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If you enjoy a tranquil, cosy vibe for dining, I’ve got a hidden gem for you. Now, before you start rolling your eyes at the term ‘hidden gem’, hear me out. Broth Bowl isn’t exactly visible from the main road. It’s tucked away below Onze @ Tanjong Pagar at 11 Kee Seng Street, located behind Tanjong Pagar Plaza.
This cosy 20-seater spot boasts a minimalist design and relaxing music. I immediately felt a sense of calm while waiting for my food to be prepared.
Broth Bowl prides itself with its range of collagen-based broths, all made entirely from scratch and slowly simmered for 6 hours to extract every ounce of natural flavour and goodness.
The menu is also customisable, allowing you to mix and match staple, greens, and proteins for your collagen broth set. Call me biased, but I am skeptical whenever I visit places serving healthy food. Will the dishes here be bland and lacklustre? Let’s find out if Broth Bowl is just a hidden spot or an actual gem.
What I tried at Broth Bowl
We got the ball rolling with the Chicken Soy Milk Set (S$11.90 nett). We selected Battered Fish for our Protein, Inaniwa Style Thin Udon (+S$1.50) for our Staple, and Roasted Broccoli for our Greens.
I took a sip of the seemingly simple, milk-like broth, and my face gave away everything — a sudden lift of the eyebrows and a furrowed brow. My immediate thought was, ‘What kind of delicious magic is brewing here?”
The creamy richness of the collagen together with the distinctive soy milk flavours and robust umami notes of dashi left me completely floored. It was also light enough to be sipped continuously without leaving you feeling jelak.
The udon was the ideal companion to the heart-warming broth, and I immediately slurped my noodles with shameless gusto. You know what they say — the tastier the noodles, the louder the slurp!
The Battered Fish was coated in a paper-thin layer that was light and crispy on the outside, moist and pillowy on the inside. The crowning of the gently tangy and herby chimichurri was absolute genius.
The Roasted Broccoli was charred nicely and served with aromatic fried garlic and earthy kombu crumbs.
Feeling hyped and pleased with the first set, we were more than ready to move on to the Pork Miso Tonkotsu Set (S$12.90 nett). This time, we opted for Black Garlic Pork, Ramen Noodles (+S$1.50), and Charred Cabbage.
We steeped the entire mound of ramen into the hot broth. The noodles were springy and had a satisfying bite. The miso broth was full-bodied and had a well-balanced savouriness.
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The pieces of mouth-watering braised pork belly were well-marinated with a combination of soy and black garlic, giving it an addictive caramelised flavour. The fat-to-meat ratio of each piece was perfect and wasn’t overly fatty, but still managed to be beautifully tender.
The Charred Cabbage was slightly smoky and managed to retain its crunchy elements, with luscious brown butter miso and crumbly kombu crumbs.
The final combo we tried was the Golden Chicken Squash Set (S$11.90 nett), paired with Chicken Roulade, Short Grain & Brown Rice, and Spinach Ohitashi.
I loved how the addition of pumpkin to the roasted chicken collagen broth not only gave it a lovely golden hue, but also added a mellow sweet flavour. Pour the soup over the rice, dunk all the rice in to eat it like ‘porridge’, or dip small spoonfuls of rice into the broth like we did.
I wasn’t expecting much for the Chicken Roulade as it looked very clean and ‘healthy’ but boy, don’t let its plain appearance fool you. Each piece was cooked the sous vide way, which explains how exceptionally moist and tender the chicken was.
A subtle garlic-ginger flavour lightly graced my taste buds and was the perfect complement to the zingy chimichurri.
If you’re a spice lover, don’t forget to help yourself to their in-house made chilli. It was vibrant, and full of garlicky and lime flavours.
The menu isn’t so drab with just collagen soup sets, there are also a few interesting sides and breakfast items.
When I saw Spanish Omelette (S$4) on the menu, I thought to myself, “It’s just a thick omelette with potatoes and vegetables, how good can it be?”
But when it arrived on our table, I spent a good whole minute admiring its ‘construction’ like a Van Gogh painting.
Lo and behold, ladies and gentlemen, the various colourful layers of the omelette. Although it’s made of egg, potato, carrots, broccoli, and purple sweet potato, the varying flavours of the veggies all worked together in perfect unison.
The omelette was topped with Japanese mayonnaise and kombu crumb for an extra layer of texture and creaminess.
If you swing by Broth Bowl between 7.30am to 10am, you can start your mornings with breakfast dishes like the Quinoa, Millet and Pumpkin Congee (S$4.50).
The thick congee is prepared with a trio of grains — quinoa, millet, brown rice, and pearl rice. The hearty concoction has mellow hints of pumpkin and is topped with delectable pieces of chopped meat, sliced red and white cabbage, and a sprinkling of scallions.
This unique dish tasted to me like a fusion of Asian and Western flavours. It’s filling yet light enough to be eaten for breakfast.
Final thoughts
My faith in healthy food has been restored after my visit to Broth Bowl — more people need to know about this secluded gem. Clean and nutritious food can also be yummy — who knew healthy dishes could pack this much flavour?
If you’re seeking rich, collagen-loaded soups and interesting sides, this spot is definitely worth visiting.
Expected damage: S$11.90 – S$19 nett per pax
* This post is brought to you in partnership with Broth Bowl.
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