Looking for healthier lunch options? Grain bowls are a delicious and wholesome way to get all your nutrients in one place, especially if you can pick and choose what goes into your bowl. Loaded with complex carbs, lean proteins and lots of veggies, they’ll leave you feeling satiated for longer, so you don’t end up feeling peckish so soon.
While you can certainly pull together your own grain bowl, these cafes and takeaways will make life so much more convenient for you, especially on busy working days. We roundup 11 best grain bowl options in Singapore:
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Thinking of going on the Mediterranean diet? This fast-casual Greek eatery that just opened in November 2019 will make it a breeze for you. Supergreek’s repertoire includes eight delicious and thoughtfully curated souvlaki grain bowls that contain less than 600 calories each, which can also be enjoyed in the form of pita wraps or salads. Did we mention they’re easy on the wallet too?
Take your pick from seafood-inspired bowls like the Roasted Barramundi ($12.90) (pictured) with quinoa, mashed potato, roasted veggies and a lip-smackingly good homemade Parmigiano sauce with walnuts; to meat-laden ones like the Flame Grilled Steak ($13.90) featuring premium roast beef with housemade Tzatziki and hummus, brown rice, sweet potatoes and more; to 100 per cent plant-based options like The Roasted Vegan ($7.90) that’s light and refreshing.
All of these nourishing combinations are the brainchild of Supergreek’s head chef Altin “Alex” Mata who has 20 years’ experience running his own restaurants in Athens, Greece, so you know you’re getting an authentic experience. What’s more, the eatery even serves up housemade Greek yoghurt that’s as close to the real deal as you can get.
Supergreek is at #B1-54 Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179103. Visit their website for more information.
Heybo is a new-to-market grain bowl concept located at the newly-revamped Republic Plaza. Serving up Asian-style bowls at wallet-friendly prices (from $9.90), it’s created by the same people behind well-known salad chain SaladStop. You can choose to build your own bowl from an assortment of over 50 toppings, which include unique options like avocado edamame dip and Impossible meat patties. If you’re really pressed for time, simply pick from their array of signature bowls, such as Shibuya Nights (a soba-based bowl with baked salmon, onsen egg, furikake and more), or Mighty Mekong (featuring mixed grains, baked chilli dory, thai basil tofu, pineapple tamarind and more).
Psst, there’s even kombucha on tap to complete your healthy meal!
Heybo is at #01-04/05 Republic Plaza, 9 Raffles Place. Visit their website for more information.
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 one that is served with brown rice and an Asian-dressed salad ($7.50). There is also a laksa bowl with barramundi and brown rice glass noodles ($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.
YOLO is at Icon Village, 12 Gopeng Street, Singapore 078877, tel: 6221 3029 and two other locations. Visit their website for more information.
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 come to sauces, ask the friendly servers for recommendations; there are always vegan and gluten-free choices should you need them. Add further flavour with seasoning such as furikake and chilli and you have a winning meal for $16 onwards.
Grain Traders is at #01-01/02/03, CapitaGreen, 138 Market Street, Singapore 048946, tel: 6384 6559. Visit their website for more information.
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.
The Salad Shop is at #01-20, UOB Plaza 2, 80 Raffles Place, Singapore 048624, tel: 6536 3686 and #01-03, 79 Anson Road, Singapore 079906, tel: 6534 8068. Visit their website for more information.
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 Bukit Timah’s Atlas Coffeehouse. 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.
Atlas Coffeehouse is at 6 Duke’s Road, Singapore 268886, tel: 6314 2674. Visit their website for more information.
A variety of base grains like bulgur, whole-grain penne and sweet potatoes, and delicious proteins like their Monstreal skirt steak and grilled chicken breast, are what make TDC’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. Our only gripe with The Daily Cut is that they use too many environmentally-unfriendly disposables. Prices start from $9 for a petite bowl.
The Daily Cut is at #B1-31, One Raffles Place, 1 Raffles Place, Singapore 048616 and three other locations. Visit their website for more information.
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 and at Three Buns at The Quayside is their ‘healthier’ version of a typical poke bowl. The Pokemon ($19 to $20) 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.
Potato Head Singapore is at 36 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089143, tel: 6327 1939, while Three Buns is at #01-01, 60 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238252, tel: 6909 7838. Visit Potato Head’s website here and Three Buns’ website here for more information.
For a healthy bowl that will cause serious #brunchenvy, Carrotsticks & Cravings’ two outlets 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 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.
Carrotsticks & Cravings is at 75E Loewen Road, Singapore 248845 and #01-34, 7 Rodyk Street, Singapore 238215. Visit their website for more information.
Whatever your 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.
Haakon is at #01-11/12, 1 Raffles Place, Singapore 048616 and three other locations. Visit their website for more information.
At last count, there were at least eight spots in town serving Hawaiian-style poke bowls, but here is why Aloha Poke is one of our firm favourites. 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.
Aloha Poke is at 92 Amoy Street, Singapore 069911, tel: 6221 6165 and seven other locations. Visit their website for more information.
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Text: Priyanka C. Agarwal & Elizabeth Liew
This post was updated on January 12, 2020.
- TAGS:
- cbd
- Diet
- grain bowls
- healthy eating
- lunch