HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine (Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre)

There has been an increasing number of Malaysian F&B establishments that had found themselves opening up outlets in Singapore in recent times — discounting the opening of Oriental Kopi at Bugis Junction, other Malaysian establishments that had opened their doors in Singapore in the past year would include that of Bai Wei Mini Bowl 百味小碗菜, Lim’s Fooditude 林北小吃馆, 日泰 Ryotai, as well as Kinta Hainanese Chop & Rice. There has been yet another brand from Malaysia that has recently found new digs in Singapore — HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine had just moved into a stall unit on the third level of Taman Jurong Hawker Centre, occupying a unit next to an aisle in a cluster of stalls that is located in a corner of the food centre. Their operations in Singapore differ from their Malaysia operations; their Malaysian locations are independently-run establishments situated within a standalone shophouse unit rather than being situated within a coffeeshop — as such, the menu at their Taman Jurong location is also much more limited as compared to what the brand is offering at their outlets in Johor Jaya and Permas in Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, the only food items offered are split into categories comprising of the Minced Pork Bento Series and the Taiwan Beef Noodle Series.

Between the Minced Pork Bento and Taiwan Beef Noodle, our preferences are usually falling towards the former; skimming through the items that are being listed in the Minced Pork Bento Series, we found ourselves opting for the Sunny Egg Minced Pork Rice Bento. All items listed in the Minced Pork Bento Series section of the menu would come with a side of mustard vegetables, cabbage and Taiwanese sausage apart from the choice of minced pork rice that one had opted for. At $8 for the Sunny Egg Minced Pork Rice Bento, the bowl of minced pork rice does come in a portion size that is well-sized for a individual diner — the portion of rice coming across as rather generous even. Overall, the Sunny Egg Minced Pork Rice Bento is pretty decent though nothing much to shout about; there is actually sufficient sauce drenched above the portion of rice to go around the entire bowl — this provided the rice with sufficient flavour and moisture with the rice being savoury enough from the sauce to say the least. The chunks of minced pork did not carry any heavy porky stench alongside the savouriness from the braised flavours — itself being lighter than the usual braised dishes that we are used to locally; the minced meat used also being of a leaner cut. The sunny side-up is one that does not come with the crisp, browned edges — it does not reek of any undesirable notes of overused oil, and does surprisingly come with a runny, molten egg yolk within.

Amongst the elements that are served on the side, we did find the cabbage to be pretty tasty; the cabbage having braised to a soft consistency and carried a light sweetness whilst at it — the mustard greens in the meanwhile came with a crunch and a slight tanginess. The mustard greens also seemingly comes with chili that gave an added kick of spiciness to tickle the tastebuds that those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness should find manageable. The slices of Taiwanese sausage that comes on the side does carried the light sweetness that one would typically associate with, though it felt a little dry for our preferences. Whilst we hadn’t gave many of HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine’s offerings a go, the Sunny Egg Minced Pork Rice Bento was an item that we found to be rather average at best; perhaps we had been spoiled quite a fair bit by other establishments such as Eat 3 Bowls that serves up more stellar versions of the dish over the course of time. Prices can be a little high for the locality depending on the menu item that one orders; the prices of the food at HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine ranges from $7 for the Signature Tainan Minced Pork Rice Bento and Sichuan Mala Braised Soup Noodle (No Beef) to $9 for the Sichuan Mala Braised Beef Soup Noodle and Sichuan Mala Braised Beef Soup Rice. Whilst we hadn’t been to any of their locations in Johor, Malaysia to comment on whether the quality of food is consistent at their Taman Jurong location, fans of the brand would still probably be glad that they could get their Taiwanese food cravings fixed without having to cross the border just to get to HOJA Taiwanese Cuisine’s locations at Permas or Johor Jaya if they are willing to shell out just a little more in Singapore Dollars for the convenience.