Boru Boru is a new pop-up located within Candour Coffee. Though the location is a little unorthodox, you’d be willing to overlook that for the surprisingly tasty Japanese rice bowls they offer at very affordable prices.
Being located in Candour Coffee has unexpected perks though — for instance, if you buy a bowl from Boru Boru you can get cold brewed teas for only $3, and regular coffee at $4 from the cafe too as part of the rice bowl set.
We had the Irish Coffee ($8), as well as the Lavender Yuzu Fizz ($6) and Jasmine Pearl Cold Brew Tea ($3 as part of the set, $6.50 original price).
The drinks were surprisingly complementary to the bowls. The Lavender Yuzu Fizz was pleasantly bitter and slightly bubbly with the flavours of yuzu and lavender matching each other well.
The Jasmine Pearl was refreshing and had a very strong and pleasant aroma with a light and floral taste, whereas the Irish Coffee is bittersweet, and is a perfect way to end the meal after you’re done eating.
As for our mains, we indulged in the 48° Salmon Boru With Triple Egg ($16.90), Truffle Somen ($13.90), and the Boru Chirashi ($13.90).
We jumped straight into trying the Boru Chirashi ($13.90), and enjoyed it so much. All their rice bowls are made with premium Niigata rice, that is proclaimed by many to be the #1 rice in Japan — it is definitely the best rice we have had, hands down, and we think you would feel the same too.
The rice was sticky, had a pearly texture, and was a lot moister than a lot of other Japanese rice I had. Though it may sound gross to have moist rice, it was actually really amazing with the chunks of salmon, tuna, and chewy octopus we had in this bowl.
The other thing we loved about the Boru Chirashi was the tuna; fatty and cut into thick chunks, the tuna pieces melted in our mouths, and left us wanting a lot more. Perhaps, we will get the Tuna Boru ($13.90) the next time we are here.
We also loved the Truffle Somen ($13.90), the Japanese wheat flour noodles had an amazing texture and were coated evenly in truffle oil. Served chilled, it was easy on the palate.
The somen came with octopus, shrimp, Japanese crabstick, and a heap of flying fish roe. The somen was pretty good, and we suggest you pair it with the Jasmine Pearl Cold Brewed Tea for a refreshing experience.
The 48° Salmon Boru With Triple Egg ($16.90) is perhaps the healthiest dish on the menu; labelled ‘Triple Egg’, it comes with an onsen egg, flying fish roe, and a choice of either caviar or mentaiko.
We chose caviar as we’ve never had it with Japanese rice bowls, however, we were also given another portion of salmon with mentaiko to sample. Having tried both, we would recommend the mentaiko as it complements the salmon so well.
The oozing onsen egg and the seasonal vegetables (we had edamame, corn, and cherry tomatoes) added bursts of juiciness between bites, making it absolutely delicious.
My only qualm is that the salmon tasted a little bit stale with a slightly fishy aftertaste. Boru Boru makes an effort to keep their food fresh though, shipping in their seafood every other day. And given that we’re in Singapore, and that these rice bowls are so affordable, I think it’s still a good deal.
We had a great time dining at Boru Boru and sipping on the drinks from Candour Coffee. The food is great, the service is excellent, and I heard that they are extremely packed during peak hours, so grab your friends and head there before or after lunch hours to snag a seat.
Expected Damage: $10 – $18
