Tom Isshin Machi is a restaurant chain in Singapore that serves up authentic Taiwanese cuisine. At Isshin Machi, you’ll be able to find Taiwanese delicacies such as Fried Rice with Specially Marinated Pork Chop (招牌豬排蛋炒飯), Signature Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodles (台灣蔥燒牛肉湯麵) as well as the Sunrise Braised Meat Rice (日出滷肉飯). If you’re looking for some Taiwanese food fix, Isshin Machi currently has 7 outlets island-wide and you’ll be able to easily find a Isshin Machi near you. Isshin Machi outlets are located at East Coast, Selegie, Holland Village, Greenwood Avenue, Waterway Point, Serangoon Garden and Upper Thomson. This time, we had a craving for authentic Taiwanese beef noodles and we decided to pop by Isshin Machi at Waterway Point to satisfy this craving. Here’s what we found out during this Isshin Machi review…
Isshin Machi Menu
The Isshin Machi at Waterway Point Punggol is designed as an open-concept where passers-by would be able to see patrons as well as the food that they’re having. Perhaps, in this way, passers-by would be enticed or would consider dining at Isshin Machi during their next visit. After sitting down, we were given the menu to browse – as we didn’t take photos of the menu on-site, here are samples of what you can expect if you’re dining at Isshin Machi…
From the menu, you’ll be able to enjoy food such as
Appetizers – Savory Braised Beef Shank 老滷牛腱, Cucumber with Spicy Garlic Dressing 蒜辣黃瓜
Fried Dishes – Deep-fried Specially Marinated Pork Chop 炸豬排, Golden Fried Tempura 炸甜不辣
Vegetables – Lettuce with Garlic Stir Fried 蒜炒油麥菜, Spinach with Garlic Stir Fried 蒜炒菠菜
Snack– Shrimp & Pork Wontons with Fiery Chili Oil 紅油蝦肉抄手, Three Cups Chicken 三杯雞腿肉
Rice – Fried Rice with Specially Marinated Pork Chop 招牌豬排蛋炒飯, Hakka-style Braised Meat Rice 客家滷肉飯
Soup – Shrimp & Pork Wontons Soup 蝦肉餛飩湯, Taiwanese Braised Beef Soup 蔥燒牛肉湯
Noodles – Specially Marinated Pork Chop Noodles In Beef Soup 豬排紅牛湯麵, Isshin Deluxe Dry Noodles 一心乾拌麵
There were actually quite a few options that distracted us a little from why we originally came here (such as Golden Fried Tempura 炸甜不辣 and Three Cups Chicken 三杯雞腿肉) but Kate was quite adamant that we focused on what we came for. Hence, we went with
1. Signature Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodles 台灣蔥燒牛肉湯麵 with Guan Miao Noodle 關廟麵 ($16.80)
2. Hakka-style Braised Meat Rice 客家滷肉飯 ($11.70)
3. Brown Sugar Caramel Pearl Milk Tea 黑糖珍珠焦糖奶茶 ($5.10)
What We Had at Isshin Machi
First, the Isshin Machi Review – Brown Sugar Caramel Pearl Milk Tea (黑糖珍珠焦糖奶茶). We have tried the original bubble milk tea in Taichung’s Chun Shui Tang 春水堂 and were pleasantly surprised by Isshin Machi’s rendition of this Taiwanese beverage. The milk tea itself had a gentle fragrance of Jasmine on every sip – always an indication of a good bubble tea. And unlike most bubble tea shops, they use the smaller pearls which is easier on the teeth. Definitely a good start to our meal at Isshin Machi! 😋
Next, the Hakka-style Braised Meat Rice (客家滷肉飯). Not sure why the braised pork rice at Isshin Machi is labelled as “Hakka-style” but it does remind us of the flavours in Taiwan. The keys to this dish lies in the choice of meat with its fatty bits that allows the oil to also infuse into the rice as you sink into its soya-sauce goodness. Of course, all Taiwanese braised meat rice have to be braised for extended periods of time such as that the meat is so tender that even Ah-Ma can enjoy it sans teeth. This, we were able to enjoy at Isshin Machi’s Braised Meat Rice. The side dishes of cucumber and pickled vegetables helped to give a tangy-ness though usually it is used to diffuse the oily-ness of this dish – which, we didn’t find Isshin Machi’s version of the braised meat rice to have too much of a problem with. Another excellent dish at Isshin Machi.
Last but most importantly, the Signature Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodles (台灣蔥燒牛肉湯麵) with Guan Miao Noodle 關廟麵. During the selection of this dish, we were given the option to go with the usual thin noodles (細麵) or the Guan Miao Noodle 關廟麵 or simply Guan noodles. We eventually decided to go with Guan Noodles eventhough it was $1.20 more, but it was actually quite worth it on several fronts. Firstly, the Guan Noodles is authentic to Taiwan Braised Beef Noodles – it actually reminded us of our tastes in Taiwan. Secondly, because of the shape of the Guan Noodles – broad yet shaved with slight curvature, it allows the broth to better cling onto the noodles. Totally enjoyed this choice of the noodles. But wait, there’s more!
The other surprise find in this dish for us was definitely, the braised beef itself. On the onset, it didn’t seem like much but as you bite into it, you’ll realise that alot of effort has been put into rolling the beef together with the tendon – to not only create a beautiful slice of braised beef as you can see above, but also an elegant texture that you’ll associate with high-class restaurants in Taiwan. Not only that, the beef itself was already infused with the broth – oozing with umami on each bite. This is also the reason why we divided the slices equally in order not to create a “scene” at Isshin Machi 😅
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
All in all, we had a wonderful lunch at Isshin Machi. Despite the higher prices, we think that the offerings were well-worth it. Definitely satisfied our cravings for authentic Taiwanese food, without the need to fly and pay for air tickets to Taiwan – in a sense, there’s some “savings” if you dine at Isshin Machi. If you have tried the Taiwanese cuisine from Isshin Machi, let us know more in the comments section below so we’ll know what to try out during our next visit!
