Healthy Options

The food line and pace may seem Subway-esque, but you step into A Poke Theory and you'll be getting the freshest, the tastiest and the best produce. From sizable chunks of premium sashimi-grade fish, healthy toppings like kale chips, housemade spiced cashews, to the sweetest Peruvian pomegranate — step aside salad bars, this may be just the place to head to for a truly healthy and quick lunch. Of the four 🐠 options, my fave's the Spicy Sesame Tuna. It packs just the right amount of punch to stay refreshing and discernible amidst all the other ingredients. Those who like something milder and creamier, yet no less tastier, may enjoy the Avocado Miso Salmon.

I had the braised pork belly bowl with sushi rice at $18++, and topped up $5 for a lunch combo with a lemon pie in a cup and cappuccino. A regular lunch combo would be $2 for desert and ice tea. This was a very tasty rice bowl with options of sushi rice, brown rice or quinoa. Everyone at my table loved what they ordered.

'Katto', which means 'cut' in Japanese, is a counter-service poke joint located a few shops down from The Daily Cut at Galaxis (nearest MRT station is One-North). Choose one of three pre-selected combinations or create your own meal with high-quality fish for under $13. Bowls come in two sizes — Regular ($12.90) gets you two fish and two sides while the Mini ($7.90) gets you one fish and one side. We recommend the brown rice as your base (there's also white rice and salad base), the CRC (chicken rice chili) as your protein — salmon cubes marinated in an all-too familiar spicy sauce, and the unbelievably tasty miso butter corn as one of your sides. Wash it all down with a refreshing Cold Brew ($5.50). Of all the new places selling poke bowls, we've found Katto's to be of the highest quality with the best price point!
Avg price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler Monica Lie

Can't wait to return :)

This place will convince you to ditch that no-carb diet with its amazing grain bowls! Take your pick from soba noodles, to wild rice and a 3-grain mix, and top it with a meat from the selection. The toppings made me spoilt for choice, though I don't quite understand why they have to split the selection into 4 categories (just makes things more difficult!). But everything we chose was delicious, from the carrot & herb salad, sautéed cherry tomatoes, spiced cashews (the best!!!), zucchini & herb salad, onsen egg and the list goes on. I'll be back, definitely!

Up the tastiness and down the calories with Pimp My Salad at Parsabella. Each ingredient is priced differently (you can find the exact prices on the order chit), and this means you can control exactly how much you want to spend on your salad and decide exactly what you want. Here I have paparika corn, shimeji mushroom, chicken breast and chopped vegetables which came up to a total bill of $11. And as much as I expected this to be rather bland, the interplay of flavours were delightful, sans the slightly oversalted chicken breast. Definitely coming back!

Keep at your new year's resolution (it's only week 2!) and have yourself an acai bowl at this newly established store along Pickering Street on those days when you're feeling...in need of balance. For those unacquainted with the fruit, acai is a superfood that is high in antioxidants, rich in omega fatty acids and full of nutrients — it's basically really good for you. Absolute Acai, pronounced (ah-sigh-ee), serves unpretentious bowls of frozen puréed acai berries flown in from Brazil. Try the Brazilian Bowl ($5.90 small, $7.90 medium, $11.90 large), an acai bed topped with bananas, granola, coconut flakes and honey, it will keep you full for longer than you think! Otherwise, opt for the Signature Bowl ($5.90 small, $9.50 medium, $15.50 large) that comes with strawberries, kiwis and blueberries, topped with goji berries, chia seeds and almonds to give you glowing, healthy skin. For those on the go, pick up one of their smoothies ($6.90 medium, $10.50 large), puréed acai goodness topped with chia seed and blueberries for a boost of energy!

This smoothie bowl was SO DARN GOOD! My fav was definitely the Cacao Warrior (banana, peanut butter, almond milk was blended as the base, before topping them up with cacao nibs, granola, coconut flakes and fruits); but the Pitaya Sunrise was delish too - with blended red dragonfruit, coconut water, pineapple and banana. The $10 option is surprisingly sufficient as a meal replacement. I WILL BE BAAAAAACK😌

Luckily we managed to hit this place before the crowd comes in at 12pm. Featuring here are our Hero Bowls ($16): The Beebop and Rooster's Crow

Say aloha to the food trend that is sweeping all across the world — poke (pronounced 'poh-kay'). A staple of the Hawaiian islands for centuries, poke bowls are salads that feature marinated raw fish, much like its chirashi counterparts from Japan. In fact, the original poke flavour that sees the freshly cut sashimi cubes tossed in a sweet marinade, is a nod to the strong Japanese influence on the Hawaiian islands. While yellow fin tuna is the default choice of fish in Hawaii, Aloha Poke also offers salmon as an alternative base, alongside a vegetarian option. For lunch, choose from three different sizes (one, two or three scoops of poke). Go for the standard Nalu (2 scoops, $15.90) with this winning combination — 150g of original tuna and wasabi mayo salmon with brown rice and avocado, topped with flying fish roe and cherry tomatoes. Every bowl comes with a slice of lime, bite-sized pineapples and scallions on the side. You may also opt for the spicy flavour if you prefer some heat. Come by in the evening for the Roasted Pork Belly ($12) served with pineapple cubes, washed down with either a pint of ice cold Hawaiian Kona Beer ($13.90) or a Mauna Loa cocktail ($18) at the newly launched Tiki Bar (in a cute Tiki mug of course)! Pro tip: order your salads one day in advance via email to beat the queue.