대만식 브런치를 시도해본 적 없으신가요? 이 치즈 크레페-계란말이를 놓치고 있습니다

The cheesy, delicious egg dish is hard to find in Sydney, but it’s on the menu at this family-friendly cafe in Sydney’s south.

Certain dishes make you want to hit “repeat” as soon as you’ve finished. At Meet Taiwan in Bexley, it’s the Taiwanese egg crepe I’d like to keep replaying.

There are many delicious ways to start your day with eggs in Sydney, from the sizzling plate of spiced tchouktchouka with roasted capsicum at Cafe Tanja in Surry Hills to the eggs baked into Jerusalem bagels at Flour Shop in Turramurra, but I’d easily rank this one in my top 20.

The dish, known as dan bing, is a popular breakfast food in Taiwan. It begins with a thin layer of stretchy, starchy crepe batter, sizzled and crisped against a fry pan. Two eggs, whisked with chopped spring onions, are poured on top and cooked until golden. The final product is stuffed with your choice of nine fillings, including ham and tuna, then rolled into a puffy little sleeping bag.

My recommendation? Order the cheese, corn and hash browns. It’s the ultimate breakfast dish, beautifully wrapped in ribbons of egg.

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For Meet Taiwan owners Judy and Johnny, the Taiwanese egg crepe is nostalgic. Chef Johnny grew up in Taiwan, where he’d often grab one before school. Jenny says it was her go-to breakfast when pregnant last year.

The pair launched Meet Taiwan as a food truck in 2024 before upsizing to a permanent location beneath a Bexley apartment block in June. I tried dan bing for the first time in March, and quickly returned for seconds. It’s rare to find a Taiwanese cafe riffing on brunch culture in Sydney, and the dining scene is better for it.

“Before meeting my husband, I actually never tried Taiwanese food,” says Judy, who is from China. As she learnt its nuances, the couple wanted to showcase the unique balance of sweet and savoury, crispness and softness, that makes the cuisine stand apart. These are the dishes of Johnny’s birthplace, and at Meet Taiwan, you’re invited to try them.

As gestures go, it’s proved effective. You can see diners ordering rou zao (noodles with minced pork); bowls of lu rou fan with slow-cooked pork belly, rice and house-made pickled cabbage; and crunchy balls of taro and sweet potato – even though the menu offers more Western-style dishes such as southern fried chicken burgers and peanut butter toast.

One of Meet Taiwan’s signature hits is its deluxe braised beef noodles. It arrives at our table like a weather change, making everything feel warmer and cosier. Johnny’s broth is gently spiced, coloured a deep red from tomatoes and fermented broad bean and chilli paste, and generously flavoured with slow-cooked beef, pickled cabbage and herbs.

Bao filled with braised tofu, bamboo and peanuts was a last-minute dish Judy invented during their food-truck days. It began as a quick riff on leftover ingredients, but you can understand why she kept it on the menu: it’s a messy, crunchy joy, packed with briny pickled greens and coriander.

There’s plenty to order from the “golden crunch” section of the menu, from snacky sweet potato chips dusted in plum powder to sweetened rice cakes fried in batter and doused in rainbow sprinkles, reminiscent of a doughnut.

On a sunny day, I enjoyed pairing my meal with the winter melon tea – it reminded me of lemon squash. But when the temperature drops, I find the roasted oolong tea smoky, deep and comforting.

The cafe has a personal feel, and it’s a welcome change in the age of AI slop. The interior wall is adorned with the words “Meet Taiwan”, which Judy handcrafted from colourful yarn. Beside it, there are dozens of pink and red Post-it notes. Each contains a written note from a diner, celebrating small wins (I finnished primary school,” wrote one child; “Change[d] my school cloths before I got cold,” wrote another) and reminiscing about Taiwan (“Thanks for taking me back”).

My only encounters with the East Asian country have been through Sydney’s dining scene, from the congee bowls at Mother Chu’s Taiwanese Gourmet in Haymarket to Festive Coffee’s cold brew sweetened with longan honey in Ashfield. Thanks to this cafe, I feel a little closer to Taiwan – a small win worth hand-scrawling and sticking to the wall.

Pass the neon-lit sign for Eastwood Market and walk towards the back of the alleyway: there’s a sunny stall serving rice bowls filled with Taiwanese pork ribs, chicken drumsticks, shrimp rolls and a vegie set topped with braised bamboo, deep-fried tofu and pickled cucumber.  

Shop 11/178-182 Rowe Street, Eastwood, facebook.com/canteentaiwan

What’s shaking at this new bar? Paper bags of Night Market Crispy Chicken: diners toss the fried chook with a good dusting of Szechuan seasoning, garlic chips and basil, and tip the contents on their plate. Try the boozy bubble tea, spiked with rum and sipped through oversized straws.

413 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, linla.com.au

Drop in for rice bentos flavoured with various toppings, from popcorn chicken to egg and seaweed. Stack on extras such as Taiwanese sausage and finish with a refreshing soybean milk drink, mixed with roasted peanut rice. You’ll also find Hungry Paulie outposts in Eastwood and World Square. 

Shop 6, 6 Bourke Street, Mascot, hungrypaulie.com.au

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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