[Supplements] Mala Beansprouts, Japanese Sweet Potato, Smoked Pumpkin
[Protein] Pineapple Prawn, Mala Fish
[Dressing] Thai Lemongrass
-The Review-
I love it when salad bars make little tweaks to their menu, novelty really does go a long way to entice customers to come back. Especially for Grains&Co, I wanted to keep my tried-everything-on-their- menu status.
Mala fans can now satisfy your cravings at a salad bar
Two of my favourites, Korean Beansprouts and Cajun Fish are replaced with Mala Beansprouts & Mala Fish. I wasn’t surprised that both would taste nice because these are some of my preferred mala xiang guo ingredients too.
Prawns at no additional charge
For seafood lovers, Grains&Co brought back their prawn offering. The Pineapple Prawns share the same taste profile as ko lo yuk (sweet & sour pork). It is refreshing, and prawns are the perfect protein to go for if you’re looking for something light.
A new sauce!
My favourite thing on their new menu has to be the Thai Lemongrass dressing. Previously I felt that their dressings were too heavy, hence I tend to have my bowls without dressing. The Thai Lemongrass dressing elevates the bowl with a citrusy taste, without overpowering other ingredients. It’ll definitely be my go-to from now.
My favourite 3x Beansprouts order
I do hope that they update their website with the new menu and its relevant nutrition facts soon!
-Information/Hacks-
Address: One Raffles Place/CIMB Plaza/Fusionopolis/IOI Central Boulevard/MapleTree Business City/Infinite Studios
Hacks: Grains&Co has a new membership system where you key in your number into their tablet when you order in person. You can earn points to offset the price of your future meals.
You can still pre-order for self-collection on their website. Add in the code “20off” for 20% off ($10.32 per regular/gain bowl) your first order. You can also earn points to offset future meals, but note that this is a separate system from the one at the store.
Alternatively, Deliveroo would cost you $10.50 with self-pickup for Plus members, which is the cheapest option across delivery platforms.
The Daily Cut’s new fall menu started in early September, and I am happy to see that they are serving my favourite salad toppings – brussels sprouts and pumpkin. They also do have some very creative offerings like the Thai Basil Tofu (a vegetarian rendition of Kra Pow) which goes very well with brown rice.
Merchandise won from The Daily Cut’s Frame Your Flavours contest for their 10th anniversary celebrations
Newly improved chicken breast
They used to serve their chicken breast in cubed form and it didn’t retain its moisture as well. I’m glad to say that besides improving on their beef since the last time I tried it, they also made changes to their chicken breast. They now serve it in long strips, and it does taste better!
Summer 2024 (Left) vs Fall 2024 (Right) Chicken Breast
Updated macros available
The Daily Cut is the only salad bar that is very prompt with updating their macros calculator. It is already filled with items from their new menu. This time round, the dressing with the lowest calories would be the Ginger Ponzu.
Other information/Hacks: TDC is only available on Deliveroo. The current promotion on Deliveroo Plus is a 15% off self-pickup, making your bowl slightly cheaper than if you were to purchase it in store. If you’re not subscribed to Deliveroo Plus, it would be better to purchase your bowl directly.
This is an indication of the flavours available. They do have some unique salad toppings to choose from, such as the baby octopus. They also nailed the Citrus Ponzu sauce, in fact I do believe that it is the best Ponzu of the salad bars I’ve been to.
It would have been even better if they stuck to the theme by offering Japanese Sweet Potatoes instead of the orange ones. Nonetheless, the sweet potato was cooked well.
Choose at least 3 veges as your “base”
Interestingly, they do not have a “base” for you to choose from. Instead, you create your own base by selecting 3, 4, or 5 vegetables depending on the size of the bowl. I thought the Pumpkin was pretty pleasant, and I like that they served it in wedges.
Lack of non-oily protein option
The Teriyaki Chicken Thigh appeared to be the least oily and hence I selected it. However, I still felt that it was rather greasy and would have preferred if they offered a non-oily protein option. If they are looking to stick to the Japanese theme, they could offer shabu chicken breast slices or even raw salmon/tuna.
Small Serving, but worth it’s price
The bowl added to about 350g, and for 144g of Chicken, $7.90 is quite a steal! Here is a breakdown of the bowl.
144g Teriyaki Chicken Thigh
48g Sweet Potato
24g Romaine Lettuce
78g Pumpkin
20g Edamame
10g Radish Pickles
25g Citrus Ponzu
-Information/Hacks-
Address: International Plaza, CIMB Plaza
Hours: Mon-Fri, 10AM-7PM
Other information/Hacks: Purchasing the bowl directly in store gives you the most value for your money.
I was pleased to find that their toppings were not overly oily. This included the okra, which was cooked to perfection—retaining its crunch and avoiding excessive stringiness that could have overwhelmed the dish.
The raw toppings are exceptionally fresh; a glance at the bar reveals their vibrant colors and quality.
Dressing falls short
The Spicy Korean Dressing I selected tasted like Gochu with water. Would have been better with some acidity (e.g. they could add Korean Apple Vinegar). Would try a different dressing in future.
The chicken breast was average, bordering on the dry side.
Small Serving, but worth it’s price
The bowl added to about 286g, which is alright considering that the bowl is only $7.90. Here is the breakdown of the bowl.
35g Green Coral Base
68g Cajun Chicken Breast
26g Beetroot
37g Purple Cabbage
30g Okra
50g Pumpkin
40g Spicy Korean Dressing
-Information/Hacks-
Address: International Plaza
Hours: Mon-Fri, 10AM-7PM
Other information/Hacks: Do ask for a loyalty card where you can get a membership card for 10% off your purchases for a year after your 12th bowl.
Create Your Own Salad ($7, Mixed Salad Base, 5 Toppings, 1 Dressing) + $1.50 Protein
[Base] Mixed Salad Leaves
[Toppings] Pumpkin, Sweet Potato Cubes, Beetroot, Black Fungus, Lotus Root
[Protein] Smoked Duck ($1.50)
[Dressing] Wasabi Soy ($0.10 separate container)
-The Review-
They have very interesting toppings
It was my first time encountering lotus root and black fungus as options at a salad bar, so I had to give them a try. The black fungus was marinated in vinegar, adding a tangy depth, while the lotus root was crisp and pure. I really enjoyed both. They also offer cauliflower rice at no extra charge, which I’m eager to try on my next visit.
Wasabi Soy Dressing is exactly what it is
Salad bars often use olive oil to create a vinaigrette, so I was pleasantly surprised by their wasabi soy dressing. It was essentially just wasabi mixed with light soy sauce, and it wasn’t too salty. I appreciated that it worked well as a dipping sauce for the lightly seasoned supplements.
Protein portion is quite small
The bowl weighed about 350g, which is decent for a $8.50 bowl. However I felt that the protein portion is too small. Nonetheless it isn’t too expensive to add additional protein into your order.
53g Mixed Salad Base
57g Pumpkin
55g Sweet Potato Cubes
28g Beetroot
27g Black Fungus
40g Lotus Root
38g Smoked Duck
55g Wasabi Soy Dressing
The Salad Corner Menu – August 2024
-Information/Hacks-
Address: PLUS, Tanjong Pagar Plaza, Maxwell Hawker Center
Hours: Hours differ by outlets
Other information/Hacks: You can WhatsApp 81622922 to pre-order for collection at the PLUS outlet.
This is my second visit to SUPERGREEN. I had been eager to return after enjoying my salad so much during my first visit to their Marina One branch. Everything was fresh and crisp, making SUPERGREEN a great choice if you’re after a straightforward, back-to-basics salad bowl. This time, I was in the Tanjong Pagar area and picked up my bowl from the International Plaza outlet.
Quality is different across the branches
When I last visited the Marina One branch, everything was light and perfectly seasoned. However, this time, the broccoli I received was overly salty, with a noticeable clump of salt that hadn’t been properly mixed in.
My bowl from SUPERGREEN at Marina One
The way in which the chicken was sliced was also less tidy and it was a little tougher.
Ginger Soy Dressing is too oily
I anticipated a ginger and soy sauce blend, but it turned out to be more of a ginger and oil mixture. The oil actually filled about two-thirds of the sauce container. After tasting it, I chose not to pour it into my bowl.
Portion is decent
My bowl weighed around 460 grams, which seems like a fair amount for a $10 dish. However, it seems that portion sizes might also vary between different locations. I plan to return to the Marina One outlet to give it another try.
90g Romaine Lettuce
55g Cucumber
45g Purple Cabbage
70g Broccoli
70g Roasted Pumpkin
103g Rosemary Sous Vide Chicken Breast
25g Ginger Soy Dressing
-Information/Hacks-
Address: Cross Street Exchange, International Plaza, Frasers Tower, Arcade, Marina One, SMU, Star Vista, Timbre+ One North
Hours: Hours differ with each branch
Other information/Hacks: Grab Premium’s self pick-up gives you the best offer, allowing you to purchase your bowl for $9.58.
They are also on the app Yindii, wherein you can get a surprise bowl at a 50% discount at the end of the day when they are clearing their ingredients. You can use my referral code DKJRMDG2 to get an additional $5 credits after your first order. Note that however you are unable to choose what you want inside your bowl for this.
Walked past this place a few times without knowing that they were also a salad bar.
Ingredients tasted as expected
Essentially, there wasn’t anything I picked that really stood out. The pumpkin was alright, the lettuce was fresh, the dried cranberries are as they are. Was pretty excited to try their Smoked Chicken Breast because its rarely offered at salad bars, but that was average.
The purple sweet potato was baked too dry.
They were likely to be cooked at one temperature and exposed to the heat for too long. To perfect roasted potatoes, you should only bake it exposed for 15-30mins (depending on the size) before covering the potatoes (either with a foil or in a pot) and lowering the heat to let the potatoes steam. That is how you maintain the moisture inside baked sweet potatoes.
The dressing is quite light
There wasn’t the option to have my sauce in a separate container on the ordering platform (which I go for in case the sauce ends up being too heavy). Luckily I managed to ask for less dressing before they poured too much in. Fortunately the Yuzu Soy Ginger sauce wasn’t heavy nor was it too oily as well!
Prices are before GST
The portion of each item is decent, but overall $14 for a 485g bowl is on the slightly pricier side, especially since most of the ingredients do not require too much preparation.
90g Lettuce
115g Smoked Chicken Breast
100g Sweet Potato
140g Pumpkin
20g Yuzu Soy Ginger Dressing
20g Cranberries
The Autobus Menu – August 2024
-Information/Hacks-
Address: OUE Downtown 2 #01-01
Hours: (For Salad) Mon-Fri, 11AM-3PM
Other information/Hacks: If you have Grab Premium, that would be the best option as my bowl would cost me $13.08 instead of the $14.17 when I purchased in store.
[Dressing] Tom Yam Dressing (and the owners wanted me to try their Seafood Dressing as well, so I had both)
[Protein] Baked Chicken Breast
-The Review-
This has become my new favourite when it comes to Thai flavours. They really nailed the flavours, it is no wonder because the owner/chef is Thai. What is even more amazing is that the salads did not feel like they were missing anything despite being vegan (which means they don’t use fish sauce, a standard ingredient that usually makes up the taste profile of Thai salads).
Ingredients are crisp and fresh
I was lucky to see her preparing the salads because I arrived quite early in the day. The owner shared that everything is prepared fresh daily, and it really does show! The green papaya is crisp, and the mint leaves in the mushroom salad really adds a nice refreshing touch to it.
She really put in a lot of effort into her salads, they were well balanced with no ingredient being too overpowering. Choosing fried garlic chips for your topping really elevates the thai flavours as well.
Chicken breast is cooked very well!
It still had a bite to it while maintaining its juiciness and tenderness. I actually tried two other salad bowls’ chicken breasts on the same day and this was the best.
I am really looking forward to try their other protein options.
Seafood sauce is a good lower-calorie option
The Tom Yam dressing is very tasty, although it is on the oily side. I’m thankful that the owner asked me to try the seafood sauce because it is a lot lighter and blends even better with the salads I chose.
The serving is very generous for its price
The bowl added to about 500g, with 105g of protein. Here is the breakdown:
105g Baked Chicken Breast
90g Green Papaya Salad
160g Mushroom Salad
100g Lettuce
5g Garlic Chips
40g Dressing
Thai Salad Bowl Menu – August 2024
-Information/Hacks-
Address: 138 Robinson Rd, Oxley Tower, #02-30
Hours: Mon-Thu, 11:30AM-3:30PM
Other information/Hacks: Do ask for a loyalty card where you can get a membership card for 10% off your purchases for a year after your 12th bowl.
Petite ($8, 1 base, 2 raw + savouries, 1 protein, 1 crunchy, 1 dressing)
[Base] Kale
[Raw/Savouries] Beetroot, Shredded Slaw
[Protein] Herb Chicken
[Crunchy] Apple
[Dressing] Lemon Tahini
-The Review-
Premium base at no added cost
Kale and Baby Spinach doesn’t come at any additional cost here! I have also tried their Pearled Barley, it’s a very good alternative to the usual grains!
Simple toppings are best
No-frills options like apple, beetroot etc. are what I like about Habit. The herbed chicken breast is also tender and well-seasoned.
This is the regular sized bowl I had a while back
The more complex options like the seasoned sprouts fell short because it was too salty. I would have preferred if they used soybean sprouts instead of mung bean sprouts for added texture.
As for the dressing, I’ve only tried the Tahini Lemon and I loved it. It was smooth, and had just the right amount of acidity from the lemon.
Decent portion of protein
The weight of the Petite bowl is about 380g. This is a pretty decent size for a $8 bowl. You can also pay $4 more for the regular bowl, which gives you an additional base, an additional topping, and an additional crunch. The regular bowl definitely gives more value-for-money but it was honestly too much for me. Here’s the weight breakdown of the Petite bowl I ordered –
160g Chicken Breast
35g Tahini Lemon Dressing
60g Apple
20g Beet
20g Slaw
85g Kale
-Information/Hacks-
Address: One Holland V #01-53 | Icon Village #01-31/32
Hours:
Mon-Fri, 11AM-8:30PM | 11AM-8PM
Sat-Sun, 11AM-8PM | 10:30AM-4:30PM
Other information/Hacks: Yoga Movement members can get a 10% discount in store! It costs a lot more on delivery platforms so I prefer to order in-person.
[Veggies] Green Papaya Salad, Sweet Potato w Fennel
[Side] Cauliflower Pickle
[Topping] Green Sambal Iljo
[Dressing] Homemade Coconut Curry
-The Review-
Vegetarian Option Pad Kra Pow Jackfruit available
They have very interesting proteins. Pad Kra Pao Jackfruit is essentially the vegan/vegetarian renditition of the Thai Basil Chicken. Unfortunately, they left this item out of my order and I wasn’t able to taste it, despite being so excited that I was willing to top up $5 (on deliveroo). I did get my refund in Deliveroo credits after a lot of back-and-forth with the platform, but that’s not Grain Traders’ fault.
Unlike everything else they offered on the menu, their Sous Vide Chicken Breast seemed to be the dish they put in the least effort in. It was disappointingly dry, and lacked finesse.
The 100 Day Grass-fed Beef Parrillada I tried in another order was so much better. It was incredibly tender, almost like braised pork, and beautifully seasoned. This will definitely be my go-to protein option on future visits, although I still look forward to trying the Pad Kra Pao.
Love the wide range of vegetables
Even the base is not the usual Romaine Lettuce, but a blend of Kale and Spinach. The raw vegetables are all crisp and fresh, and the cooked ones are perfectly timed.
A lot of work is needed to prepare each dish because they all have many layers and components. For example, the Broccoli was mixed with Okra and Coconut Flakes. The Cauliflower with Pomegranate & Pistachio. The eggplant was braised with a very light cashew sauce. All presenting a very nice contrast of sweet-and-nutty nodes.
Grain Traders July 2024 Menu – Base, Protein, Veggies
Even the Green Papaya Salad had edamame and purple cabbage in it.
Of the sides, I’ve tried the Cucumber Pickles (made with Kaffir Lime & Mustard Seeds) and the Cauliflower Pickles (made with carrots, tumeric, curry, and curry leaves). Both are refreshing, light, and adds just the right amount of acidity to your bowl. I can’t wait to try the other two as well.
As for the sauces, the Asian Gravy is a Teriyaki/Worcester mix and it was too salty for my liking. The Salsa Verde is a little too oily, although I did give it a taste and it is quite fragrant. I might try the Beetroot Yogurt or the Homemade Coconut Curry in future, but it seems like they are lacking a lighter dressing option.
Grain Traders July 2024 Menu – Sides, Toppings, Base
Small portion for its price.
The portion size is about 400g. They do weigh every component while adding it to your bowl so the portion sizes are fairly consistent. For a $17.50 bowl, this is one of the most expensive salad bowls in town. However, as I mentioned earlier, every dish is complex, made with multiple ingredients and spices/sauces, and the ingredients are of good quality so I felt that the price is quite justified.
95g Sous Vide Chicken Breast
50g Cauliflower, Tumeric, and Curry Pickle
80g Mixed Mushroom
75g Eggplant w Cashew
60g Super Greens
30g Spiced Chickpeas
25g Asian Gravy
[30 Jul 2024 Edit] I finally managed to try their Pad Kra Pow Jackfruit. The Jackfruit was so delicious, and it tastes almost like the texture of pulled pork.
The two remaining pickled dishes (Kimchi & Beansprouts) paled in comparison with the Pickled Cauliflower so that’ll be what I shall pick in my future orders.
The sweet potato with fennel and curry potato with grapes are both very tasty if you’re looking to supplement your bowl with some light carbs.
The homemade curry is also a good option as a dressing. Unfortunately in one of my bowls they forgot to include my Feta Beetroot Yogurt dressing, along with my chili & lemongrass peanut topping. After reaching out to them, one the owners asked me to return for another bowl on the house. I’m looking forward to try the remaining flavours that I’ve yet to explore!
[3 Aug 2024 Update]
Thanks Bryan and Javier for arranging this on the house! I appreciate the effort they put into maintaining their customer service standards.
The Beetroot Feta Yogurt is definitely a good higher-protein dressing, although I have to say the homemade curry is still my favourite. The peanuts are very fragrant, and a good topping to have if you’re looking for a nice crunch too!
I think I made up my mind on a go-to order, edited above. Grain Traders is definitely the place I’d visit when I’m looking to treat myself to a healthy but really tasty meal!
Other information: Upon comparing the various food delivery platforms and their self-pickup discounts, along with Grain Traders’ own website, Deliveroo‘s 25% off is the most value-for-money. If you have Deliveroo Plus, each bowl would cost you only $15.
It was 50% off for a week or so when they first opened their Guoco Tower branchThis would have been $17.50 on their website.This would have been $21.60 on their website.
The Salad Addict 