PasarBella @ Suntec City had recently seen a revamp — the days where the hipster food court is seen as a cool hangout is seemingly over since a couple of years ago, and especially hard hit after the Circuit Breaker; there is no longer the extended dine-in area that is situated outside by the aisles of the shopping mall, and the renovation has seen the removal of the drink stalls in the middle of the food court in favour of more dine-in seats. But with the revamp, PasarBella still sees a couple of stalls operating within its premises, such as Wolf Burgers and Cajun on Wheels.
Bowl of Fun is the newest addition to the food court; occupies the former location of where An An Vietnamese Street Kitchen used to be. Offering Japanese-inspired bowls, the Umami-Oink features elements such as Chashu and Miso, whilst also offering other interesting rice bowl options such as the Duckz which sees elements such as Confit Duck and Plum — something I skipped on considering there was a waiting time involved and I was rather famished by the time I visited them.
Despite being a dish that featured Chashu, the Umami-Oink’s aesthetic somewhat reminded us of the popular Roast Beef Don that we have had from Gyunami some time back — a mound of rice encased by flame-torched pork slices. Really enjoyed how the slices of pork are so thinly-sliced; so juicy and tender, while the Miso marinade seem to give it a saltish and earthy note that attempts to cover off the meatiness, if any. Liked how the meat does not carry a distinct porky stench, and the sous-vide egg yolk provides for a silkier touch as one mixes the runny yolk into the mound of rice, gelling up the short-grain rice with the meat. The rice also comes aptly flavoured in a lightly savoury sauce — makes the rice fairly easy to finish. Each rice bowl also comes with a side salad that comes dressed in a roasty Goma dressing, whilst also accompanied with a bowl of Miso Soup that comes with seaweed and diced tofu; fairly standard stuff, but good to have. The staff at the counter also recommended us to have the Umami-Oink with Japanese chili powder, which we sprinkled atop for a lightly spicy kick.
PasarBella @ Suntec City probably will never returned to the same level of buzziness that it once had in its heydays, but these days, it does seem like a more appealing option to spend a quiet dinner alone at — Bowl of Fun possibly being the stall I would go for (I have yet to try 8 Salad St. and Cajun on Wheels at this location, however). Do really wish that the folks at a Bowl of Fun could weather out the challenges of being in this location though; it’s a decent option that I wouldn’t mind dining at if I hadn’t yet figured out where to go around here.
