Jiak Ba Food Heaven Express (VivoCity)

The folks behind Jiak Ba Food Heaven 甲霸食堂 have been pretty much on a roll of the late; these folks had just recently opened their second location being the Jiak Ba Food Heaven X Jiak Bar concept at Far East Square in Telok Ayer — there is already a third outlet that had opened its doors within Basement Two of VivoCity as well. Their outlet at VivoCity is a newly-designated area for F&B concepts that is situated in the middle of the aisle; they are located at the end close to where one can find the outlet of Fairprice Finest there, as well as other notable F&B establishments such as Mr. Onigiri, Beach Road Scissors Cut Curry Rice, Hundred Grains and also Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Unlike their other two locations, the VivoCity location of Jiak Ba Food Heaven is actually branded as a Jiak Ba Food Heaven Express concept; this is likely due to a more limited selection of items that they can serve at this location given the nature of the shop unit that they have occupied. There is a dine-in area at the VivoCity location; the dine-in location is a little tighter than their other locations given the smaller space that it occupies here — the tables and stools being arranged in a way that would cater to both patrons dining in pairs or groups of four (4). The food menu does remain pretty similar to what is already offered at the other Jiak Bar Food Heaven outlets around, though some items like the Hsinchu Fried Vermicelli Meal aren’t offered at this outlet — the menu features items classified into categories such as Noodles, Braised Dishes, Rice and Street Snacks.

For those wanting to try their Crispy Chicken that is being listed as part of the Street Snacks section of the menu and their Jiak Ba Braised Meat Rice in one seating, the item to go for would probably be the Crispy Chicken Braised Meat Rice from the Rice section of the menu; this would essentially be the combination of both items being served as one single order — Jiak Ba Food Heaven Express at VivoCity also offers patrons with the option of going for the Value Set at an extra charge of $1.50. Similar to how the same works at the other Jiak Ba Food Heaven outlets located across the island, the Value Set would see the addition of Braised Cabbage and Egg to the any item that one opts for in the “Rice” section if not the menu. It is also worth noting that all items at Jiak Ba Food Heaven Express at VivoCity are being served in disposable ware; the style of presentation being exclusive to this outlet. On first sight, it does seem that the portion of the meats here are a little bit small; there wasn’t much braised meat that came along with the Crispy Chicken Braised Meat Rice, while the slab of fried chicken despite its large size, does look fairly thin to say the least. Whilst we did enjoy how the braised meat tasted where the braised meat is a medley of sweet and savoury notes from the braising liquid and the spices used within, there wasn’t sufficient braising liquid to go around with the entire portion of rice here — a bit of a missed opportunity since it would definitely have faired better if otherwise. The chunks of braised meat also diced into pieces a little too small to savour, though whatever chunks of braised meat that came along did come with a melt-in-the-mouth texture; Jiak Ba Food Heaven prides itself over their 70:30 lean meat to fattier cuts ratio to achieve that texture that they desire for their braised meat dishes.

The Crispy Chicken does come with a golden-fried batter that was crisp and not too greasy; aptly seasoned with chili powder, salt and pepper that gives it that exact flavour that one would associate with Taiwanese-style fried chicken cutlet. The only qualm here is how paper-thin the chicken cutlet was; though we were thankful that it didn’t felt overly dry somehow. Other elements that came with the Crispy Chicken Braised Meat Rice included the pickled cucumbers and the preserved vegetables; the former provided a refreshing crunch while the latter came in with a duller tang — all that whilst being spiked with a bit of chili for a slight note of spiciness that would tickle the tastebuds. The level of spiciness here would still be pretty manageable for those with lower spice tolerance in general. The braised egg that comes as part of the Value Set add-on comes with a solid egg yolk, while the braised cabbage features vegetables that are braised to the point that it carries its own sweetness amidst the savoury notes — comes also with a soft crunch; very homely flavours here. Our experiences at Jiak Ba Food Heaven’s other outlets have been largely pleasant; while the flavours of its food at its VivoCity outlet still does hit the mark being pretty reminiscent of what we had tried during our first visit to their Alexandra Retail Centre location, the slightly smaller portioning of the meats at its VivoCity branch does seem to be rather noticeable — perhaps something that they can look into if they are looking to further improve on the dining experience of its patrons. Prices of its food from the Rice and Noodle sections of the menu are within the range of $7.80 to $12.80; the lowest being the Oyster Mee Sua and the highest-priced being the Braised Trio Combo Rice. Still, a rather decent dining option to consider if craving for authentic Taiwanese-style cuisine is the Harbourfront area.