04-04-2025
From 5pm, this new CBD makan spot serves authentic Taiwanese izakaya from $3.80
Work life can be stressful and tense, and sometimes we just want to unwind and relax after a long day. For the CBD peeps who knock off in the evening, why not swing by Jiak Bar by Jiak Ba Food Heaven at 22 China Street for small plates and booze?
Opened in mid Mar 2025, this Taiwanese makan spot serves main meals like Braised Pork Belly Rice (S$9.50) and Oyster (S$7.50) during the day. But once the clock strikes 5pm, the place transforms into an Izakaya spot serving a lineup of small dishes, soups, and hot food.
Kickstart your appetite with the Golden (S$5.80), a tangy, sweet fermented cabbage starter flavoured with pumpkin.
If you're adventurous, try the delicious Braised Pig's Ears (S$5.80) tossed in aromatic seasonings, basil leaves and chilli. There are also lighter options like Chilled Cucumber (S$3.80) and Garlic (S$4.80).
You can slurp on a variety of hearty soups such as the hot, spicy Claypot Tofu Stew (S$12.80), boasting pig's intestines and 24-hour braised tofu cubes marinated in Taiwanese Jin Xuan tea.
My favourite was the Naked Pepper Chicken Soup (S$12.80), filled with chicken chunks, lala, and naked pepper. It was full-bodied and appetite-inducing. Even when the soup turned cold, it remained tasty — which says a lot.
The Three Cup Century Egg (S$7.80) was a great twist to the usual chicken and mushroom renditions that I've tried at other Taiwanese eateries. The pi dan are deep fried and tossed together in a piquant soy-wine concoction, served with fragrant garlic cloves, ginger, basil leaves, peanuts, onions, and chilli.
Looking for something with a little more heft? The Hsinchu Fried Vermicelli Meal (S$7.80) is a flavourful noodle dish stir-fried with ngoh hiang slices, braised pork, bean sprouts, and topped with a sunny side-up.
For mini scrumptious flavour bombs, get the Oyster Popcorn (S$9.80) fried in the same savoury batter as the popular Taiwanese fried chicken, served with mini keropok.
Sip on their range of cocktails, like the refreshing Apple (S$9.80), a fizzy mixture of plum liqueur and apple juice.
The Drunken (S$9.80) is a 'fun' version of bubble tea with rum. If you like warm booze, give the Warm Red Date Wine (S$9.80) a go. It was a unique beverage of plum wine, En vodka and red dates.
If you're looking for a new place to hang out with your work mates, visit Jiak Bar by Jiak Ba Food Heaven.
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