The Place Located at The Sultan hotel along Jalan Sultan Road, I visited One Bowl Restaurant & Bar with high expectations after reading some rave reviews about the three months old restaurant. Helmed by Head Chef Tammie Loke who is a home cooked turned chef, the interior at One Bowl resembles a very polished and elegant coffeeshop with wooden tables and nice arches ingrained in the building. My only gripe is that it would have been perfect if we can get some natural light in the space.

The Food Local Food takes centrestage at Chef Tammie’s kitchen, where the rather concise menu is made up of the likes of traditional Singapore dishes like Char Siew Noodles, Claypot Chicken Rice and Crispy Prawn Rolls. The other main catch is that all dishes are priced below S$15, which is quite reasonable given the hotel setting.

We started with the Ngoh Hiang (S$13), one of the most representative local side dish around. It is very greasy when served, but I do enjoy the flavourful five-spice meat and prawn roll. The portion is very small though.

The other side dish I was curious to try is the Signature Char Siew in Fried Mantou (2 pieces S$5), which sounds really promising yet sinful at the same time. The portions are mini size fried buns stuffed with a thick slice of char siew meat. Our verdict is a neutral take towards this dish as we find it too oily, while the char siew here does not shine as well as the best dish.

If you only have space for one dish, the Signature Char Siew Noodles (S$9.90) is a must try and definitely my favourite dish here. A noteworthy mention is the noodles, thin in texture and very delicious on its own. It has a very strong egg noodle flavour, though it doesn’t taste anything like the commercialised ones outside. The star ingredient is without surprise the char siew. The pork belly slices are precious as I counted three slices of it in the noodles. The tender texture of the char siew literally melts in the mouth, and there is a slight resemblance in taste to what I remember from my mum’s rare stint in the kitchen.

The other main dish I tried is the Claypot Rice (S$11.90) with salted fish and Chinese sausage. My dining companion was quick to point out that there is no charred flavour in this rendition, something we are used to having at the ones from hawker centres. Although the familiar charred taste is missing, the dish is still enjoyable for me as the black sauce drizzled over the rice is quite good.

Rants If anything, the service lacks personal touch and comes across as mechanical. If this is supposed to remind diners of having a meal at home, a warm service is the first ingredient at least.

Will I Return Again? For its Signature Char Siew Noodles, count me in.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 3/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

One Bowl Restaurant & Bar
101 Jalan Sultan, The Sultan Hotel Lobby,
Singapore 199002
Tel: +65 6291 9020  

Opening Hours
Daily: 11am to 10pm

Ranted by The Ranter