Ah Taiwanese food. Juicy fried chicken chops, silky smooth mee sua and fragrant beef noodle soup and more – gotta admit that there is some allure to the cuisine on offer.

Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks brought us some of these, to be enjoyed while on-the-go. 5 Little Bears (I don’t really understand the name but I guess it’s as good as any) is now bringing to us a casual, sit-down space where we can have a variety of Taiwanese snacks in a cosy environment at reasonable prices.

We tried the Kaoshiung Beef Noodles Set (S$9.50 with choice of Red, Wintermelon or Milk tea), which had a piping hot, tasty broth with a bit of spice.

The beef could have been a bit more tender and juicy, but for the price I guess it was alright. I liked the generous amount of salted vegetables garnishing the dish though which I felt helped the flavours pop more.

The Taipei Oyster Mee Sua (S$5.5 including a tea of choice) was smooth and soft, in a slightly thick sauce and around 5 oysters. The flavours were not very strong, which I guess would be good for people with gentler palates. I personally prefer stronger tasting food, but this was alright still, not too bland.

What we really liked though, was the Teriyaki Chicken Bites ($3), which was nice, sweet and crispy. The chicken was quite tender too. The only thing is, it seemed more like a Korean dish than a Taiwanese one?

The Sour Plum Sweet Potato ($3) was pretty enjoyable, though I thought that the sweet potato itself could have perhaps been a bit more flavourful.

I rather liked the Wintermelon tea too, refreshing and not too sweet. I think you can also add pearls to your tea if you want, at an additional cost.

While it is mostly a self service joint – you collect your food at a counter when your timer beeps, the staff are friendly and greet you when you arrive and leave. Nice.

Coupled with the red lanterns hanging throughout the eatery, 5 Little Bears is offering a little taste of Taiwan! Apparently their ingredients are even brought in from there. I think I shall try their Braised Pork Belly Rice next time.

Hmm makes me feel like doing a post on street food I had in Taiwan too… stay tuned!

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5 Little Bears
Far East Plaza, #01-07
14 Scotts Road
Singapore 228213

Tel: +65 6836 5198
Website: http://www.5littlebears.com

Open daily from 11.30am – 10.30pm.