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Got to chance upon a new stall that has recently set up shop at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre recently — BRAISSERS RICE BOWL is one of the latest additions to the hawker centre which had seen some tenants move out after its most recent round of renovations not too long ago. BRAISSERS RICE BOWL can be found at one of the corner units that faces out towards Tanjong Pagar Road; its signboard being of a beige background and features the namesake of the stall in a blocky typeface. If one does find the stall setup of BRAISSERS RICE BOWL being oddly familiar to that of another hawker stall named Meat & Rice that is located at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, this is because the stall is run by a former partner of Meat & Rice; in fact, the owner has had his stint working at fine dining establishments prior to becoming a hawkerpreneur. The food that BRAISSERS RICE BOWL serves up on its menu is pretty much identical to what is offered at Meat & Rice as well — the only item being on the menu would be its braised meat rice bowls, with patrons being able to opt for different choices of meats including chicken, pork jowl, pig trotter, and duck breast. There are also a list of add-ons which patrons can opt for their order of the rice bowls at an additional cost.
The Duck Breast was the version of the braised meat rice bowl that had caught our attention when we were skimming through the menu at BRAISSERS RICE BOWL; BRAISSERS RICE BOWL also describes on their menu board that all of the different variants of their rice bowls also comes with rice, egg and salted vegetable. Own thing noteworthy about the rice bowls at BRAISSERS RICE BOWL was the amount of thought that went into the design of each bowl — we did spot that a little bit of the pickled liquid from the salted vegetable was drizzled onto the bed of rice before all the elements are event scooped into the bowl to keep the rice sufficiently moist and not too heavily-flavoured from the braising liquid that goes over it as well. The best way to enjoy the rice bowls at BRAISSERS RICE BOWL is to mix up all the rice and the sous-vide egg to get all of the elements together — the sous-vide egg here comes all wobbly with a runny egg yolk that eagerly bursts as one breaks it with the utensils. Whilst braised duck isn’t a dish that is unheard of, the way that BRAISSERS RICE BOWL prepares their duck breast does seem to differ a little from what one would usually expect — these come sliced in a way similar to how smoked duck breasts typically comes in at other establishments.
The duck breast is especially smooth and tender; not the sort of grainy duck meat that one would expect from a stall specialising in braised duck, but not quite as chewy as smoked duck breast as well. The meat has already absorbed the braising liquid, while more braising liquid is doused atop the rice; the braising liquid here being rich and dense with a deep, savoury note that gave the rice bowl most of its flavour. The addition of pickled vegetables gives the rice bowl a refreshing crunch and a tangy note to cut through the meatiness and savouriness of the dish — an item which we found to be satisfying in the way that it is comforting yet coming with its very own modern twist that is unique to the brand as well. Considering how well-executed the Duck Breast version of their braised rice bowl is, we would most certainly be back to give their Pork Jowl variant a go — one that is recommended by a number of folks whom have also dropped by Meat & Rice in the past. Prices of the braised meat rice bowls at BRAISSERS RICE BOWL ranges from $5.80 to $6.30; the priciest being the Duck Breast rendition that we have had — quite an economical option for the office workers around the vicinity to go for!
