The Place With Taiwan still pretty much not opened to leisure travel yet, any new Taiwanese dining concepts in Singapore prove to be a hit most of the time, with the latest being 台ONE味 Tai One Wei  located along North Bridge Road which offers Taiwanese-style ‘zi char’. This no-frills shophouse restaurant spots a simple interior, with minimal interior design as filling the space up with the wooden tables and chairs take priority. The remote association with Taiwan are the posters on the wall.

The space between tables is minimal, and I found myself being aware of other table conversations unintentionally. You get the idea by now. It is a space to order, eat and leave asap.

The Food I understand that the team at 台ONE味 Tai One Wei is a group of Taiwanese, where the dishes on the menu are split into S$5, S$10, S$15 and S$18 categories. The menu is very extensive as compared to other Taiwanese restaurants in Singapore such as Eat 3 Bowls or Want Food Taiwanese Delights. In that aspect, this place serves more than just the usual Fried Chicken (‘Yan Su Ji’) and Braised Pork Rice (‘Lu Rou Fan’).  

When you see that the Signature Braised Pork Rice is S$3, I just had to get one bowl each. It is a medium size portion where the braised sauce is pretty good, where the braised meat is tender. For the price, this is definitely a must order.  

The Handmade Taiwan Sausage (S$10) is a decent take on a classic Taiwanese street food snack. I appreciate the homemade flavours, though it is not a standout dish.  

I also had to have the Signature Fried Chicken (S$10), which is crispy and flavourful. Chicken meat is tender, though the colour does look a little too dark than the usual light brown version I had elsewhere previously.  

Another dish I had was the Crispy Egg Tofu with Pork (S$10), where you get beautiful cubes of fried tofu. The essence here is the tofu skin, where the menu reads ‘Lao Pi’ which literally translates to ‘Old Skin’ tofu.  

The thought of a soup dish was enticing, especially when the menu reads “Hsinchu” soup, hence I ordered the Taiwan Meatball Soup (S$10). The bowl is huge, but that is mainly just the soup instead of the ingredients. You get huge meatballs and winter melon, though the meatball itself lacks flavour. The best part here is the winter melon for me. 

Rants The seating is way too cramp for comfort. Not a restaurant to chit-chat and linger for long, as there is a long waiting queue during my visit on a weekend. Reservations are highly recommended.

Will I Return Again? Decent Taiwanese ‘zi char’ concept in town area. I would not queue for more than 20 minutes if I do not have a reservation, and it is also more suited for at least 3-4 people in order to try more dishes. However, if you are just satisfied by ‘lu rou fan’ and ‘mee sua’, there are other alternatives.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 3/5
Ambience: 2.5/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

台ONE味 Tai One Wei 
751 North Bridge Road 
Singapore 198719 
Tel: +65 6970 0405 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Sunday: 12pm to 3pm; 5pm to 10pm

Ranted by The Ranter