the bento people, kallang ct hub.
the locale isn't ideal- set in a mall that is pretty empty on a saturday. the entire time, i was the only customer, which made me feel kind of awkward (but that's just me). the food, though, was right up my alley. bought the groupon for the quinoa bowl ($10.80) which came with two vegetable sides and one protein, with an option of topping up $3 to change one vegetable side to a protein. the redemption hours are kind of weird- dinner time on weekdays, and lunch time on saturdays. would've pegged it for more of a quick weekday lunch place, but maybe they're packed with the office crowd on weekdays so they don't offer redemption during that timing.
went up to the counter to order, and service was excellent! the guy was really knowledgeable about each of the sides, giving me recommendations and introducing what went into each side. i took whatever he recommended- namely, the tricolour quinoa "fried rice", ratatouille, steamed kale with nuts and sous vide cajun chicken breast as protein. (was initially planning to get two proteins, and did really order it, until the guy told me i'm the first person to get that. got a shock and chickened out- he was really nice about it, too; showing me a sample photo of the bowl on his phone so i'd have an idea of portion sizes.) i was given one of the buzzers, and chose a seat at one of the communal tables.
was expecting the buzzer to buzz to alert me to collect my bowl, but the guy surprised me by bringing it over instead. it looked delicious even before i ate it, a gorgeous riot of colours. it was just as good as i'd expected- good, clean flavours; exactly the kind of stuff i'm into. especially loved the quinoa "fried rice", which came with pork char siew bits and egg, and none of the grease. the tricolour quinoa brought a delicious nutty flavour- i've have plenty of quinoa, but never like this. it's changed my impression of quinoa as a grain. who knew it could be so versatile? the rest of the bowl was less surprising, but no less delicious. the ratatouille was rich, while the kale salad was lighter, bringing a refreshing contrast. the guy was right when he told me that the sous vide chicken breast was going to be tender, none of that dryness chicken breast is so known for. the sous vide chicken breast was tender and juicy- kind of like wafuken, actually.
they were pretty generous with the portion, especially with the quinoa, making me kind of glad that i hadn't been greedy. i finished every single bite of the bowl and left with a comfortably full tummy. i'll be back to try the bulgogi beef, and to get the quinoa "fried rice" again. i stole a peek at their menu, and it looks promising as well, with interesting small plates and a big bento option. it's one of those places that make me love eating clean, and giving me a fresh perspective on how i can make my own meals as well. love this place- so underrated, yet so good.
the bento people
ct hub
#02-17
http://www.thebentopeople.com
