oil, but I did not detect any of the aroma in the Fried Rice. I felt that the pearl rice grains were a little too moist to begin with, such that the end-product turned out slightly clumpy. The lightly-battered chicken cutlet was nice and crisp, but I didn't like the Japanese sesame dressing drizzled on top - sweet paired with savoury just didn't work for me .
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| Taiwan Braised Pork Ramen Dry 台式卤肉拉面 ($8.80) |
If rice is not your thing but you'd still like a taste of their lu rou, then the Braised Pork Ramen Dry is for you. Pairing their signature braised pork with impressively bouncy ramen, it's a clever idea that offers diners an alternative to the usual, and it's tasty too. It reminds me of a form of Taiwan-style lor mee, or even Jajangmyeon. There's an option of adding chilli oil if you wish to spice things up.
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| Taiwan Scallion Egg Pancake with Cheese & Caviar 鱼子葱油蛋饼 ($7.80) |
If there was one item on this list that I'd not order again, this would be it. The Scallion Egg Pancake tasted like frozen prata, and we could barely detect any scallion oil and the cheese was barely noticeable too. The saving grace was the tobiko (flying fish roe) generously piled on top. But everything didn't come together well. I'd pass on this the next time I'm here.
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| Deep Fried Sweet Potato with Plum Seasoning 甘梅地瓜 ($5.50) (Recommended) |
What's Taiwanese cuisine without their deep-fried snacks? And over here at Str Tao, they do these really well. Arguably the best of the lot would be their Sweet Potato, little nuggets of goodness fried to a perfect golden-brown then lightly-dusted with plum seasoning. I'm never a fan of sweet potatoes but these were so good, I may just change my mind about sweet potatoes henceforth.
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| Fried Enoki Mushroom 酥炸金针菇 ($5.50) (Recommended) |
The Fried Enoki Mushroom was equally awesome. The strands of enoki mushroom was fried to an almost crumbly texture, and paired with the same plum seasoning. This would be perfect with an ice-cold beer and a good Netflix drama, I swear.
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| Deep-fried Eggplant with Pork Floss 肉松茄子 ($5.50) (Recommended) |
You can try out the Deep-fried Eggplant with Pork Floss too, although this would've been better with a little more salt since eggplant is generally blander. Still good, but slightly less impressive.
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| Street Bombing Chicken Cutlet 街头轰炸鸡排 ($7) |
The Street Bombing Chicken Cutlet (yeah I know, the English is a little off here) arrived cut into bite sizes, so we couldn't tell how XXL it was. Taste-wise, you can detect some salt and pepper, though we opted not to have the chilli powder so that the young ones could try them out. Definitely competent, but not the best version of Taiwanese chicken cutlet I've tried, for sure.
They currently have a set meal promotion where you can get a main course, a snack and a beverage for $13.80+. The catch is that there's only a handful of items available as listed above, and the portion of the snack 小吃 is smaller than the ala-carte size.
While not exactly authentic enough to bring you to the streets of Shihlin, it does help satiate that craving for good old night market fare, bringing the distance to Taiwan a little closer.
An additional perk would be that parking in the mall is complimentary for the first hour (up to 3 hours if you spend more than $10 in the mall).
You can check out the reel below to have a closer look at the food:
Update: STR TAO has moved to 3752 Bukit Merah Central, #01-3752, Singapore 159848
Opening Hours: 11.15am to 9pm daily. Closed on Sundays.
Date of Last Visit: 29th July 2023
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