The Good Old Familiar Flavours of Ah Ma @ 886 Bistro, Singapore

+886 is the country call code of Taiwan. The owner named his down-to-earth, no frills, air-conditioned bistro 886 as a tribute to his childhood and Taiwanese Ah-Ma (grandmother). He spent part of his childhood on Treasure Island before moving to Singapore. Thereafter, whenever he had school holidays in June and Nov-Dec, he would spend them in Taiwan.

There, his Taiwanese Ah-Ma runs an eatery selling beloved Taiwanese dishes. His recipes are passed down from his Ah-Ma.

Cold Tofu & Century Egg $5.20

A perfectly adequate cold appetiser.

Ah Bao Braised Pork Rice $5.80

Premium Japanese rice. Using superior soy sauce. Melt in your mouth pork belly. No minced pork added. Braised for more than 24 hours. Topped with spring onion and sweet and spicy turnips.

Add on Quail Eggs (3 pcs) $1.80

Add on Pork Floss $1.50

Add on Miso Soup $2

Possibly the most famous Taiwanese dish. Yes, using premium ingredients paid off. It was more delicious than the Braised Pork Rice at Tai One Wei (not that the Braised Pork Rice at Tai One Wei was bad by any means).

Ah Bao Braised Stew $7.80

Braised in the same goodness as the braised pork, includes radish, Taiwanese glutinous rice cake, mushroom, quail egg, meatball.

I ordered this stew as it was a cloudy day and I thought a warming stew would be comforting. It does not disappoint. I had more of the delicious braised pork sauce. In particular, the radish was delicious. The neutral radish had taken up the sauce well and had been cooked to tenderness.

Taiwanese Beer $8

I had Taiwanese Beer before at Tai One Wei. It was light and pairs well with fried appetisers. I was relishing to taste it again. I ordered this beer as I thought it would pair well with the fried dishes below.

Ah Bao Braised Pork Fries $11.80

As it turns out, this fried dish does not need any alcohol to be paired with it. It was one whole package on its own.

I generally don’t like “crazy”, unorthodox flavour pairings but this unconventional appetiser/ side dish knocked it out of the park. The fried crunchiness of the fries is complemented by the sweet-savoury soy sauce. Cheese adds umami. Mayonnaise adds creaminess. This dish is so complete and addicting. I really to control myself from eating so I have room for other dishes.