With health-consciousness on the rise, everyone’s obsessed with clean eating these days, but how many can actually make the process enjoyable?
Priding themselves on healthy and wholesome yet yummy food, Lean Bento was one of those places that we had to check out for ourselves.
Just a five-minute walk from Buona Vista MRT lies the little cafe where all you can get your protein fixes from. They also offer delivery services if Buona Vista is too far away from your usual haunts.
Lean Bento is difficult to miss with its distinct cobalt blue exterior and minimalistic interior, and one can easily see that the Japanese culture has strong influences on both their aesthetics and menu. Lean Bento is also halal certified.
We were greeted with an incredible spread and I must say that the dishes were quite the sight for sore eyes. First on the menu was the Herb Aioli Chicken Scrambled Eggs ($11.95).
It came with a pretty huge portion of chicken and protein waffles (because gains, right?). This definitely filled our tummies – perfect if you’re looking for a clean fuel-up before hitting the gym.
Although we understood that the food was meant to be prepared healthily, we all agreed that the chicken could have used more seasoning. There are salt and pepper shakers available though, so you’re free to add some to taste.
Next up was Lean Bento’s take on a burger bento and we had the Cheddar Chicken & Scrambled Eggs Burger ($11.95).
We particularly enjoyed the fluffy sesame-topped bun, so that stood out from the rest. In place of your usual potato fries were sweet potato tater tots, which was quite a refreshing change if you ask us.
The sweet tater tots provided a great contrast to its savoury counterparts on the plate. It also helped that they came bite-sized, so imagine tiny bursts of sweetness.
If there was an award for the “Most Wholesome Dish” of the night, it would be given to the Mega Hero, M2 ($17.95) which boasted Honey Miso Salmon, Cheddar Chicken, Basil Couscous, Cherry Tomatoes, Truffle Edamame, Scrambled Eggs and Mesclun Salad.
I mean, the only thing better than having a huge chunk of protein is having two huge chunks of protein, right? Guaranteed to satiate even the biggest of appetites, the Mega Hero sets really give you a bang for your buck.
However, if you’re more of a light eater then you can always go for the Super Hero ($15.95) or Lean Hero ($11.95) sets, which had fewer components on the plate.
We had a go at H3 ($11.95) from the Lean Hero series, which came with Chilli Chicken, Multigrain Sushi Rice, Scrambled Eggs, Truffle Edamame and Mesclun Salad. This was a very comfortable portion and left us with just enough for the night. We could all agree that Truffle Edamame was the side truly worth going crazy for.
And of course after all that’s been said, if none of these options appeal to you, then you can always choose to DIY your own Bento set starting from $11.95.
Seriously, the possibilities are endless on their extremely extensive menu, and you’ll find yourself wanting to go back to try more because we sure did!
Moving on from their mains, Lean Bento also has some interesting desserts and drinks.
We tried their Iced Matcha Latte ($5.55) and the Iced Chocolate ($4.55). While the Iced Chocolate didn’t offer much to rave about, We did enjoy the Iced Matcha Latte.
For one, it was served unsweetened, allowing the Matcha to speak for itself. We loved how milky it was too, but if you like your Matcha Lattes gao (Hokkien for ‘thick’) then this might not really be your cup of tea, literally.
We also had their Matcha Oatmeal Protein Bowl ($7.95) and if you can’t already tell, this place is pretty big on Matcha, which I would attribute to their Japanese influences.
I was expecting a cold, smoothie-like bowl but when it arrived, I was surprised to see it steaming. Turns out that it was actually a hot protein bowl, which also came unsweetened.
Don’t fret for your sweet tooth though, because they have Coconut Nectar available at their counter for that natural enhancement. Some of us also commented that it would make a pretty great breakfast bowl before heading out for a morning workout.
To round up the night, we were served their Honeycomb Protein Gelato ($4.50) and Chocolate Protein Muffin ($4.50). You can also order them together as a set for $8.50 and we highly recommend that you do!
The warm, sticky consistency of the muffin contrasted really well with the cold gelato, making it a great pairing. Another thing that we loved about the Honeycomb Protein Gelato was the hints of sweetness from the honey, so you don’t get the artificial, in-your-face kind of sugariness.
Overall a very clean feast, we felt adequately full after that and it’s certainly not the kind of meal that will send you spiralling into a food coma. Oh, and one more thing which I personally love about Lean Bento? Their incredibly aesthetic and curated Instagram page.
Expected Damage: $16 – $20 per pax
