Make a pit stop at Ninja Bowl for Japanese-inspired food bowls and all-day brunch items
Photos: Ninja Bowl
The hearty and flavourful all-in-one food bowl has become a must-have for the busy city dweller.
From customisable bowls where you can pick your own grains and proteins, to refreshing Hawaiian poke (raw fish) bowls, they have one thing in common — they’re relatively healthy and fuss-free.
Bowled Over By Japanese Flavours
The Genki stood out for its tender and meaty slabs of yaki unagi.
Ninja Bowl is one of the latest dining concepts to offer such food bowls.
Their ‘ninja bowls’ include Japanese staples such as aburi chashu (torched pork belly) and yaki unagi (grilled eel).
Of the options, the Genki ($16) bowl stood out for its tender and meaty slabs of yaki unagi. Coated with a sweet-savoury homemade marinade, the unagi was the star of the bowl. Sides like Korean mung beansprouts provided a pleasant crunch while chunks of roasted pumpkin added natural sweetness.
The interesting thing about these food bowls is that they are initially offered carb-free on the menu, perhaps to encourage a lighter and healthier option. Diners have the options of padding them up with quinoa, orzo pasta, or a proprietary rice blend.
Tasty And Instagrammable
The Kabuki comes filled with tender pieces of deboned chicken thigh marinated in miso, soy sauce, garlic and honey.
Instagram-loving foodies will be happy to know that most of the bowls come topped with a glorious onsen (Japanese hot spring) egg that bursts forth with golden yolk upon a prod of the fork.
Another great choice is the Kabuki ($14) bowl, which comes filled with tender pieces of deboned chicken thigh marinated in miso, soy sauce, garlic and honey, accompanied by baby corn, homemade pickled beets and more.
Each morsel of chicken features wonderfully crisp skin, by virtue of its cooking process — sous-vide before being seared for a smoky finish.
All-Day Brunch
The sight of Fancy French — a thick-cut brioche filled with homemade fig jam, made our eyes light up.
If food bowls aren’t up your alley, go for their all-day brunch items instead. The Ebisu ($18) bowl takes the familiar and comforting flavours of seafood stew and transforms it into a delightful dish of seared Hokkaido scallops and mussels cooked in an umami-filled miso cream sauce. Best of all, the dish comes with two chunky slices of bread to mop up the cream sauce.
Even though we were well satiated, the sight of Fancy French ($16) — a thick-cut brioche filled with homemade fig jam, made our eyes light up. Buttery, soft and drizzled with honey that’s been infused with umeboshi (pickled plum), it was a satisfying end to our meal.
Ninja Bowl, 15 Duxton Road.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of Weekender, Issue 156, July 22 – August 4, 2016, with the headline ‘One bowl wonders’.
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