Chengdu Bowl 成都碗 (Marina One)

love it when we do not have to top up extras for fish or beef which some other stalls do

overall a hearty bowl of corn, broccoli, pickled long beans and fish on a bed of rice

the only downside is prob the lack of choices for the bases

Whilst most might be familiar with the Chengdu Bowl location that is situated at Tanjong Pagar Road serving up Sichuan-style Chinese cuisine, these folks had also opened another outlet in the basement of Marina One in late 2023 — it is interesting considering how the folks behind Chengdu Bowl are the same ones whom brought to us other dining concepts such as Numb Restaurant 川麻记 (located at the ground floor of Marina One) and Chengdu Restaurant at Amoy Street. Chengdu Bowl occupies a food kiosk that is located around where one can also find an outlet of Joe & Dough within the same compounds — quite easy to find considering how the kiosk adopts a bright orange colour scheme that is rather attention-grabbing. Considering the circumstances; this also means that the Chengdu Bowl at Marina One offers a more condensed menu as compared to that of the full-sized establishment located at Tanjong Pagar Road considering the lack of space and dine-in seatings in the Marina One location. One could also arguably say that the Chengdu Bowl concept at Marina One is almost a totally different concept from the Tanjong Pagar outpost — the menu at Marina One focusing on its Build Your Own Bowl and Value Set rice bowls and noodles bowls which mainly caters to the takeaway crowd instead. Beverages available at Chengdu Bowl’s outlet at Marina One include Sour Plum Drink, Coke Zero and Lemon Yuzu Tea.

Chengdu Bowl does provide for quite a number of rice bowls and noodle bowls that come with pre-determined sides and protein choices for those whom are looking for a more fuss-free dining experience without the need to deal with making a decision on what to have; that being said, we found the Build Your Own Bowl option more appealing since the protein which we wanted to go for was not part of a rice / noodle bowl item, and the pre-determined bowls feature the same sides across all the items listed — not quite the best way to try out what Chengdu Bowl has to offer considering the variety of sides which they actually have to offer via the Build Your Own Bowl option. Chengdu Bowl offers patrons Build Your Own Bowls in three different sizes; Small, Medium and Large, with each size coming with a variable number of base, sides, proteins and sauces that one can go for. We went for the Small variant of the Build Your Own Bowl option, which allows us to opt for one (1) base, three (3) sides, one (1) protein and one (1) sauce — the choices being White Pearl Rice for the base, Chongging Spicy Chilli Chicken for the protein, Street-Styled Potatoes, Sous-vide Egg, Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms for the sides, and Signature Roasted Chili Sauce for the sauce.

Digging into the bowl, we went for the Chongqing Spicy Chilli Chicken first considering how it was the item that we were looking forward to having the most. Perhaps it is due to how the dishes are left on display for a while at the display counter from the time that it was prepared; the Chongqing Spicy Chilli Chicken was less than spectacular when it came to the texture — the Chongqing Spicy Chilli Chicken carrying a texture that lacks crispness, and is a little limp with a bit of chew, which was rather reasonable given its circumstances though not at the most desired quality given our preferences. That being said, flavours were good with the Chongqing Spicy Chilli Chicken; there was definitely a good proportion of chili and Sichuan peppercorns that gave it a good kick of spiciness with a slight saltishness and also a note of numbness that runs through the tongue. Despite so, the Chongqing Spicy Chilli Chicken might not be the best dish to go for given the nature of the Build Your Own Bowl nature of the establishment; one would find themselves picking out the pieces of chili to segregate them from the rest of the bowl rather than picking out the chunks of chicken to enjoy. We were expecting the Street-Styled Potatoes to come with crisp edges around the sides but the chunks of potatoes felt boiled and seasoned — yet another element that came with a texture that we weren’t quite expecting, especially since these still comes with quite a bit of crunch with them amidst the notes of cumin and spiciness of the chili that tickles the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to lower levels of spiciness. The Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms also did not quite suit our preferences when it came to the texture — they felt a wee bit dry, though its earthy flavours was very distinct to say the least. The Sous-vide Egg came in its separate container; runny egg featuring a molten egg yolk that gives all the elements a silkier touch and binds the entire bowl together when mixed into the whole bowl.

Meanwhile, the Signature Roasted Chili Sauce carried more of a savoury note than an actual hint of spiciness that went well with the rice especially; gives the rice a good texture as one pairs the sauce with it. Generally, it does seem that Chengdu Bowl’s outlet at Marina One caters to that audience that is into a whole new concept of enjoying Sichuan fare — its take of serving up Build Your Own Bowl offerings does allow one to enjoy Mainland Chinese-style cuisine in a more accessible, individually-sized format with the flexibility of going for a variety of dishes that one would crave for; all whilst having the flexibility to go for healthier options depending on the base, side and protein opted for. On the other hand, there will be some whom would draw the similarities between their Build Your Own Bowl offerings to economy rice stalls serving up Mainland Chinese-style dishes; this does make Chengdu Bowl seem a little less value-for-money considering the portion size and the seemingly “atas” vibe that the brand inherently carries. Prices of the Build Your Own Bowl offerings start at $9.80 for the Small-sized bowl, and goes all the way to $16.80 for the Large-sized bowl — this is disregarding the fact that some sides / base options do carry a top-up if opted for; the rice / noodle bowls with pre-selected elements are priced from $10.80, though most rice bowl and all rice noodle bowl options comes with a top-up of $3. A concept with takeaway operations in mind, Chengdu Bowl’s location at Marina One is probably not one to go for to expect top-notch Mainland Chinese fare given how the items are understandably prepared in batches rather than upon order, though it does prove to be a decently-priced (at least in the area it is in) option presenting a fresh take on how Mainland Chinese-style cuisine can be served — all with an attempt to change the impression of how the fare is usually greasy, heavy-handed and unhealthy that is the case for most.