Melt-In-The-Mouth Braised Pig Trotter Rice Bowl For $5.80 In Ang Mo Kio, Cooked By Ex-Teochew Restaurant Chef

Housed in same space Face Ban Mian’s other spin-off eatery

Chao Shan Te Kar Peng shares its air-conditioned premises as MaggieMan, another one of Face Ban Mian’s sibling concepts, which offers variations of dishes prepared with instant noodles.

Both concepts are housed in the same humble 15-seat space in the heartland mall.

Teochew-style pig trotter “not very common”

Tan Jun Liang, 29, manager and co-owner of Face Ban Mian, joined his father’s business after graduating from Nanyang Technological University a few years ago. His 67-year-old dad started the noodle brand in 2012 (the elder Tan declined to be named). Says Jun Liang: “Back then, my father decided to venture into ban mian ’cos at that time, the market was quite unsaturated with the dish compared to chicken rice or hokkien mee,” explains Jun Liang. “Similarly, pig trotter on rice is not very common now.” What Jun Liang means is that although you can find Teochew braised pig trotters in some hawker centres, it’s usually served as a side dish at bak kut teh joints or kway chap stalls. He clarifies: “There isn’t really a [Singaporean] brand out there that’s focusing on it as a main dish”.

Hired an ex-Teochew restaurant sous chef

Jun Liang says that their trotters are simmered for more than four hours in a soy-based sauce containing “over 10 spices”. A chef who spent two years as a sous chef at a popular Teochew restaurant in Toa Payoh (Jun Liang declines to share the restaurant’s name on record) is in charge of braising these pork legs daily at Chao Shan Te Kar Peng.

The menu

There are two rice bowls ($5.80 regular; $8 large) on offer: the signature option with pig trotter, or the pork belly version. Both bowls come with a braised egg and pickled mustard greens on a bed of short-grain Taiwanese pearl rice. You can also pimp your bowl with either braised or fried tau kwa ($1.20); or opt for the whole shank ($18) to share with up to four friends if you’re extra peckish.

Chao Shan Te Kar Peng, $5.80 (8 DAYS Pick!)

A decadent bowl topped with fat-streaked, gelatinous slices of pork shank, cooked till meltingly soft and deliciously umami in a thin but flavour-packed braising sauce. When it threatens to get a little too much, a splash of vinegary chilli, or a bite of crunchy pickled mustard greens temper the fattiness of the pork.

Too bad the rice was overcooked and clumpy — we’re hoping it was because we had this via delivery and that it’ll fare better for dine-in. Still worth a try.

Kong Bak Peng, $5.80

While the skin and fat portion of the kong bak (pork belly) was buttery soft and unctuous, the lean meat portions were a tad dry. Stick to the yummier te kar. 

Chao Shan Te Kar Peng by Face Ban Mian is at #01-03 Jubilee Square, 61 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, S569814. Open daily 10.30am – 9.30pm. More info via Instagram. 

Photos: Chao Shan Te Kar Peng, Alvin Lim