Tag: dining in singapore

Rise Of The Rice Bowls – 9 Bowls That Taste As Good As They Look

They say that a square meal is a nourishing and balanced one that contains enough ingredients and nutrients to satisfy the body. But with the rise of restaurants serving a comprehensive rice bowl fit for a king, you’ll soon be agreeing that circular meals are exactly what you need right now.

From the delightfully delicious ingredients to the delicate crockery that house them, rice bowls makes for an easy and wholesome meal that’s easy on the eyes and stomachs. Here’s our list of some of the prettiest rice bowls we could find.

1. MAY MAY

I run the risk of sounding lame but the first thought that came to my mind is ‘this place very chio’. And you’ll see where I’m coming from once you’ve had a meal there. Natural lighting and living wall facade adorns the minimalistic space, and everywhere you turn is an Instagram spot. But the real star is their lunchtime rice bowls. Opt for the Butter Poached Cod ($18), where tender smooth pieces of cod lie in the midst of wakame, oven roasted tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, pickled lotus root, wasabi sprouts, soft centred egg – the result is a kaleidoscope of colours that’s almost too pretty to eat.

MAY MAY
Address: 65 Tras Street
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 11:30am – 3pm, 6:30pm – 11pm

2. Ninja Bowl

Perhaps the reason why the restaurant is named ‘Ninja’, other than its obvious Japanese influence, is the speed at which you’ll find yourself swiftly clearing the contents of your rice bowl. These hearty and affordable rice bowls come loaded with various protein and a slew of healthy greens, making them a great meal option. The Kabuki bowl ($14) is a safe option with seared honey chicken leg, baby corn, pickled beets, an onsen egg and bean sprouts that come together harmoniously in your mouth.

Ninja Bowl
Address: 15 Duxton Road
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 9:30am – 7:30pm; Sat – Sun: 9am – 6pm

3. Aloha Poké

The funky name reflects the brand’s ethos – bringing fun and fresh Hawaiian flavours into Singapore. They specialise in poké, which for the uninitiated, is a traditional Hawaiian dish where raw seasoned tuna is tossed with sesame seeds, sweet onion and scallions. Served with fresh salad greens, squeeze the wedge of lime provided to awaken the fresh tropical flavours of this dish. This light meal (from $11.90) makes for a great healthy lunch option for all sashimi lovers out there.

Aloha Poké
Address: 92 Amoy Street
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 11pm

4. Tendon Ginza Itsuki

The snaking queue outside this eatery in Tanjong Pagar is testament to the popularity of its tendon – a one-bowl soul food filled with various ingredients deep fried to a delectable golden brown. Step inside and you’ll see most people indulging in their Special Tendon Set ($13.90), where prawns, chicken and vegetables are prepared tempura style. Don’t forget the oozing tempura half-boiled egg that’ll make for a great sauce coating. This might sound like an indulgent bowl of fried food, but you’ll have little regrets once you start eating.

Tendon Ginza Itsuki
Address: 101 Tanjong Pagar Road
Opening hours: Mon – Sun: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10pm

5. Grain Traders

The open interior and open-spaced kitchen makes Grain Traders a welcoming place for a healthy and hearty meal option. Personalise your very own nutritious lunch with their Build-You-Own-Bowl ($16) and choose from the various protein and vegetables that’s freshly prepared in batches. Expect charred furikake corn, seared marinated tuna, apple kimchi and other mouth-watering selections. The only thing you’ll need to worry about is holding up the queue when attempting to choose from their extensive variety.

Grain Traders
Address: 138 Market Street, #01-01/02/03
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 8am – 8pm

6. Nosh

I’m thinking that the restaurant aims to provide nourishing food in a posh setting judging from the earthy wooden furnishing and wholesome menu. Don’t be too quick to dismiss the Yakitori Salmon ($24) as yet another Japanese fare. Nosh brings the usual Japanese flavour up a notch with their thick chunk of salmon resting on a bed of sweet coconut rice and topped with vietnamese caramel, creating a salty-sweet dish that’s unlike any brunch item you’ve had before.

Nosh
Address: 9 Rochester Park
Opening hours: Tue – Fri: 11:30m – 10:30pm; Sat – Sun: 10:am – 10:30pm

7. Superbowl

Inspired by donburis, Superbowl is a concept eatery specialising in rice bowls that are outstandingly fresh and delicious. Their Super Fish Bowl ($20) is the ultimate dish for sashimi lovers, where a selection of salmon, tuna, swordfish and scallop sashimi sits comfortably above a bed of short-grain rice and crowned with a spoonful of fish roe.

Superbowl
Address: 8 Circular Road
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 11:30am – 3pm

8. The Refinery

The minimalist industrial interior of The Refinery plays host to a restaurant/ bar and a co-working space upstairs. I don’t know about you but if I have a restaurant that serves this Gyuniku Donburi ($15) right below my workspace, I’ll have to resist having it for lunch every other day. With fragrant truffled shimeiji mushrooms, shredded tare marinated beef and a runny onsen egg, this rice bowl that’s punctuated with scallions is a well thought-out dish that’ll have you coming back for seconds.

The Refinery
Address: 115 King George’s Ave
Opening hours: Tue – Thu: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 12am; Fri: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 1am; Sat: 11am – 4pm, 6pm – 1am; Sun: 11am – 4pm

9. Tanuki Raw

Our last restaurant is a heavyweight when it comes to the rice bowl scene in Singapore. Touted as one of Singapore’s best lunch bowls, Tanuki Raw dishes out affordable meals as well as alcoholic drinks. Order the crowd favourite – Truffle Yakiniku ($18) – which features slices of US angus beef short ribs pan seared to perfection and drizzled with truffle soy sauce that’ll make a great accompaniment to the mixed rice.  

Tanuki Raw
Address: 181 Orchard Road
Opening hours: Mon – Sun: 11am – 10:30pm

With these photogenic rice bowl options, you’ll have to remember to put down your phone and actually get to eating the meal before it turns cold. Boasting the complete package of both looks and taste, you’ll soon find yourself falling head-over-heels for these rice bowls. 

(Header image: Also read: Food Trend Alert! Are Over The Top Fries The Next Food Craze?

Here’s An Ingenious Way To Easily Save 10% Off Your Dining Bills

When it comes to the end of the month, some of us always have issues with ‘meal budgeting’ (read being broke and hungry).  An eat-out meal can easily cost up to $25 per person and all that MSG from 3 servings of instant noodles per day isn’t the best idea.

Fortunately, at Discover SG, we understand the pain of not being able to enjoy good food! We’ve teamed up with HollerOut, a referral marketing app with some of the best meal deals in town, to bring you 10% discounts off some of your dining bills.

Here are 6 irresistible deals that will do your wallet a big favour. The best part? You will even get rewarded, monetarily, when you refer friends! Read on to find out how this works.

10% off your dining bills at these 6 places

1. Sin Lee Foods

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Tired of the usual brunch food? Head over to Sin Lee Foods for a one of a kind menu. This cafe boasts beautiful aesthetics and unique creations such as Salted Egg Sweet Potato Fries, Aburi Broccoli, Mentaiko Crab Mantou and many more. The talents of Sin Lee were trained in New York and French kitchens and yes, they sure know a thing or two about flavours.

Sin Lee Foods
Address: Blk 4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee #01-164
Contact number: +65 6377 3170
Operating hours: Tue-Fri (11am-9pm), Sat (9.30am-9pm), Sun (9.30am-6pm)
Website/Facebook: Sin Lee Foods
HollerOut deal: 10% discount with $50 min spent (code: DISCOVERSG)

2. Maison Ikkoku

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What do you get when you combine all day breakfast, gourmet sandwiches, and specialty coffee? And on top of that, a cafe that switches into a cocktail bar when the sun sets. I don’t know what you have in mind but that sure sounds like Maison Ikkoku to me. Located near the Arab Street district, this is the kind of place to dine at after some hipster shopping at Haji Lane.

Maison Ikkoku
Address: 20 Kandahar Street, 198885
Contact number: +65 6294 0078
Operating Hours: Mon- Thu (9am-9pm), Fri – Sat (9am-11pm), Sun (9am-7pm)
Website/Facebook: Maison Ikkoku
HollerOut deal: 10% discount with $50 min spent (code: DISCOVERSG)

3. Rochor Thai

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No flavours are more appetising than sour and spicy and you sure can depend on Rochor Thai for some seriously appetite-arousing Thai dishes in Singapore. Initially a small eatery at Rochor Centre in 2012, this Thai restaurant has successfully charmed many tastebuds with their authentic flavours and is now established firmly at Thomson Road.

Rochor Thai
Address: 275 Thomson Road #01-03 Novena Regency 307645
Contact number: +65 64403270
Operating Hours: Mon- Thu (11.30am-2:30pm, 6:00pm-9:30pm), Fri (11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm- 10pm), Sat-Sun (12pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm -10pm)
Website/Facebook: Rochor Thai
HollerOut  deal: 10% discount with $50 min spent (code: DISCOVERSG)

4. On The Table

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Feeling down? Maybe what you need is comfort food prepared with TLC – carefully crafted coffee and some sweet handmade desserts. Look no further, you can get it all at On The Table. Located at Pasir Panjang, this cosy cafe dishes out the best comfort food in generous portions.

On The Table
Address: 118 Pasir Panjang Road, 118541
Contact number: +65 9780 8094
Operating Hours: Tue-Thu (11am-10pm), Fri (11am-10:30pm), Sat (10am-10:30pm), Sun (10am-100pm)
Website/Facebook: On The Table
HollerOut deal: 10% discount with $60 min spent, $5 referral fee (code: DISCOVERSG)

5. The Laneway Market

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From casual breakfast to dinner mains, you can count on The Laneway Market for a hearty dining experience. Everything on their menu looks super yum and if you’ve no idea what to choose, we suggest you go for the Dashi Risotto, Truffle Fries or Wagyu Beef Cheeks Aglio Olio. And did we also mention that they bake their own pastries?

The Laneway Market
Address: 266 Tanjong Katong Road Singapore 437053
Contact number: +65 6719 8832
Operating hours: Wed – Sun, 10am-9:30pm
Website/Facebook: The Laneway Market
HollerOut deal: 10% discount with $40 min spent (code: DISCOVERSG)

6. Brother Bird

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Artisanal soft serve ice cream, home made rice donuts (mochi) and a HollerOut discount… need we say more? Just call your friends and head to Brother Bird at Bali Lane. They serve some of the prettiest looking ice cream in town but the matcha mochi balls… literally BURST with matcha lava!!

Brother Bird
Address: 30 Bali Lane Singapore 189866
Contact number: +65 9800 7628
Operating hours: Wed – Mon (12pm-10pm)
Website/Facebook: Brother Bird
HollerOut deal: 10% discount with $55 min spent (code: DISCOVERSG)

How do I use the discount code? Introducing HollerOut

What exactly is HollerOut all about? Basically, HollerOut encourages word of mouth recommendation for cafes and restaurants with a promo code concept.

For example, when I visit Brother Bird, I’ll key in the code ‘DISCOVERSG‘ on the app to get my 10% discount with a minimum spend of $55. After that, I’ll automatically be an ambassador for Brother Bird and will have my very own promo code, which I can share to my friends.

When my friend uses my promo code at Brother Bird, I will be rewarded with a referral fee of $5. Simply, you’ll get a discount by quoting someone else’s code and you’ll even be rewarded monetarily if your referral code is used by your friend.

Can’t wait to enjoy the 10% discount off your dining bill at these 6 places and more? Just follow the following steps to great discounts (and extra pocket money):

1. Download the app (iOs / android) and visit a partner merchant mentioned above
2. Open the merchant’s page in the app, click on ‘Promo Code’
3. Key in ‘DISCOVERSG’ as promo code and pass the phone to the merchant, who will validate the promotion.
4. After a successful transaction, the merchant will give the discount, and in the ‘Home’ tab, you will see a ‘+$5’ in your credit (which you can withdraw anytime)

With nothing to lose, and everything to gain, what are you waiting for? Download the app and go cafe hopping with your friends while enjoying discounts and getting rewarded!

*Referral fee differs from place to place. It isn’t always $5.

Brought to you by Discover SG x HollerOut

(Header image credit: calvinteng, words by editor)

Also read: Join In One Of SG’s Biggest & Best Bazaars – The Market Hop

5 Best Places To Try Famous American-Chinese Dishes In SG

When I first tried American Chinese food in New York last year, I remember standing in front of the ordering counter feeling a little indignant.

I’ve heard a lot about the cuisine, from TV, movies and popular culture, and as someone with more than two decades of experience eating Chinese food, albeit it being more Singaporean or Malaysian Chinese than anything, I thought that the takeout boxes weren’t going to be any good. “It’s fake Chinese food, isn’t it?” I thought to myself. You know, how authentic can it be when the recipes are edited to suit the American palette?

After my first bite, all my preconceived opinions of American-Chinese food were thrown out of the window. Never mind the authenticity. The food was delicious. Every bite left me wanting for more. I had no complaints, only compliments.

Months after returning to Asia, I still crave for American-Chinese food. If you’ve never tried American-Chinese food, here are 5 pretty authentic dishes and places to try them in Singapore.

General Tso’s Chicken

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Named after Zuo Zongtang, a general in the Qing Dynasty who fought many revolts and wars, General Tso’s Chicken is the poster child of all American-Chinese dishes. But don’t be fooled; the General himself, who came from the Hunan province in China, has never tasted this saucy, broccoli and cubed chicken recipe.

If you are interested, you could even watch The Search for General Tso, a documentary film detailing the origins of this tasty chicken dish, to find out more about how it came to be so popular.

Those who have tried this dish would probably liken it to the sweet and sour meat dishes one can find in most Singaporean eateries, even though General Tso’s Chicken is unique enough to get imported onto the menu in China.

Where to try: 

Seletar Hill Restaurant
Address: 16 Jln Selaseh, Singapore 808440
Tel: +65 6483 0348
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 11.30 AM – 2.30 PM, 5.30 PM – 10 PM

Chop Suey

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Literally meaning ‘a mix of broken pieces’, Chop Suey may not seem like the most appealing dish on the menu. Its origins, shrouded in fog, are not yet determined, but some say that it’s the result of a Chinese guest’s kitchen improvisation after an unsatisfying meal while others maintain that it came from Chinese miners putting together leftovers to make themselves a good meal. It is also rumoured to have originated from coastal city Taishan in China, although we can never be too sure.

But if you’re looking to hit that vegetable quota of yours, look to this colourful, diverse plate for some answers.

Where to try:

Chopsuey Cafe
Address: 10 Dempsey Road #01-23, Singapore 247700
Tel: +65 9224 6611
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 11.30 AM – 12 AM, Friday 11.30 AM – 2 AM, Saturday 10.30 AM – 2 AM, Sunday 10.30 AM – 12 AM

Mushu Pork

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Like Chop Suey, Mushu Pork may not look glamorous, but it is still a good mix of stir-fry pork, black fungus, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and zucchini. The Shandong dish has now become a star in America’s Chinese food industry, where it is eaten in the style of a taco or burrito where the pork and vegetables are placed in a pancake with some sauce. Think Peking Duck or Popiah but pork — wrapped and fragrant.

Where to try:

Lokkee
Address: #03-01 Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 6884 4566
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 11 AM – 3 PM, 5.30 PM – 10 PM

Crab Rangoon

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It’s a little harder to find Crab Rangoons in Singapore – oh, so cripsy! – but you’re in luck. W Singapore at Sentosa Cove’s latest promotion will see to it that you eat all the crabs you want. The hotel’s restaurant, The Kitchen Table, will be serving all things crabby every Saturday from 2 April 2016 to 25 June 2016, so you better hurry. More information

6 Irresistible Molten Lava Desserts That Will Melt Your Heart

It seems like we have a penchant for food that flows. From eggs benedict to molten lava cake, and the latest salted egg croissant, we have been lusting over food that oozes with flavour and surprise. It might stem from an innate desire to play with our food, or the simple element of surprise when you cut into your food to reveal something more. 

Regardless the motivation, it’s worth noting that being soft-hearted isn’t exactly a bad thing anymore. Here’s a list of places you can pop by should you feel like indulging in this new trend of molten goodness!

1. Non Entrée Desserts

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Redefining how desserts are being served is Non Entrée Desserts, a cafe that brings you innovative treats. Perfect for when you’re craving something more than the usual ice cream. As testament to their popularity, there are countless Instagram videos of people digging into their dessert creations.

Video Credit: nonentreedesserts

The Matcha Avalanche is as dramatic and exciting as it sounds. A warm matcha lava cake is perched on top of a bowl, sitting vicariously on a brittle of almond nougatine. Slice into the cake and watch the azuki beans fall onto a scoop of roasted green tea gelato and chocolate soil. The result is a burst of complementary flavours and textures.

Non Entrée Desserts
Address: 204 Rangoon Road, #07-05
Opening hours: Tue – Thu: 2pm – 10pm; Fri: 2pm – 11pm; Sat: 12pm – 11pm; Sun: 12pm – 10pm

2. Fatcat Ice Cream Bar

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No stranger to innovation, Image Credit: @dianaaatan[/caption]

Another dessert that’s bursting with ooey gooey goodness is the Salted Egg Charcoal Choux. Peel back the warm crispy shell to reveal molten salted egg sauce that serves as a great counterpoint to all the sweet treats.

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar
Address: 416 Bedok North Avenue 2, #01-25
Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thu: 1pm – 9:30pm; Fri: 1pm – 10:30pm; Sat: 12pm – 10:30pm; Sun: 12pm – 9:30pm

3. Ollella

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Forget eclairs. These adorable cream puffs are almost too delicate and pretty to eat. At Another crowd favourite will have to be the striking Raspberry Choux that tastes as good as it looks. It comes in a gorgeous hue of red, filled with raspberry vanilla cremeux and topped with fresh raspberries.    

This place requires no further introduction. After being featured by Insider Food, the video of The Bakery Chef
Address: 161 Bukit Merah Central, #01-3711
Opening hours: Mon – Thu, Sun: 10pm – 7pm; Fri – Sat: 10pm – 9pm

5. Mr Baguette

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Bread bowls are usually filled with hearty stews or cheesy dips. But at Mr Baguette, they fill their mini bread bowls with a range of oozing sweet options like chocolate and egg custard. A humble stall at Golden Mile Food Center, these dessert bread bowls might just be the next big thing.

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One of their most popular options is the Red Velvet Lava; the baguette surrounds a pool of decadent red velvet mixture made of beetroot, chocolate, cheese, yogurt, and buttermilk. Who knew that baguettes could be made into such sinful creations.

Mr Baguette
Address: 505 Beach Road, #B1-51
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 12pm – 7:30pm; Sat: 12pm – 8pm

6. Neato

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They might be called cream puffs on Besides the usual milk custard and matcha, Neato also serves up a grey custard puff that’s literally bursting with bergamot fragrance.

(Header image: Read also: The Prettiest And Most Elaborate Customised Cakes We Have Ever Seen In Singapore!