CBD Lunch Hunts

The level of awesome is too damn high @hojiak_sg. Apart from their chicken karaage which I loved, their meat bowl with shabu beef and pork is really delicious and worth it for only $14.90 in the CBD.

This grain bowl place just opposite Park Bench Deli on Telok Ayer Street has all the trappings of yet another trendy restaurant jumping on the grain bowl bandwagon, but we're happy to report that the bowls are delicious. Opened by Sin Lee Foods and actor Shane Pow, the all-day dining concept serves tasty grain bowls by day. The bowls come in two sizes, Petite ($10) and Regular ($14) and be prepared to exercise your creativity as there are no pre-selected bowls here. In their $14 grain bowls, you get one base, one protein, three vegetables, a choice of sauce and one topping. The base includes brown rice (the most flavourful base in our opinion), soba and spinach, while proteins include salmon (our pick!), beef (additional $1) and tilapia. The bold flavour of the vegetables is what bumps Mojo ahead of its nearby competitors: saucy sauteed mushrooms, refreshing Thai papaya salad and charred corn and broccoli that is reminiscent of Sin Lee Foods' aburi broccoli. Finish off with the Basil Pesto as your choice of sauce and furikake as your topping. Come night time, this place turns into a vibrant bar serving cocktails, yakitori and tapas.
Avg Price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler Hannah Chew

By the good folks behind Standing Sushi Bar and Tanuki Raw comes this Donburi-focused stall. Located in 100AM, Salmon Samurai serves a great Salmon Bowl ($9.90) with fresh salmon brought in on a daily basis and only prepared a la order. There are four ways to have your salmon — raw, poke, grilled or mentaiyaki (our Burpple Community's favourite). The latter sees smoky yet creamy mentai sauce flamed to perfection — just like the stellar scallop mentaiyaki available at Standing Sushi Bar. Choose to have your salmon over a bed of udon, brown rice or salad and ask to top up with half an Avocado ($1.50), Onsen Egg ($1) or Ebiko ($1) if you want more flavour, although the bowl is satisfying enough on its own. Pro tip: Complete your donburi with a side of Salmon Miso Soup ($2) — Burpple Tastemaker Justin Teo praises it for being great value, considering it comes chock full of soft salmon chunks and mushrooms.
Avg Price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler Dex Neo

Hokkaido Don and Chicken Teritama Don.

Lunch in the business district doesn't always mean revisiting the same old haunts. Set in the basement of Clifford Centre's NTUC Foodfare, Le Bouillon serves delicious and filling French fare. The kitchen is helmed by the former head chef of Saveur Restaurant, who has more than 10 years of experience cooking French food. Prices start from $2 for two pieces of Garlic Bread and goes upward to $15.90 for a set meal, which comes with a main and sides. Go for the crowd favourite Chicken Roulade Set (Set 1, $12.90) that comes with linguine pasta with crab meat sauce and a side of mesclun salad. Stuffed with cheese and mushrooms, Burpple Tastemaker Zhihui Lim describes the Chicken Roulade to be "perfectly browned and lightly crisped on the side". Otherwise, treat yourself to the Duck Confit Set (Set 2, $15.90) — the pan-seared duck leg is well-seasoned, meaty and downright satisfying.
Avg Price: $10 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Zhihui Lim

Less commonly found, this Indonesian-style Sate Madura ($9 per stick) promises big chunks of super satisfying, tender chicken slicked in a sticky kecap manis glaze. Yes it's pricey, but so, so yummy.
Photo by Burppler Muriel A

These beef cubes are so juicy and succulent, when BBQ to the right level of charred-ness, it's super delicious! 😋😍

Affordable lunch sets are hard to come by, even more so in the CBD. Thankfully, there's always Katanashi's Lunch Set ($12) to fall back on — this Boat Quay joint is just a short stroll from Raffles Place MRT Station. There are 10 rice bowls to choose from, and each comes with a side salad and miso soup. Go for the Unatama Don, grilled eel coated in a sweet soy sauce glaze, or the Chicken Teritama Don, deep-fried chicken drizzled with teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise, served with an onsen egg.

You will get more bang for your buck at this humble Chinese restaurant across the road from Daily Juice at Lorong Telok. While they're known for their Spicy Fried Fish at dinner, at lunch time, the individual Hotpot Set (from $11) is what draws in the crowds. Each set comes with a tray of thinly sliced meat, vegetables, rice or noodles, one soup base (chicken, herbal or tom yum) and a drink. On cool days, order the Sliced Pork Set ($12) and opt for the Maggie noodles and the tom yum soup base — the spicy broth will warm your body from the inside out!

Loved the thick slabs of sashimi, but wish it the fish was a bit more chilled. Pretty value for money though, since the set included iced tea, chawanmushi and miso soup! #burpple #sashimi #japfood

SAP Thai is one of the best "hidden gems" for Thai food in Singapore; you probably wouldn't know about it if you don't frequent the CBD. The noodles in this dish is super springy while still absorbing the wok-stirred goodness of basil, minced chicken, chilli, fish sauce and dark sauce. The sunny side up is also crisp at the edges with the yolk still runny. Ask for "less spicy" so that you can enjoy your meal with their homemade sambal cincalok - one of the best you'd have tasted. Thumbs up, hands down, 10/10 amazing Thai food, at only $4.50! Opens Mon-Fri 10am to 9pm

I only got to frequent Amoy Street Food Centre after working in the CBD and it is definitely tough to suss out the best stalls as this two-storey food centre might have it all. Feeling lost, I of course, tend to follow the queues but it is not much help when most of the stalls spot an endless line. Hence, diverting from the usual hawker staple, I got myself a bowl of rice loaded with beef and a heady punch from the black pepper sauce ($5.00). Not forgetting an extra onsen egg ($0.60), Pepper Bowl's satisfying bowl is then complete and you are good to go after giving it all a fun mix. The generous portion of beef was tender, succulent and real flavourful from the rich sauces (spring onion/black pepper) accompanied by a pleasant ‘wok hei’ aroma. You can also opt for pork or chicken, if beef is not your thing.