Came across the Facebook page of 角头台湾早餐店 GATAO Taiwan Breakfast over the Chinese New Year weekend — thought it was pretty intriguing to have a spot that serves Taiwanese fare such as toasts, braised pork rice, and egg crepes just around the workplace and was pretty compelled to make it a lunch destination on a week where I return to office for work.

Housed within MEME Bistro Bar at a non-descript corner of Mackenzie Road, GATAO Taiwan Breakfast takes over the morning and lunch operations of the bar until 3pm. We were told that the Braised Pork Rice is a heirloom recipe inherited from the grandma of the chef’s spouse whom is also a Taiwanese. While I am still more into the fatty bits of minced pork that Eat 3 Bowls does spectacularly well in, the variant here features leaner bits of pork — overall a more homey rendition in general with its flavourful braised sauce; one could find bits of Star Anise within that is used in the making of the braising liquid. The braised vegetables do provide a good crunch for a varied texture, while the pickles on the side do provide for an adequate tanginess to cut through the savouriness; all that’s whilst also providing another dimension of crunch with the fluffy rice. Only qualm for us would be the inconsistency of the braised egg across the three bowls we had; ranging from a molten yolk akin to an Onsen Egg to one that is fully-cooked like those served at our local chicken rice stalls. Would also wish for the rice to come warmer for a better consistency in terms of temperature of the rice against the braised meat.

Having tried their other items such as the Egg Crepe, we do feel that we would return to give their breakfast toasts a try — the Pork Chop Toast does sound like something that could compare against Fong Sheng Hao’s signature offering, especially when paired with their Taiwan Special Breakfast Beverage; a silky and fragrant milk tea that comes with a mellow sweetness. Looking forward to give their toasts a try the next time I am here!