Two Men Rice Bar (Guoco Tower)

Strong brew coffee, tad bitter, not milky..

Opted for 16 type of mixed grain rice; salmon is well-cooked & topped with a slice of torched cheese; with crunchy rainbow coleslaw, grilled canned pineapple slices & avocado slices; drizzled with sweet & sour sauce; paired well with the citrus chilli sauce..

Opted for Jasmine rice which infused with coconut taste; with crunchy glass prawns, squids & mussels tossed in coconut tumeric sauce; topped with charred leeks, butternut cubes & a sunny side up; would be better if fresher seafood were used; paired well with the scallion master sauce..

Their new menu. You can choose the type of rice. It comes with salmon, cheese, cabbage, avocado and grilled pineapple. It was quite nice and the flavours are well balanced. They have ample staff at the outlet so the waiting time wasnt long. The staff are also very friendly. However, the portion might be abit small for big eaters.

The opening of the new Two Men Rice Bar: Standing Edition was something which we had been anticipating for a while — we had seen the folks going through their renovation phase before its opening while passing through Guoco Tower some time back. For those whom find the name of Two Men Rice Bar ringing a bell, it is because Two Men Rice Bar is a concept by the same folks whom has brought us Two Men Bagel House; an establishment that first started in ICON Village at Tanjong Pagar, the brand had since expanded their operations to multiple locations all across the island — this includes outlets such as their Holland Village, Royal Square @ Novena, and East Coast Road. With their following strong within the Central Business District ever since they had first started their bagel concept, their new concept that is situated at the outdoor area of Guoco Tower takes over the former premises of Wagatomo. Considering how they have included the words “Standing Edition” on its namesake, it is to no surprise that Two Men Rice save does have dine-in tables within its premises, but no seatings available — perhaps a way to maximise space efficiency whilst operating in a busy environment during meal peak hours. The entire shop is decked in a style that one would find familiar to the various Two Men Bagel House concepts around — one that employs a large use of wood within its premises, all with neon lighting that provides a fun vibe amidst the chic environment. Experimenting on a different concept from Two Men Bagel House, the main offerings at Two Men Rice Bar would be their Rice Plates — think of it as a fun variant of grain bowls without too much focus on being health-conscious; just bold flavours and elements that comes fixed with each bowl, though patrons are able to customise some elements (to be explained later). Apart from Rice Plates, they also do offer some light bites which are categorised as “TMRB Snacks” in their menu, while beverages include some house-made drinks like The Cooler Bandung and Plum Lemonade Fizz, as well as bottled cold brews and espresso-based coffee brewed using beans roasted by ST. ALi Coffee Roasters from Australia.

For those will are accustomed to establishments serving up grain bowls / rice bowls in the Central Business District, Two Men Rice Bar certainly provided for a less customisable experience overall — Two Men Rice Bar offers only Rice Plates with default combinations of meat / seafood / fish with fixed toppings. With that being said, there are still some customisable elements to the Rice Plates here — there is the flexibility of opting for a half-portion sized bowl or a full-sized bowl (i.e. Half Tank and Full Tank), while patrons can also opt for their preferred grains. Two Men Rice Bar allows patrons to choose between Japanese (short grain rice), 16-types (mixed grain rice), and Turmeric (long grain rice), while also allowing patrons to have the flexibility of adding curry gravy to the Rice Plate at an additional charge of $0.50. All Rice Plate items comes with a Housemade Soup on the side be it that the patron opts for the Half Tank or Full Tank portion size. Our order was for the Happiness2 in the Half Tank portion size; the menu describing the item Happiness2 come with elements such as Lion Head Chicken Meatball, Plum Sauce, Sesame Chicken Cutlet, Rainbow Slaw, Pickled Cucumber, Cherry Tomato, Glass Noodle Salad, Sous Vide Egg and Tenkasu Tempura Crumbs — quite a wholesome offering considering all of the elements that went into the Rice Plate. Our order also came with the 16-types grain, which we have also went with the addition of curry gravy as well. Patrons can also help themselves the various condiments (i.e. chili and dips) that are being stocked at the self-service area.

Digging straight into the Rice Plate, it is needless to say that we decided to go for the meats first. Both the Lion Head Chicken Meatball and the Chicken Cutlet were items to die for — both carried a good crispness since they are deep-fried elements; all that without feeling particularly greasy nor carried any undesirable stench of overused oil. The meat for both are tender, while one could arguably mention that chicken cutlet came juicier; we did like the flavours that went into the Lion Head Chicken Meatball which seems to suggest that some form of marination was involved — definitely carried a contrast of flavours that is more complex than what we had expected. Whilst the 16-types grain was nothing much to shout about, we did note that the grains felt close to being akin to that of typical Japanese short-grain rice; a good texture considering how such types of grains usually carry a harder and more distinct texture than white rice in general. The addition of the curry gravy was a good call — apart from the flavoursome notes of curry spices, we did detect some aromatics such as that further elevated the flavours of the curry even more; something which we found to be a little different from the norm. Other elements here seemed to have provided a more wholesome and balanced feel for the dish whilst also adding a whole lot more texture for a varied mouth feel so that it does not get too boring here.— the glass noodle salad is a rather odd choice considering how it is an additional carb to the Rice Plate, but it does add a chewy texture amidst the refreshing crunch of the Rainbow Slaw and the Pickled Cucumbers; the latter adding a tang that refreshes the tastebuds. The sous-vide egg comes with a creamy molten yolk, while one can also find avocado that adds a creamy and butter touch to the Rice Plate. Despite being the Half Tank option, this is pretty much a substantially-sized Rice Plate that definitely filled us up pretty well. Prices for the Half Tank Rice Bowls are priced between $12 to $18; a little steep for some but there are efforts placed here in the quality and execution much like Two Men Bagel House — not to mention that they are also well-sized. Wishing these all the best with the opening of Two Men Rice Bar — would definitely be back to check out the other items that they have to offer!