Sinchao Rice Shoppe Fried Rice

Sinchao rice shoppe was tipped to be a fried rice mecca in Taipei. What a disappointment - for my first meal; how to say this? Long and short of it - the fried rice didn’t pack any/ sorely lacking – wok hei. Uncle Roger would say aiyo instead of fuiyoh.

The A4 Wagyu strips were fine - on their own. The fried rice brought the whole dish down. Besides lacking wok hei, it was also sweetish. Oh no. And when you piece them together, suffice to say it wasn’t greater than the sum of its parts.

They had an extensive fried rice menu - I could only pick between the lobster butter vs A4 Wagyu as I was a single diner today.

Fried rice - best in Asia would be Malaysia, Thailand, and HK. Exception made for Dintaifung egg fried rice. Maybe I’m biased but most of the ‘fancy’ rice I’ve had before rarely turned out good. Maybe Uncle Roger is on to something - egg fried rice rocks. Simple to cook, hard to master.

The place is oozes electro funk vibes - almost akin to a grungy NYC bar scene. Good decor, good music and great attentive service.

Think a hybrid Alexis, Mdm Kwans & Buddha Bar. Maybe it’s a place for youngsters to savour after work drinks. The cocktails (Grand Mormon) was promising.

Maybe a solid 6.5/10 overall. Total damage. NT$1,837