Lu rou fan (滷肉飯) is Taiwan’s most beloved bowl of comfort food: steamed white rice topped with slow-braised meat simmered in soy sauce, rice wine, and five-spice. It’s a staple at night markets, roadside stalls, and family tables across the island. In Singapore, I Love Taimei serves their own version — made with braised chicken instead of pork, with no lard at all.
What is lu rou fan — the original Taiwanese comfort food
The name breaks down simply: lu (滷) means braised in a seasoned soy broth, rou (肉) means meat, and fan (飯) means rice. Put them together and you get a dish that’s been feeding Taiwan for generations.
Traditionally, lu rou fan uses pork belly or minced pork fat — the kind that turns soft and glossy after hours in the pot. The braising liquid is a mix of soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and aromatics like garlic, shallots, and five-spice powder. It’s deeply savory, a little sweet, and unmistakably fragrant.
Most versions come as a modest bowl: a scoop of rice, a generous ladle of braised meat and sauce, sometimes a soft-boiled braised egg (lu dan) on the side. The sauce soaks into the rice. That’s the whole point. It’s not a fancy dish — it’s a bowl you eat quickly standing at a market stall, or slowly at your grandmother’s kitchen table.
Regional variations exist across Taiwan. In the north, lu rou fan typically uses finely minced pork. In the south, larger chunks of pork belly are more common — that version is sometimes called kong bak png in Hokkien, and you’ll recognise it if you’ve eaten Singaporean zichar.
Why it’s so popular at Taiwan night markets
Taiwan’s night markets are legendary, and lu rou fan is one of the dishes that defined them. It’s affordable, filling, fast to serve, and endlessly comforting. At famous markets like Shilin in Taipei or Liuhe in Kaohsiung, you’ll find lu rou fan stalls doing brisk business from late afternoon until midnight. (If you want a taste of that same night-market energy in Singapore, it’s worth reading what Taiwan popcorn chicken actually is — another staple that made the journey across.)
Part of the appeal is the braising process itself. A good lu rou fan takes hours to develop its flavour. Stall owners start their pots early in the day, keeping the liquid at a low simmer so the meat slowly absorbs every layer of seasoning. By the time the evening crowd arrives, the sauce is thick and sticky, coating every grain of rice.
The dish also travels well. It’s been adopted across Southeast Asia wherever Taiwanese and Hokkien communities settled. You’ll find versions of braised pork rice in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore — each with local tweaks, but all tracing back to the same Taiwanese original.
For many Singaporeans who’ve visited Taiwan or grown up in families with Taiwanese roots, lu rou fan is tied to a specific memory: a specific stall, a specific bowl, a specific evening. That’s the power of simple food done well.
I Love Taimei’s twist — Braised Chicken Rice (no pork, no lard)
Here’s where I Love Taimei does something genuinely different. Their version of lu rou fan uses braised chicken — not pork — and is made with no lard whatsoever.
That’s a meaningful change. The original dish owes much of its richness to pork fat. Replicating that depth of flavour with chicken requires a well-built braising liquid and good technique. I Love Taimei’s Braised Chicken Rice delivers the same slow-cooked savory sweetness you expect from lu rou fan — just without the pork.
The result is a bowl that more people in Singapore can eat. No pork, no lard means customers who avoid pork for religious or personal reasons can enjoy what is otherwise a classic Taiwanese comfort dish. I Love Taimei is clear about this: they are NOT halal-certified, but the absence of pork and lard makes their food meaningfully more inclusive.
I Love Taimei has been serving Singaporeans since 2009. Women-owned and built around the spirit of Taiwan’s night markets, the brand has grown to 14 outlets island-wide — from Waterway Point in the northeast to West Mall in the west. The Braised Chicken Rice sits alongside their Taiwan fried chicken, brown sugar bubble tea, and Taiwan Tempura as a core part of what makes the brand feel authentically Taiwanese. For the full story of how ILTM got to where it is, see the brand story.
If you’ve never tried lu rou fan before, this is a low-barrier way to start. If you already love the original and you’re curious what a chicken version tastes like — it holds up.
Where to try it in Singapore
I Love Taimei has 14 outlets across Singapore, open daily 11am to 10pm (some outlets close at 9:30pm). Here’s one to get you started:
Bugis Junction 230 Victoria St, #B1-K11 to 11A, Bugis Junction, Singapore 188024 Open daily 11:00 – 22:00
That’s right in the heart of town, easy to reach from Bugis MRT. Other outlets are spread across Tampines 1, Northpoint City, Nex in Serangoon, Junction 8, Woodleigh Mall, and more — so there’s likely one near you. Got questions about ordering, delivery, or what else is on the menu? The I Love Taimei FAQ has you covered.
Browse the full menu and order online at go.momos.com/ilovetaimei. Or find the outlet closest to you at ilovetaimei.com/places.
Taste it for yourself — 14 outlets island-wide. No pork, no lard.
