Bamboo Bowls brings ‘fast Asian food’ to Far East Square

The Seoul bowl by chef Jay Morjaria. Photo: Bamboo Bowls

By Carolyn Teo

Mar 25, 2022 | 4:46pm Singapore time

Those who have no time to lose can grab a healthy bowl spinning out of a pod at this new contact-free sustainable joint.

Bamboo Bowls has partnered with renowned chefs to bring hearty “fast Asian food” to the bustling Far East Square for grab-and-go people on the move.

“When you think about the world we are creating for our children, sustainability becomes an important play. We don’t want our kids to pay the price for our choices – that’s why being eco-conscious will always be an important factor in our company,” cofounder Sonya Sukha said in a news release.

The brand says its food ticks all the healthy-living checkboxes: organic, sugar-free, unprocessed, ethically sourced and low-carb.

They have eight different Asian Bowls that start at S$10 from Bangkok, Saigon, Tokyo, Sichuan, Bombay, Bali, Seoul, and Singapore. They were created by the likes of Bamboo’s culinary director Justin Hammond; Artichoke restaurant’s Bjorn Shen, and the head chefs at Panamericana. International chefs include Jay Morjaria from London, Jowett Yu from Hong Kong, and Nic Philip from Bali.

The store requires customers download its app to order, which can also be done via its website, before coming down. The bowls are then served through a line of collection pods that spin when ready. All bowls and cutleries are made using biodegradable materials.

The Bangkok bowl, created by former Neon Pigeon head chef Hammond, is creamy with organic red coconut rice curry and butternut pumpkin, cashews, spiced mushrooms, and lemongrass chicken.

The Saigon bowl includes Vietnamese rice noodles, a mix of fresh herbs, lemongrass tofu, Vietnamese fish sauce, pickled vegetables, and roasted pork belly.

All options are also available without protein, and the rice and noodle can be replaced with low-carb shirataki noodles or cauliflower rice.

The ingredients contain zero sugars and use monk fruit syrup as a replacement. The sauces, marinades, curry pastes are all homemade.

Their Belachan paste is made by fermenting tempeh for 10 days and then roasting and grinding it into powder to mix with their vegan fish sauce, which is made with kombu, and dried shitake mushrooms.

They also invented their own vegan chicken stock powder – dubbed their “life changing powder” – made with garlic and onion powder, paprika, thyme, and a bunch of other secret ingredients.

It took the team a year experimenting with the sauces to get the right taste and texture, Hammond told Coconuts at a media preview. Trying to change people’s perspective on having plant-based food taste as good is a challenge he’s taking on with the bowls, he said.

The beverages – flavored sparkling water, canned coffee and boxed water – are also sugar-free.

The store also has a composting machine to minimize food waste.