THE MERLION-SINGAPORE CUISINE

217, HePing E. Rd., Sec. 2
(Opposite Taipei Technology Building)
(02) 2754-2267
Hours:10 am-9 pm
Credit cards not accepted.
No service charge.

A Singaporean landmark, the Merlion has arrived here to serve up Singaporean and Malaysian food. The manager, Chang Guo Feng (Joe), warmly greets guests and recommends two popular Sin Ma (Singapore and Malaysia) dishes--Hainanese Chicken and Sparerib Chinese Herb Soup, which are actually quite common in Taiwan. However, the more common the dish, the harder it is to make it stand out. Joe is confident that, after trying it, you'll be hooked. He says that, although Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine share certain similarities, Singaporean food combines individual distinct flavours from Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Indian food and is more accommodating to Taiwanese palates. Lu Ye chicken is used for the Hainanese Chicken because of its tender-yet-chewy texture. The dish is served with steamed-in-chicken-broth Thai rice. The generous set meals are NT$168 to NT$200.

A. Singaporean Curry Chicken NT$120 (small portion) is made with South Asian curry. It's slightly spicy and popular with regular customers.
B. Hainanese Chicken (half chicken NT$300), Sparerib Chinese Herb Soup Pot (NT$250 for four people). Dishes are served in small portions or set meals, for individuals or groups.

--By Shanzi Chen, translated by Sho Huang