Pick by the clock, not by the menu. The Clementi Mall sits directly on top of Clementi MRT and the bus interchange, so most people walking in already have a train to catch or a lecture to get back to. Decide how many minutes you actually have, then work downwards from there. If the answer is under ten, head to the basement โ B1 is where the counter food lives, including us at #B1-K3.
How much time do you actually have?
Five to ten minutes. You’re transferring between the MRT and the bus interchange, or you’ve got a bag of groceries going soft. Go to B1 and order something handed to you over a counter. Fried food and drinks are the honest answer here โ no table, no queue number, no waiting for a bill.
Twenty minutes. Enough to sit somewhere with a tray. This is the sweet spot for anyone eating alone between classes at the nearby campuses, and the mall’s basement and food-court levels are built for exactly this pace.
An hour or more. Take the escalator up. The upper floors are where the sit-down restaurants are, and that’s a different article. Just know the trade: you gain a chair and lose the train you were going to catch.
The mall is compact by Singapore standards โ six storeys, one lift core, everything within a few minutes’ walk of the Clementi MRT station fare gates. You are never more than one wrong turn away from where you meant to be.
What to order at I Love Taimei, The Clementi Mall
We’re at 3155 Commonwealth Avenue West, #B1-K3, The Clementi Mall, Singapore 129588, open Monday to Sunday, 11:00 to 22:00.
We’re a Taiwan night market brand โ Shilin and Raohe, specifically, not restaurant Taiwanese. That means fried chicken you eat standing up and tea shaken to order. Here’s what to point at:
- XXL Taiwan Fried Chicken โ $6.90. Four versions at the same price: Original, Extra Crispy, BBQ, and Taiwan Popcorn Chicken. All of them are chicken thigh, not breast. Thigh holds the marinade longer and stays tender even when it’s fried hard enough to shatter. It costs more than breast. We picked the right meat rather than the cheapest one.
- Taiwan Popcorn Chicken โ $6.90. Bite-sized and fried with basil in the oil, which is the night-market detail people notice before they can name it. Best order if you’re sharing, or if a full cutlet is more than you want to carry onto a train. More on the salt-and-pepper tradition behind it in our guide to xian su ji.
- Tofu Fries โ $3.90. Our most under-ordered item, and the one to get if you want something meat-free alongside a drink.
- Taiwan Seafood Tempura โ $5.30. Not the Japanese kind. Bouncier, denser, cut into strips.
- Brown Sugar Milk Tea โ $3.90 medium, $4.90 large. The pairing that goes with everything fried on the board.
Seasoning is free and worth using: Mala, Seaweed, Cheese, Garlic Seafood, or Sour Plum, plus spice from non-spicy up to extra hot. Sour Plum is the one first-timers don’t expect and then order again.
One thing worth stating plainly, because people ask at the counter every day: all our food is prepared with no pork and no lard, and we do not hold halal certification. That’s the honest, direct answer โ the full explanation is in our halal article. We’ve been women-owned since 2009, co-run by Phoebe and Yadah, and the no-pork, no-lard kitchen policy has been in place that whole time.
Frequently asked questions
What time does I Love Taimei at The Clementi Mall close? 10pm, seven days a week. Last orders are at the counter, so give yourself a few minutes before closing rather than arriving at 21:58.
Is the food at I Love Taimei halal? No. We do not hold halal certification. All our food is prepared with no pork and no lard, and no beef is served either โ a real middle ground, but not certification, and we don’t pretend otherwise.
What should a first-timer order? Original Chicken and a Brown Sugar Milk Tea, $10.80 together for the medium tea. The Original is the plainest version, which means you actually taste the marinade instead of the batter. Add Sour Plum powder if you want to know what the fuss is about.
Is there anything at The Clementi Mall outlet for a group? Taiwan Popcorn Chicken travels best for sharing โ it comes in pieces, so nobody has to negotiate over a knife. Order two and a couple of large teas and you’ve fed four people standing around a ledge.
Which other I Love Taimei outlets are near the west? Lot One in Choa Chu Kang and West Mall in Bukit Batok are the two closest. The full list with addresses and hours is in our outlet directory.
Before you head down to B1
The Clementi Mall rewards people who’ve decided before they arrive. Ten minutes gets you fried chicken and a tea at #B1-K3 and still puts you back on the platform in time.
Taste it for yourself โ 14 outlets island-wide. No pork, no lard.
