If you happen to work at or around Marina Bay Link Mall, then you should pop by One Bowl Man for lunch.
Though the store focuses on variations of only one dish, wanton mee, their spin on the dish is anything but dull.
The style of cooking incorporates various cuisines, resulting in wanton mee that is definitely one of its kind.
The store looked like a ramen bar, with its long tables and open kitchen. I liked the quirky wallpaper, which had things like “Ways To Use A Bowl”. I chuckled at the examples, because my dad used to cut my hair using a bowl too.
Even as I was admiring the interior, the chef was preparing the food. The sound and aroma of sizzling meat really made me anticipate the first dish.
The Signature XO Wanton Mee With Char Siew ($7.80) came in a rather reasonable portion. With five dumplings, some char siew slices and chopped broccolini on the side, this bowl had everything.
What I first noticed was the dried shrimp paste. Stir it thoroughly into the noodles as the paste tended to clump together. When it’s mixed in well, the spicy and savoury flavours of the paste does wonders to accentuate the overall taste of the dish.
The huge wantons actually bent my plastic spoon under its sheer weight! I liked that the filling was soft had a fairly pronounced XO taste. The flavours tied together really well, and I could also taste subtle pork flavours.
The Signature XO Dumpling Mee With Char Siew ($8.50) is essentially the same, but with the wantons swapped out by the dumplings.
Although this dish was a tad pricier than the first, it was well-justified. The dumplings were so huge that I couldn’t finish it in one mouthful.
The skin of the dumplings was smooth and thin, and the prawn slices were sweet. I also liked how they were slightly peppery and enjoyed the added crunch from the water chestnut bits.
This tantalising piece of char siew! had slightly charred bits and the top layer of melt-in-your-mouth fat. Unfortunately, it was a tad tough, however, I did like that it was sweet with a subtle charred taste.
This definitely wasn’t some run-of-the-mill char siew from an average hawker roast meat stall.
I was stuffed at this point, filled with some of the best-tasting wantons and dumplings I’ve had. But I wasn’t leaving till I’ve tried their Fried Black Truffle Wantons ($10).
The dish comes with 10 pieces and is limited to only 10 sets per day. I was given a sample size of three as I’d be inducing a food coma if I had anymore.
The fried version of the wantons definitely tasted better. The taste of truffles was more pronounced, although it might be overwhelming for some. I did like how the skin was super crispy and thin, allowing for emphasis to be on the filing.
It was a little oily but I could forgive that in light of how these wantons were absolutely fantastic. It’s a real pity only 10 sets are made a day, the dish would definitely yield a pretty penny.
Like I said at the start, I’m undoubtedly green with envy of people would work within close quarters of One Bowl Man. I devoured each dish served with all the fervour of a man possessed. It is evident that much thought has been placed on every ingredient.
I had little to no complaints about anything, from the noodles to the wantons to the char siew. If anything, my only gripe would be how the daily lunch crowd makes me wait a couple more minutes to be served.
Expected Damage: $7.30 – $10 per pax
