Hey, Faithfuls! Abundance has been on my radar for a while, mostly because my friends are obsessed with it. It’s a pretty popular Taiwanese cafe in Singapore, with a few outlets across the island, but we went to the one at Jalan Besar for dinner after work. Personally, I’ve never been a diehard fan of Taiwanese food, but I was prepared to give it a proper shot and even saved a few dollars by skipping my usual matcha lattes just for this meal.Okay, so aesthetically, don’t expect too much. The space is pretty minimal, save for a cute neon bao sign on the wall. The tables and chairs are tightly packed, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a romantic night out, especially if you get seated beside a couple in the middle of intense PDA.

We kicked things off with the Red Hot Chilli Dumplings (S$10.90), and wowza, these dumplings pack a punch. Bigger and meatier than your average dumpling, with a prawn filling and a fiery Sichuan-style chilli oil that was numbing, spicy, and deeply flavourful. I was already impressed.Next came the Mini Bun-dle (S$16.50), a trio of their most popular bao: the classic Gua Bao, the CCB, AKA Crispy Chicken Bun, and the Fish Bun. The Gua Bao came with a chunky slab of braised pork belly, fresh coriander, hand-roasted peanuts and pickles, which I found to be a solid combo. The CCB was my favourite, featuring crispy fried chicken paired with a crunchy papaya slaw and a peanut butter Thai-style sauce that gave it a sweet, nutty twist.But the star of the night, for me, was the Niu Yolk Fried Rice (S$20.90). It’s the priciest item on the menu, but it's honestly worth the splurge. Fried in beef fat, this dish comes with slices of smoky, tender short rib and a perfectly runny onsen egg. Mix the yolk into the rice, and you get this incredibly creamy, umami-packed fried rice. The beef had that melt-in-the-mouth texture, and the smoky-sweet flavour made it even more addictive. I was raving about it nonstop days after that.Abundance also does noodle dishes. We didn’t try them all, but the Century Egg Noodles (S$15.90) stood out. It’s got dark, fresh noodles coated in a century egg sauce with spicy minced pork. If you’re a fan of bold flavours and don’t mind the funk of century egg, this might be your thing.