Dinner at Lai Lai Taiwan & Casual Dining @ City Square Mall

180 Kitchener Road #03-39 / 40 City Square Mall, Singapore 208539

Tel: 6509 5626

I had Lai Lai's Casual Dining's food for dinner again tonight - I must have eaten its Taiwanese dishes for upteem times from its Bugis outlet to Jurong Point outlet, so why am I blogging about it tonight? Keep a lookout for the answer hereinbelow.

Anyway, this is the Red Milk Tea (cold) , we asked for pearls to be removed, and it's a part of the set meal that The Beau ordered.

I did not take the set so that I could order my favorite drink - their Apple Avocado Blend (SGD$6.90) - there is just something about the sourish green apple flavor mingling amongst buttery rich avocado's texture that gets me hooked to this refreshing and delicious drink.

For The Beau's set, there is a side dish included as well, and we opted for their Pepper Salt Chicken -  one of their signature dishes. The chicken is crispy on the outside, and while not exactly tender on the inside, there is a rather chewy-melt-in-your-mouth texture for the flesh within. Peppered and salted up, these chicken pieces are flavored to tantalize the taste buds.

As for the mains, The Beau has chosen the Beef Noodles (SGD$9.90) that came with a dark broth rich in flavor and very succulent pieces of beef amidst the vegetable stalks. The noodles were slightly on the hard side, the way I prefer it but not for those who might prefer the more springy or softer strands.

I have chosen the Braised Pork Rice (SGD$8.80) better known as "Lu Rou Fan".  The flavor is good, and the ingredients are generous - large braised peanuts, greasy and tender pork cubes, braised eggs and gravy all made for a very tasty casual, homely meal. I don't think they use pearl rice (I was surprised to see a reviewer saying that they use pearl rice here), the kind that Taiwanese stalls use, if they do use pearl rice I am sure it would be perfect.

Here you have it - the reason I keep coming back to Lai Lai's - the braised pork rice, even though I don't take rice on a normal basis. I can't ask for more than this in a casual, affordable diner, really- other Taiwanese restaurants in Singapore just cannot match up (at least not for this dish).