Eat 3 Bowls — braised pork rice set ($9.55)!
Eat 3 Bowls (口呷三碗) Lavender Taiwanese braised pork rice (lu rou fan) set with cabbage side and twin lava-yolk braised eggs. $9.55.
Lunch at Eat 3 Bowls (口呷三碗) at Lavender. Braised pork rice set, $9.55. 😋👍🏼
What was on the tray:
- Black bowl of lu rou fan (滷肉飯): minced braised pork over jasmine rice, the meat finely chopped (not the chunky version), scallion scatter on top
- Side dish of two lava-yolk braised eggs: cut in half, sunset-orange yolks visible, the white still tender
- Side plate of braised cabbage: napa cabbage stewed soft with shiitake mushroom strips, dried shrimp and fried shallot oil, the savoury side dish
Eat 3 Bowls (口呷三碗) is the Taiwanese street-food destination at Lavender Food Centre, opened 2017 by Justin Wong (a Singaporean who trained in Taiwan). The name literally means “eat three bowls”, a nod to how good Taiwanese lu rou fan should be: so good you want three bowls. Now also at multiple branches across Singapore.
The lu rou fan technique at Eat 3 Bowls:
- Pork belly hand-diced (not minced in a machine), giving the meat texture variation
- Braised 3-4 hours in the master sauce (soy + rock sugar + Shaoxing + five-spice + ginger + scallion + fried shallot)
- Reduced to a syrupy consistency: glossy, dark mahogany, clinging to the rice
- Topped on freshly-steamed Taiwanese-style rice: shorter grain than the Singapore standard, slightly stickier, the proper Taiwanese mouthfeel
The lava-yolk braised eggs are the signature side: cooked sous-vide style first (white set, yolk still liquid), then briefly braised in the master sauce for the colour and flavour. The yolk stays molten when you cut it in half. This is the level above any random Taiwanese stall.
The braised cabbage is the traditional Taiwanese banchan-equivalent: napa cabbage + shiitake mushroom + dried shrimp + fried shallot oil, stewed until soft and umami-loaded. The savoury vegetable side that balances the rich lu rou.
Why Eat 3 Bowls earned the cult following:
- Trained-in-Taiwan authenticity: not just “Singapore-flavoured Taiwanese”
- Reasonable queue management: typically 15-30 minutes at peak, fast enough
- Hawker-tier pricing: $9.55 for the full set with twin eggs is excellent for the quality
- Consistency: the bowl tastes the same week to week, the marker of a serious kitchen
At $9.55 for the braised pork rice set with twin lava eggs and cabbage side, this is excellent Taiwanese specialty pricing. Comparable lu rou fan at a sit-down Taiwanese restaurant runs $15-$20.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Strong Eat 3 Bowls run. The lava-yolk eggs were the standout, the rice-meat ratio dialled in. Would re-queue.
