Restaurant review: The Salted Plum, a taste of Taiwan in Suntec City Singapore

Taiwan is pretty well-known for their tantalising street-food across their night markets.

From the ever-popular oyster omelette to deep-fried chicken cutlet and mushrooms, Taiwan's reputation as a food paradise is unparalleled and thus, it's no wonder that it serves as an inspiration for the menu at The Salted Plum.

Originally a pop-up known as FiveTen along South Bridge Road, The Salted Plum grew from a small eatery into a full-fledged restaurant with its second outlet taking up permanent residency in Suntec City to cater to the offices and working professionals in the area.

Opened just this July, The Salted Plum at Suntec features a spacious dining area surrounded by street-esque ambience and new outlet-exclusive dishes on top of their regular fare.

Its founder, Shawn Kishore, sees The Salted Plum as the embodiment of a great hawker restaurant, serving home-style cooking that's hearty, satisfying, affordable and full of comforting flavours.

With an upgraded dining area, the restaurant aims to welcome larger groups of diners while maintaining its essence and commitment in serving quality food at a reasonable price. From the outlet-exclusive breakfast to communal dining in the evening, The Salted Plum serves it all.

The star of the menu is the aptly named Lu Rou 2.0 ($15), an upgraded version of their best-selling braised pork belly. Strips of pork belly are braised for at least 10 hours in an aromatic mix of spices before being transformed into a gravy with the use of Chinese Angelica Root.

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This herbal infusion creates a tender and comforting dish that's perfect on its own or as a topping on their wonderful lunch bowls.

Another rendition of pork belly to try is the Kao Rou ($15).

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Thinly sliced pork belly is marinated in a sweet soy sauce mixture before grilling to create a beautiful layer of caramelised char, resulting in a dish that's sweet and savoury with hints of smokiness.

A light sprinkling of crispy garlic chips adds a little crunch and flavour, perfectly rounding off the dish.

Exclusive to this outlet is the Salmon Fresh AF ($15), a delightful dish of pan-fried salmon served with leeks and pickled daikon. The salmon is juicy and flaky, and the superb pairing with seaweed mayonnaise brings out the freshness of the fish.

The Burnt Chilli Chicken ($10) is a must-try, especially if you're a fan of spicy food. A simple yet delicious creation by Kishore, the slight spice of the bite-sized fried chicken chunks adds a little heat to the dining experience without being too overbearing.

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Taiwanese street-food finds its way onto the menu in the form of the Golden Shishamo ($10) and Oyster Mushroom ($10).

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Marinated in a soy sauce mixture, Smelt fish is fried whole until golden brown and served with a side of pickled onions, while pieces of oyster mushrooms are fried alongside smashed potatoes before being dusted by a sweet and sour plum powder.

Both these dishes are great as snacks while you relax with The Salted Plum's selection of Taiwanese beer.

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Of course, no Asian meal is complete without a serving of carbs, and that's where The Salted Plum's Sweet Potato Porridge ($2) shines. Short grain rice is cooked in a stock made from dashi, tobiko and purple sweet potatoes, creating a staple that has a beautiful lavender tinge bursting with umami flavours.

Lunch-goers can enjoy a selection of their flavourful dishes such as the Lu Rou 2.0 ($11/13), Salmon Fresh AF ($16/18) and Burnt Chilli Chicken ($9/11) served on top of a bowl of fragrant, shiny rice drizzled with lard and garlic oil crowned with a perfectly-cooked sous-vide egg for added creaminess.

For the early-birds, The Salted Plum offers a weekday Breakfast Set ($5) consisting of Mee Sua with Oysters or a Bao with your choice of Lu Rou 2.0 or Burnt Chilli Chicken served with a cup of Soya Bean Milk.

The Salted Plum is located at #B1-122A, Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983, p. +65 6721 9398. Open 8am - 9pm daily.

This article was first published in City Nomads.