Packed with nutritious goodness, these flavourful bowls let you #eattherainbow with ease. And they are perfect for a post-workout meal.
Packed with nutritious goodness, these flavourful bowls let you #eattherainbow with ease. And they are perfect for a post-workout meal.
GRAIN TRADERS
#01-01/02/03, CapitaGreen, 138 Market Street
Grain bowls are now everywhere, but Grain Traders can be credited for boosting the trend amidst the CBD crowd with their delicious pick and mix options. Build your own bowl with brown rice, soba noodles, quinoa or super greens as a base, and load up on your favourite veggies and proteins – meats come with delicious marinades, and veggies are either warm, cold, pickled, or dressed and always packed with flavour. When it comes to sauces, ask the friendly servers for recommendations; there are always vegan and gluten-free choices should you need them. Add further flavour with seasonings such as furikake and chilli and you have a winning meal for $16 onwards.
HAAKON
Several locations
Whatever your post-festivity diet, there is a meal for you at Haakon. Plus, their four outlets around town ensure that you are never too far away from a grain bowl fix. They do poke (marinated raw fish) bowls, acai and berry bowls, superfood salads, and all-protein meals for those on keto and paleo diets. There are also options to pick vegan choices in several of their bowls, and the addition of carb-free options like shirataki noodles and zoodles are also available. Prices range from $10 to $15 which is great value for the premium ingredients used.
YOLO
Icon Village, 12 Gopeng Street and #01-48 Star Vista
Looking for a healthy bowl that is halal-certified? Yolo has got you covered with their nutritious take on local and Asian staples. They do a lean take on the classic Hainanese Chicken Rice with Brown Rice and Asian Salad ($7.50). There is also Laksa With Wholewheat Glass Noodles and Barramundi ($12.50). Several dishes can be modified to be vegetarian or vegan, and calories per meal range from 300 to 650. If you like their food, you could sign up for their food delivery meal plans to ensure you have calorie-controlled healthy nosh delivered to your doorstep.
CARROTSTICKS & CRAVINGS
75E Loewen Road and #01-34, 7 Rodyk Street
For a healthy bowl that will cause serious #brunchenvy, this should be your ‘go to’. Their menu is packed with healthy eats, many of which can be gluten, dairy and meat-free. The Big Veggie Breakfast Bowl ($26) will fill you up with the healthy goodness of quinoa, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, avocado and poached eggs, and there is always a superfood bowl on their daily specials menu, guaranteed to be packed with nutrition and flavour. They also do non-savoury healthy bowls with fruits, acai berry and more. Prices begin at $14 per bowl.
THE DAILY CUT
Several locations
A variety of base grains like bulgur, whole-grain penne and sweet potatoes, and delicious proteins like their Montreal skirt steak and grilled chicken breast, are what make The Daily Cut’s bowls an excellent bang for your buck. The menu ingredients keep evolving, so regulars keep coming back for more. Some of their non-typical grain bowl toppers include Sichuan eggplant, an onsen egg and toasted coconut flakes. Prices start from $9 for a petite bowl.
POTATO HEAD
36 Keong Saik Road
A place famous for its uber-indulgent burgers and decadent fries may not be the obvious choice for a detox meal — but it is, and here is why. Available on every floor of Keong Saik Road’s Potato Head is their ‘healthier’ version of a typical poke bowl. The Pokemon (from $19) is a bowl of marinated yellowfin, lean tuna akami, radish, tomatoes, avocado and jalapenos, dressed in dashi mayo. Instead of rice, they use organic quinoa which is obviously healthier and just as delish.
ATLAS COFFEEHOUSE
6 Duke’s Road
Finding a healthy meal at a salad bar is easy-peasy, but what if your crew wants an indulgent weekend brunch while you are counting calories? Steer them in the direction of this Bukit Timah cafe. While they will be happy with eggs, pasta and waffles, your Atlas Superbowl ($18) will cause some serious meal-envy. Quinoa is topped with miso-flavoured eggplant, crispy kale, shimeji mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, charred corn and tender, rosemary-flavoured chicken for a wholesome and delicious bowl.
TANUKI RAW
#04-01 Orchard Central and #01-05, Kapok, National Design Centre
This trendy Japanese fusion eatery’s donburis (Japanese rice bowls) are quite popular, but a carb-laden bowl is hardly a detox meal. Luckily, there is an option to switch out the rice for a salad base of romaine lettuce, butter lettuce and cherry tomatoes with ginger dressing. This goes best with their Bara Chirashi Don ($20) of omega 3-packed cubed sashimi and ikura, tamago and ebiko. Another top draw is their Truffle Yakiniku Don ($18) comprising pan-seared US black Angus short rib, onsen egg, truffle soy sauce and actual truffle shavings. Prices begin at $12.50 for their donburi bowls and the menu differs slightly between their two outlets.
THE SALAD SHOP
#01-20, UOB Plaza 2, 80 Raffles Place and #01-03, 79 Anson Road
Don’t be fooled with the name, there’s more than salads to be had here. For a wholesome and healthy meal, pick grains like quinoa or brown rice as a base, and top it up with proteins like garlic and lemon chicken, baked tofu or flame-torched sous-vide beef flank. Our favourites amongst their warm and cold veggie toppings are the egg-white spinach cakes, beetroot hummus and curried cauliflower. Prices begin at $9 for an incredibly good-value bowl.
ALOHA POKE
Several locations
At last count, there were at least eight spots in town serving Hawaiian-style poke bowls, but here is why Aloha Poke is our firm favourite. First off, they have eight locations islandwide, and secondly, they are amongst the very few that serve their raw fish bowls over carb-free cauliflower rice and even over a salad base. Poke toppings are tuna or salmon marinated in different sauce combinations, and even a variety of veggie toppings like sesame tofu and mushrooms. Prices begin at $11 per bowl.
SUPERFUDO
15 Lorong Liput, Holland Village
True to its name, Superfudo sells all things super healthy, while taking pains to ensure taste and texture. It’s not a typical pick and mix salad bar though, you can choose from an all veggie $11 bowl, or go up to a protein-rich meal for $21. Proteins are an interesting mix of turkey, duck, prawns and the usual chicken and beef, with multigrain rice, sweet potato and more for the base. Flavour mix-ins like kimchi, chicken floss and bacon bits add a ton of flavour and texture. Options are often rotated so you never get bored.
PICKLEVILLE
#04-00, 140 Robinson Road
Before you say ‘not another CBD salad spot’, let us tell you why Pickleville is different. Opened by the same folks behind Sarnies, this is a toast-bar by day (for breakfast) and come lunchtime they are a DIY grain bowls specialist, with a selection of over 35 freshly-prepared ingredients with the addition of 10 house-made pickles. These tangy, delicious add-ons are packed with probiotic goodness and add fantastic fermented flavour to your meal. Pickled things include everything from onions and zucchini to pineapple and even eggs. Bowl bases include quinoa and greens, and toppings range from sous-vide chicken and grilled tempeh to avocado with feta. Expect to pay $12 per bowl.
PHOTOS GRAIN TRADERS, THE SALAD SHOP, YOLO, TANUKI RAW, ATLAS COFFEEHOUSE, THE DAILY CUT, PICKLEVILLE, POTATO HEAD, CARROTSTICKS & CRAVINGS, HAAKON, SUPERFUDO, ALOHA POKE
