ninja bowl, duxton, 2.0.

time really flies- my previous visit to ninja bowl was more than a year ago! i told myself that i was going to return, but as usual life got in the way. finally made my way back because chope was offering a diners' choice tasting menu, consisting of a starter, main and dessert. sounded like a good deal, so i made a reservation and headed over.

i was there at about one-thirty, but there were still plenty of people, to my surprise. i placed my order at the counter and took a seat at one of the high chairs.



the starter, a mini version of the ebisu, came quite quickly. pan-seared hokkaido scallops, mussels and toast in miso butter cream- really, nothing could go wrong with it. the portion was small, so it was alright, but i could imagine it getting too heavy if one were to have the regular portion alone. still, i quite enjoyed the bowl- the scallops and mussels were plump and well-cooked, and the crisp and buttery toast went well with the cream.



the letdown, however, was the main. i remembered liking the unagi bowl i had previously, and so, i was expecting to like the ushi bowl that i got. it came with grassfed flank steak with marmite butter, furikake corn, sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (changed that to pickled beets) and an onsen egg. the bowl came with a choice of base: ninja rice, quinoa or salad greens; decided on the ninja rice. the flank steak itself was cooked medium rare, but it was strangely tasteless, even with the marmite butter. the other sides were okay... but nothing to shout about (perhaps i've been spoilt by the other salad places abound in the CBD). i finished everything anyway, because i was hungry.



the dessert took a while to arrive- probably at least fifteen minutes. it was a miniature version of the fancy french- fig jam french toast drizzled in umeboshi honey, paired with grapes, plums, figs and hazelnut butter. i was slightly apprehensive about it, because it sounded like it was potentially saccharine sweet, but it turned out to be okay. i actually quite liked the umeboshi honey- it wasn't sickly sweet, had a slight tang, and really tasted of umeboshi. the toast itself was pretty good as well. there was the tiniest bit of hazelnut butter that i devoured within two bites. they really should've been more generous with it, because it was pretty good, too.

i felt slightly letdown by the meal. starter and dessert was alright, but the main was disappointing, especially since i liked the other bowl i had previously. maybe it was an off day for them, or maybe i just didn't pick the correct bowl....?


ninja bowl
15 duxton road
https://www.facebook.com/NinjaBowl/