Authentic Nanyang cuisine at Papa Richard's — spicy and aromatic black pepper crab that hits the taste buds right away

Text & Photos /Xiaohu Dream Food Net

To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of “Nanyang cuisine,” whether from Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia, but “Papa Richard’s” is one place I always remembered wanting to try. First, there was quite a lot of news and advertising about it back then. Second, I often passed by Civic Boulevard. Third, opinions from friends around me were extremely polarized — a friend who had worked in Malaysia said it wasn’t authentic and was disappointed, while another Malaysian working in Taipei felt they’d found a taste of home... This back-and-forth contrast made me even more curious.

That day, a media friend had arranged to meet here for a chat over a meal, so I happily came along, thinking it would be a good chance to satisfy my curiosity.

Overall, the decor wasn’t too far off from what I had imagined, but the dining environment turned out to be a bit better and more spacious than I expected.

Around 70–80% of the seats were occupied during mealtime, which is pretty good for a weekday lunch, especially after the restaurant had been open for some time.

Since someone else was paying, all the ordering was up to her. I casually browsed the menu, and almost all the familiar dishes were there — in fact, a large portion were dishes I’d never even heard of, let alone tried.

This page mostly featured well-known dishes, but with a slightly different twist. There were various flatbreads, either pan-fried or served with curry, some salty, some sweet — plenty of variety.

The dessert section leaned more toward a Singaporean style. They all looked quite tempting, especially for someone like me who’s a sucker for butter and peanuts XD

The desserts were also richer than I expected, with ice cream, cakes, and sweet soups all available.

For drinks, the focus was naturally on teh tarik and white coffee. I heard their yuenyeung (half coffee half tea) is also quite famous.

If you really don’t know what to eat, you can also check out the popular dishes on the first page of the DEUN menu.

Dad’s Onion Egg Pancake + Curry Chicken combo. It’s called a pancake, but it’s more like a thick omelet. There’s quite a lot of onion in the middle, and the texture is good, but the flavor isn’t very memorable — except for the faint aroma of butter. I’m guessing the egg and pancake are cooked in butter?

But once you pour the red curry sauce over it, the whole dish comes alive. To be honest, I’ve always had trouble telling the difference between Thai red curry and Malaysian curry because they both have that strong spice aroma. If anything, the difference lies in the level of spiciness, heat, and coconut milk concentration. This curry has relatively lighter coconut flavor but is spicier, plus a hint of bay leaf and kaffir lime leaf aroma. As for the chicken, the texture is tender and soft — not bad.

If you don’t want the egg pancake, you can also get a rice-based combo.

Watching my friend mix it with other ingredients made it look pretty appealing.

Beef Satay. I remember having it in Malaysia before, but the texture used to be drier. At Papa Richard’s, it wasn’t dry, and it was served hot, though the texture was slightly oilier. Dip it in the specially made satay sauce, and the aroma is rich without being too greasy — quite tasty.

My friend insisted on ordering the “Black Pepper Crab.” I’ve had this dish in Singapore as well, but it was also drier and darker there. When you take a bite, the spiciness and aroma of the black pepper hit you at once. The black pepper sauce itself is really delicious and satisfying — even if it’s not quite like the version I had in Singapore. The crab meat was just okay, nothing exceptional. PS: This dish comes with a pair of thin plastic gloves, which is a thoughtful touch.

Papa’s Curry Laksa — the broth is rich but not overly heavy. On the spice level, I found it a bit stronger, which also made the rich and creamy flavor of the laksa a bit harder to detect. Still, overall, it’s quite a good drinkable soup. As for the ingredients, I was too full to eat much.

Papa’s Hainanese Steamed Bread with Butter and Kaya. Kaya is usually made with coconut milk, duck eggs, chicken eggs, sugar, and butter, giving it a slight coconut flavor. This one has a hint of green — I’m guessing pandan was added. On its own, it’s pretty sweet, but it’s usually eaten with bread. Personally, I think the emulsified texture is better than the flavor, and the butter complements it perfectly with its aroma. A perfect match. The bread here is supposedly imported, and this dish is steamed, but the texture isn’t too soggy — instead, it’s quite fluffy. After just a few bites, it melts in your mouth together with the butter. Really delicious.

Papa’s Toasted Bread with Butter and Kaya. For those who don’t like bread that’s too soft, you can go for this toasted version, which is closer to a sandwich, though still a bit softer than usual.

Hainanese Toasted Bread with Peanut Butter — this bread is probably the same as the first type, but toasted, so it’s a bit more chewy. The peanut bits on top are super rich and flavorful — a must-try for peanut butter lovers. There’s also a layer of lightly salted butter in the middle, which is pretty tasty.

My friend ordered soy milk with grass jelly — I didn’t try it, so I don’t know how it tastes.

This cup of teh tarik is absolutely amazing — highly recommended and a must-order. The tea aroma is rich but not astringent, the milk is sweet yet not overly sugary, and the foam on top is particularly refreshing — just fantastic.

Durian Cheese Cake — if this were a year ago, I definitely wouldn’t have dared to try it. But ever since Chef Wei Qiang (world-renowned chef) cured me of my durian fear, I’ve finally been able to explore all kinds of durian dishes. With my current level of durian tolerance, I’d say this durian cheese cake isn’t too heavy, though partly because the cheese flavor is more dominant. It’s still quite tasty, but if you’re a die-hard durian fan, you might find it lacking.

Papa Richard's
Address: No. 102-1, Section 4, Civic Boulevard, Taipei City
Phone: (02)2751-2181
Business hours: 8:00-23:00 / 8:00-24:00 on Fridays and Saturdays

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