Another Golden Mile Taiwanese lunch. Lu rou fan set, $6.80. 😋👍🏼

What was in the set:

Lu rou fan main bowl: rice base with chunky braised pork belly cubes (the proper Taiwan dice cut), ajitama half on top (jammy yolk visible), scallion garnish, pickled cucumber chunks on the side, dark sweet-savoury braise sauce coating everything
Side dish of crispy Taiwanese karaage chicken: golden brown deep-fried chicken nuggets, the popcorn-chicken cut, lightly seasoned
The set format: main + side + drink (drink not pictured), single bundled price

This was a follow-up visit to the same Golden Mile Taiwanese hawker after the $5 lu rou fan standalone bowl. The set version upgrades the experience by adding:

Karaage / popcorn chicken side: the protein crunch hit
Pickled cucumber: the acid-crunch palate cleanser
Often a drink included: usually iced lemon tea, winter melon tea, or Taiwan-style milk tea
Slightly bigger main bowl portion: more rice, more pork belly

The Taiwanese popcorn chicken (鹹酥雞 yan su ji) mechanics:

Bite-sized chicken pieces: usually thigh meat (some places use breast), 2-3cm cubes
Marinated with garlic + ginger + soy + sugar + white pepper + five-spice + shaoxing
Dredged in sweet potato starch (the Taiwan crust signature)
Deep-fried twice: low temp first to cook through, high temp finish to crisp
Seasoned at the end: salt + white pepper + sometimes garlic salt or chilli powder
Optional basil leaves: fried alongside in the final 10 seconds for the aroma
Eaten with chopsticks at the night market, sometimes a small bamboo skewer

The Singapore Taiwanese popcorn chicken scene:

Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks (士林夜市): the chain that brought Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken mainstream from the 2010s
Independent Taiwanese hawker stalls: smaller scale, often run by Taiwan-trained cooks
Eat 3 Bowls / Hong Long Snacks: focus on Taiwanese set menus including the popcorn chicken side

The set format vs standalone economics:

Standalone main: $5-$6 for the main only
Set add-on (karaage + cucumber): usually $1.50-$2 extra
Drink add-on: usually $1-$1.50 extra
Set bundle total: $6.80-$8 (the discount on combo is the value)

At $6.80 for the lu rou fan + karaage + cucumber set (and possibly a drink), this is solid value for the Taiwanese hawker tier. Below sit-down Taiwanese restaurants ($12-$18 for similar) and above the standalone lu rou fan ($5).

The lu rou fan set as a meal format: