– Tasting Invite –

From its beginnings as a humble abode for many hungry late-nighters, Goldleaf New Taiwan Porridge Restaurant has dedicatedly served up delectable eats to its loyal customers and foodies alike. The Taiwanese-Singaporean restaurant first opened its doors in 1971 at Oxley Rise, and became well known to Singaporeans, many whom would trek from all over the island for dishes like the braised Pork with mei chye and fresh cockles with the Chef’s special sauce.

Goldleaf Restaurant is not without a strong heritage either. Diners would fondly remember its distinctive entrance, fitted with red doors and gold knobs, inspired by its Taiwanese roots. Many dishes also have a history behind its origins; the sweet potato porridge served with the dishes can be traced back to the hard times in the ‘30s and ‘40s, while the pomfret with black bean sauce was served only during special occasions in the family.

We were served Braised Beancurd as our appetizer. Beancurd cubes were firm and drenched in thick braising sauce. You can either eat it on its own or pair it with your bowl of porridge later on. Kindly note that the prices of each dish are not reflected in this post as Goldleaf is currently revamping its menu and reviewing its prices.

My friends and I had a good time analyzing the various types of porridge that we have eaten and finally came to a conclusion that Taiwanese porridge is like somewhere in between Teochew muay and congee (chok). I love my porridge with sweet potato as it lends a nice subtle sweetness to it.

I have never had Minced Pork With Olives to go with my porridge before and it was a first for me. Surprisingly, the minced pork was very flavorful and it was a joy eating this with porridge.

The Traditional Shrimp Rolls kinda reminded me of Teochew ngoh hiang, which was crispy on the outside and crunchy within. Deep it into the accompanying sweet sauce for that extra oomph factor!

I almost always have Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Egg Yolk whenever I eat out at porridge places. Goldleaf’s rendition is not bad, although I thought the minced pork patty could be softer.

The Cod with House Specialty Sauce was one of the highlights at our dinner table. I have always thought that the best way to cook a cod is to steam it. What truly impressed me was that the moisture and firmness of the cod fish were both retained even though the fish was being deep fried.

We were a little puzzled when the plate of Goldleaf Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables Buns was served because who in the world eats buns with porridge? Well, we did! Not to worry, the pork belly is usually served on a bed of preserved vegetables, without the buns. This is another dish that Goldleaf does exceptionally well. The pork belly was tender and had absorbed the wonderful flavors from the delicious marinade.

Do not be deceived by the plain-looking Chye Por Omelette because it is really fluffy and is packed with loads of ingredients such as preserved radish which goes really well with porridge.

The 3-cup Chicken is typically prepared with rice wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, basil leaves, chilli, ginger and garlic. Supposedly a hearty dish, but the version that we had was pretty much a subtle one.

By now, we were all bursting at the seams but the Oyster Mee Sua was almost impossible to resist. The soup is lightly spiced but a little on the watery side.

I didn’t quite like the Sambal Seabass because I kinda think it was over-fried which toughened the skin of the fish.

The Chinese term for Volcano Beancurd Ring is 火山豆腐 and it sure sounds like a very fiery dish! With kung pao chicken atop cripsy fried beancurd, I reckon this dish will taste equally good with plain rice too.

What’s a meal without some veggies? The Taiwan Lettuce is light, crunchy and quite refreshing as compared to other vegetables like cai sim and xiao bai cai.

We sampled a range of desserts namely Green Tea Pudding, Red Tea Pudding, Herbal Jelly, Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts and Longan Jelly Pudding. I would recommend the red tea and green tea puddings for their novelty factor and the orh nee was very light and smooth.

*For readers of www.missuschewy.com*
From now till 31 October 2013, Goldleaf New Taiwan Porridge is happy to extend 10% off bill to all dine-in customers upon quoting ‘missuschewy‘ when making payment (only applicable for food, with minimum spending of $50).

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Goldleaf New Taiwan Porridge Restaurant
110 Amoy Street
#01-00
Singapore 069930
Tel: 6324 8310

Opening Hours:
Daily
11.30am – 2.30pm
6pm – 12 midnight