One of the most underrated and hidden find I've come across this year is in the form of modern Chinese and Peranakan restaurant called the One Bowl Restaurant INSIDE of The Sultan Hotel located near Haji Lane / Arab St area. That's strange considering how most of the eating places around are halal and this place serves pork and alcohol. However I am not complaining (though parking is a bit of an issue around that area especially on weekends) and am glad for this hidden find!
One Bowl Restaurant
The Sultan Hotel, 101 Jln Sultan, #01-01, Singapore 199002
Daily 11.30am to 10pm
+65 62919020
Reserve on Chope
The decor is quite relaxed, modern and has slight tinges of Peranakan elements, much like the food. Good thing is on week days they are mostly empty so it is great for group gatherings. The ventilation is also adequate as there wasn't any grease smell.
Here's the One Bowl Restaurant menu (click on pic to enlarge) which apparently is more updated that the one on Chope (my friend called to check)! Prices are really AFFORDABLE for the dishes, as you can see - the mains noodles and rice only cost $10.90-$11.90. The Fried XO Mee Sua is probably the priciest at S$16 Small / $18 Large.
We also got a $35 bottle of white wine to share which was such a steal!
For starters we ordered some irresistible char siew sliders (S$2.50 per piece) which was one in a bite. The char siew was juicy, fatty and nicely marinated but its not mind-blowing like the one from Kam's Roast. 3.5/5
There's also the fried chicken wing mid-joint (S$11), which was really tasty and came with its own chili. 4/5
There's also the Signature premium char siew 200g (S$18). We ordered it because it said signature, premium. However this was only just so-so even if the flavour is good! Perhaps the soya sauce chili padi dip was not too apt. Some mustard and plum salt might be better. 3/5
What was yummy was the cold tofu with pork floss and century egg (S$10). The crispy pork floss was hidden in gap you see in that silken tofu block, which was clever. And did I mention, delicious? 4/5
We also tried the Fried XO Mee Sua (S$16 Small / $18 Large) which other than being slightly too salty and having the offending decorational greens on top, was very umami and carbolicious. Definitely something the older folks will enjoy (just tell them to make it less salty, if possible). 3/5
We also ordered a Pig trotters in vinegar with ginger and egg (S$12.90). Unfortunately this was the dud of the night - there just wasn't much flavour in there and felt quite diluted. Definitely falls short in comparison to the home-cooked versions I'm spoiled by! 2/5
Lastly to end off the feast and because we Asia, there's the mandatory rice dish of their Claypot rice (S$12.90). This was not too bad, but again it was not cooked for a long time and you could taste that. There were charred bits at the bottom though and the lupcheong was shiok. 3/5
We also got a trio of desserts - chendol, yuzu sorbet and some ice jelly thing (can't remember). The chendol was the best! Unfortunately I did not take a photo of the prices/menu :P but this is all they have.
All in all a great meal and gathering at One Bowl Restaurant! I will of course recommend anyone reading this to check it out and give them some well-deserved business.
One Bowl Restaurant
The Sultan Hotel, 101 Jln Sultan, #01-01, Singapore 199002
Daily 11.30am to 10pm
+65 62919020
Reserve on Chope