I do love a good pork chop rice. While it seems to be available at every other Chinese restaurant in New York City (there’s even a restaurant named for it), this Taiwanese classic is quite difficult to find in London (unless you make it at home as I have in the past). It was on the menu at Old Tree Bakery, though, a Taiwanese bakery-cafe in Golders Green, and I made my way there one Saturday for lunch. I had first discovered the existence of the bakery at one of the annual Taiwanese food festivals and I had been impressed by their biscuits.
It’s not very far from the tube station and it’s a bright and airy space with a case of colourful cream cakes and their buns all on display in the window. There’s something almost unworldly about their baked buns, all hyper glossy and looking fake, like plastic. But I wasn’t there for buns, I wanted pork chop rice.
It was still empty when I arrived but the cafe filled up quickly. The waitresses, all in identical uniforms, were lined up behind the counter and all looked extremely nervous. One left the safety of the pack to give me two menus, one’s the same as that online and the other is of even more Taiwanese specials) and I ordered a bubble pearl milk tea (£3.60) and their marinated pork chop with stewed egg and rice (£6.50). I got my order through easily but a couple near me had trouble with their order as their waitress spoke very little English. Don’t expect great service here.
The bubble pearl milk tea was quite milky but very nice. Cold and refreshing and a good chew on the tapioca pearls.
The pork chop rice came looking a treat. The chop was a thin lightly battered version (sometimes they’re grilled), dusted with a mixture with five spice powder. As is traditional in Taiwan, this was served with rice topped with a rich minced pork sauce and sweet-tart pickled mustard greens. The egg had been cooked with the pork mince sauce and had soaked up all that savoury flavour.
The meal even included a side of soup, a clear broth with seaweed and tofu. It certainly scratched that pork chop itch. If I had to nitpick, the pork chop could have been thicker.
A couple of buns came home with me for Blai. They’re perfectly fine though the roast duck bun I bought had scant filling for the price (£2.50); in general, their buns are more expensive than the bakeries in Chinatown.
I’ll be back for that chop though. Good things have also been said about their Taiwanese beef noodle soup and I want to try their homemade Taiwanese sausage.
Old Tree Bakery
105 Golders Green Road
London NW11 8HR
Thu, 14 Jun, 2012 at 22:22
Thanks for the post. I love your finds in cheap eats on London. A must do soon subject.
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 14:51
Glad you enjoy them and I hope you enjoy Old Tree!
Thu, 14 Jun, 2012 at 22:53
Ooh! Pork chop rice! It’s a bit random which dishes from far away places become popular and widespread. Pork chop rice is one of those that should be more common in the UK! Mind you, for all that, it’s the egg that I’d like to tuck into the most!
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 14:51
Lots of love for the egg, I see! I’m all about the chop!
Fri, 15 Jun, 2012 at 00:30
I’ve been here as well with some taiwanese friends and had the exact same dish!! Loved the hard boil egg, reminds me of those you get in tau eu bak! The sausages are really nice btw! they are like a jumbo size lap cheong… milder and sweeter, sliced into thin pieces. Try it next time round!
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 14:51
Oh boy, I will indeed try that sausage. And the noodles too.
Fri, 15 Jun, 2012 at 01:49
looks delicious!
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 15:01
It was!
Fri, 15 Jun, 2012 at 09:24
This pork chop rice looks absolutely scrummy. This is a real find, inexpensive and delicious. London needs more of this!
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 15:14
It does! Glad to have found this place though – I just wish it was closer to my flat!
Fri, 15 Jun, 2012 at 10:46
Wow, I’ve walked past this place a hundred times and thought it was just a bakery. I will try it out soon. Pretty good, too, as it’s one of the only places open for lunch on a Saturday in Golders Green…
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 15:16
Yup. I need to return on a Sunday though to visit some of the Jewish bakeries.
Fri, 15 Jun, 2012 at 20:30
I could skip the pork chop and just have the rice, pork sauce, egg and pickles! Yum!
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 15:17
They definitely serve just the pork sauce with rice…not sure about the egg.
Sat, 16 Jun, 2012 at 04:21
Looks delicious! The pork chop looks great, but I especially love eggs cooked like that! Yummm
xox Sarah
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 15:18
So much egg love! I’m all over that pork!
Sat, 16 Jun, 2012 at 13:14
It looks great, despite the skinniness of the chop. lovely looking egg.
Mon, 18 Jun, 2012 at 15:18
Thu, 28 Jun, 2012 at 14:50
I love pork chop rice! It looks good. If I’m ever in the area, I must remember to go there. If only Golders Green wasn’t so far!
Thu, 5 Jul, 2012 at 16:01
I know what you mean! I wish this was much closer to where I lived but then I’d be there everyday and I’d probably turn into a pork chop myself.