Influenced by mainland China but a different beast - Japanese occupation, Hokkien settler traditions and post-war diaspora cooking all meet here. Beef noodle soup (niúròu miàn) is a national obsession; gua bao (steamed buns with red-cooked pork belly), lu rou fan (braised minced-pork on rice), oyster omelette, scallion pancakes and night-market xiao chi (small eats) define the table. Sweet finishes lean to the gift-cake: pineapple cake (feng li su), nougat, sun cake. Bubble tea was invented here.
Pork belly is hand-diced into 1 cm cubes (skin on), parboiled, then braised slowly in a fragrant mixture of soy, Shaoxing, rock sugar, five-spice, garlic and fried shallots. The slow simmer renders the fat and softens the skin into a gelatinous, glossy braise that clings to rice. A jammy soy-braised egg and a few pickled greens on the side are traditional.
Beef shank parboils briefly to remove scum. Aromatics, ginger, garlic, scallion, star anise, cinnamon, dried chilli, Sichuan peppercorn, doubanjiang (fermented chilli broad bean paste), fry in oil until fragrant. Tomato deepens the broth. Beef stock, soy, rice wine, and rock sugar build the body. The shank simmers for 2-3 hours until fork-tender. Noodles cook fresh; broth ladles over; pickled greens and chilli oil top.
Bone-in chicken thigh is browned in toasted sesame oil with sliced ginger and whole garlic cloves until the aromatics are gold. Equal parts soy, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine reduce around the chicken with rock sugar and dried chilli until the sauce becomes a glossy, sticky glaze. A huge handful of Thai holy basil goes in at the very end and wilts in the residual heat. Rice on the side is non-negotiable.
