Typhoon Cafe Review: Popular Taiwanese Cafe With Mochi Souffle Pancakes And More In Dhoby Ghaut

Typhoon Cafe has oyster mee sua and souffle pancakes at Plaza Singapura

With four outlets across the country, Typhoon Cafe is quite the well-known Taiwanese food franchise. And as you’d expect from the Taiwanese label, it’s popular for dishes such as oyster mee sua and lu rou fan. But there’s another reason for Typhoon Cafe’s popularity: its unique lineup of desserts, including the much-beloved souffle pancakes.

Recently, we were invited to try a tasting menu at Typhoon Cafe’s Plaza Singapura outlet, which consisted of some of the stall’s signature dishes as well as their limited-time-only souffle pancakes mixed with White Rabbit candies—yes, you read that right. This is what we thought of the fare.

Food at Typhoon Cafe

We started with the perennial Taiwanese classic, the Signature Taiwanese Oyster Mee Sua ($14.80++). It arrived in a sizeable bowl that nicely showcased the pile of noodles and the enticing ingredients—namely oysters and pork intestines—atop of it.

I’ve had my fair share of this dish in the past, and I can safely say that this bowl we tried fell somewhere in the “decent” zone. The smooth vermicelli noodles were drenched in a gooey broth that, while fragrant, was a little lacking in umami. Nothing that a splash of vinegar can’t fix, though.

The oysters were a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, they were plump and juicy, but on the other, they had a pungent fishiness that implied they weren’t very fresh. I had no complaints about the pork intestines, however—they were quite well-cleaned.

We moved on to another Taiwanese favourite, the Panko Canadian Pork Chop with Egg Fried Rice ($14.80++).

To be frank, this dish was a little underwhelming. The slices of fried pork chop were too thin and not succulent enough, and the breaded exterior wasn’t very crispy. While the egg fried rice was fluffy, it was a little too bland for my liking. It all came with a side of what seemed to be nacho cheese, and that did improve the flavours a little—but not enough for me to call this dish a success.

Our next dish, however, was just superb. The Claypot Sanbei Chicken ($13.80++), AKA three-cup chicken, impressed us with its excellent flavours.

Soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil were the most prominent ingredients here, and along with notes of basil and ginger they combined to make this disharomatic and absolutely delicious. The chicken itself was also incredibly succulent and juicy.

Another great dish was the Steamed Yellow Croaker with Preserved Vegetables ($33.80++).

The fish was fresh, delicate, and infused with the tanginess of preserved vegetables such as sauerkraut. There was a hint of spice from the dried chilli, which gave the flavours an extra pop. Put simply, this was a well-prepared dish that would impress anyone who likes steamed fish.

Typhoon Cafe has a variety of appetisers and sides, but I’d like to give special mention to the Double Boiled Chicken Collagen Soup ($12.80++), which was packed with the flavour of ginseng and chicken, and elevated by the rich collagen present in the soup. However, some may find it to be too bitter, especially with the strong presence of ginseng.

From now till 30 September 2023, you can try the White Rabbit Souffle ($18.90++), which as mentioned above is made together with actual White Rabbit sweets. There are three components to this dessert: the pancakes, the mochi pudding, and the ice cream.

Topped with bunny ears made out of meringue, these souffle pancakes were wonderfully thick, fluffy, and eggy. Best of all, the bits of White Rabbit sweets hidden in the pancakes added a rich milkiness to the whole dessert. To make it even milkier, you can have a bite of these pancakes with a spoonful of the milk ice cream, or you could even smear the ice cream on the pancakes.

And then there’s the mochi pudding, which has a top half of chewy milk mochi, and a bottom half of rich milk pudding. This is definitely not one for the lactose intolerant.

Ambience at Typhoon Cafe

Typhoon Cafe’s Plaza Singapura outlet is spacious and well-furnished, making it a good place to enjoy a comforting meal with family and friends. I do think that the place can look a little visually cluttered, but that’s no big issue, especially if the food is your main focus.

Plaza Singapura is connected to Dhoby Ghaut MRT, making this Typhoon Cafe super accessible.

The verdict

While some dishes at Typhoon Cafe were superb, others were marred by issues that prevented us from fully enjoying them. Overall, I’d say Typhoon Cafe is worth checking out for the highs that it can produce, but it may be the case that not all the dishes you order will satisfy you.

For another good Taiwanese eatery to check out, read our Lai Lai Taiwan Casual Dining review. For a charming cafe near Bugis with dainty desserts and Taiwan vibes, read our Simple Cafe review.

Address: 68 Orchard Road, #04-63/67, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am to 10pm
Tel: 6884 5423
Website
Typhoon Cafe is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Ke-ian J Leong.
This was a media tasting at Typhoon Cafe.