My Go-to Place for Kong Bak Pau
Abundance has been my go-to spot for Kong Bak Pau— or Gua Bao as they like to call it— ever since I first discovered them in 2023 at their original restaurant in Redhill. I especially love the topping of pickled mustard greens and ground peanuts, which add an extra layer of flavor and texture to the dish!
Since then, they’ve expanded to a second outlet along Jalan Besar, and last year they opened their third restaurant at Century Square in Tampines. Besides their signature Gua Bao, Abundance also serves other Taiwanese classics like beef noodles and various small dishes, all thoughtfully tweaked to suit our local palates. Irecently visited their Century Square outlet to try some of their newly added dishes on the menu.
Existing Dishes At Century Square
Before we get to the new dishes, here are some dishes that I can recommend from their existing menu.
Salted Egg Prawn Bun $13.90
Aside from their signature Kong Bak Pau, Abundance also offers a selection of other Gua Bao. One that I particularly enjoy is the Salted Egg Prawn Bun. They make their own prawn patty, which gives it a lovely chunky texture with real pieces of prawn. It’s topped with a rich salted egg sauce and finished with crispy egg floss.
One thing worth highlighting is that any of their dishes featuring prawn paste—such as the prawn toast and dumplings—are made entirely with whole prawns. Although they use frozen prawns, the quality is excellent, and you can tell they don’t add any fillers.
I do feel though that the buns could be a little more rustic. They used to make their own, which were excellent, but their current supplier’s buns aren’t quite as puffy and spongy. I’ve already shared this feedback with one of the owners, and hopefully, they’ll be able to source better buns in the future. 4.25/5
Double Boiled Chicken Soup $12.90
Their chicken soup is excellent. Each bowl is generously portioned, and the broth is rich with natural chicken flavour. If you are feeling under the weather, this one will surely give your immunity a boost and help clear your sinuses. 4.5/5
Century Egg and Minced Pork Noodles $13.90
If you’re craving chewy and satisfying carbs, try the knife-cut noodles with century egg and spicy pork sauce. It’s my first time having this dish. It may not be something I’d specifically look for, but it’s tasty and quite satisfying. If you love century egg, you’d love this, as they are quite generous with the century eggs and they are very nicely marinated in a sweet and slightly tangy sauce. 4/5
New Dishes On The Menu
Here are the latest dishes that have just been added to the menu!
Spicy Sesame Dumplings $10.90
I have always enjoyed the dumplings at Abundance. The shrimp filling is generous and they have a special aunty who always folds the dumplings so meticulously. The chilli oil dumplings are still one of their best-selling dishes but they have recently added a sesame and peanut sauce version which is also delicious! 4.5/5
Winter Melon Pork Ribs Soup $13.90
What makes the pork rib soup special is that the ribs are fried before being added to the soup. I was told this is common in Taiwan, and after tasting it, I think I’ll do the same the next time I make pork rib soup. The ribs are first marinated in a soy-based sauce, then battered and deep-fried. The texture and flavour are completely different from simply boiling the meat. It’s real comfort food for a rainy day. The only problem is choosing between this and the chicken soup! 4.25/5
XL Crispy Pork Chop Rice $13.90
The pork chop with egg fried rice at Abundance is one of their most popular dishes, as many people are familiar with the version made famous by Din Tai Fung. For a twist, they also offer a crispy fried pork chop served over white rice for those who want something a little different.
I felt the soy sauce drizzled over the rice could have been more flavourful. The fried egg and pickled vegetables were a nice touch, but serving it in a bowl made it a bit hard to eat, especially since the pork chop wasn’t sliced. The batter could have been more evenly coated, but it was delicious nonetheless. It might work better served on a plate. 3.75/5
Taiwanese Oyster Omelette $15.90
I’ve never really enjoyed the Taiwanese-style oyster omelette. They’ve tried to tweak it for local tastes by making it crispier and less stodgy, but it still feels too starchy and the batter tends to stick to the teeth. The sweet and sour sauce also didn’t quite go with the omelette. 3/5
Conclusion
Disclosure
The meal was hosted by one of the Co-founders whom I got to know quite well since our first meeting years ago.
