Billion Bowls Review: $6.90 Japanese Rice Bowls By Ex-Mikuni Chef

We discovered Mr Egg Fried Rice , Yanan Ban Mian , and now there’s Billion Bowls . Located at a coffeeshop in MacPherson where they have been for the past six months, Billion Bowls is a stall selling Japanese dons, started by ex-Mikuni chef Yong Kang and his wife, Yuri.

The stall is so named for the couple’s ambitions to eventually sell a billion rice bowls. Food at Billion Bowls Billion Bowls’ menu is sizable, with more than 12 mains for diners to choose from. The slices of pork were tender and I liked the smokiness that they carried, but I felt that they could have been seasoned more heavily.

The ramen egg on the other hand was well-marinated, though I wished that the yolk could have been more jammy. Since the Golden Sauce Chicken Don ($8.90) is the signature dish here, we knew we had to give it a try.

Inspired by Mikuni’s teppanyaki prawns with golden sauce, Billion Bowls puts a French spin on this Japanese dish. Slices of chicken roulade, stuffed with asparagus and carrots, are served on top of Japanese short-grain rice, before they’re drenched in Billion Bowls’ house-made golden sauce and torched to a dark brown finish.

I would have liked it if the sauce was a little more savoury, but this could as well have been an intentional decision to prevent the sauce from being too jelak. I found it really intriguing to find a French-fusion dish on a Japanese menu, but I would have appreciated it if the vegetables were crunchier to provide a contrast in texture.

At Yuri’s behest, we ordered the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don ($7.90) , which was touted to be another best selling item. When we got the rice bowl, I could definitely understand why the dish was so popular. The salmon fillet was topped with a generous amount of mentaiko mayonnaise that was sweet-savoury and not at all fishy.

I loved how chewy and savoury the wakame was, and would not have minded if there was more of it. Doled out with the same generosity as they did the noodles, the rice was also pleasantly chewy.

The Gyu Co Review: Wagyu Beef, Mentaiko Salmon Don And More From $7.90 By Ex-DB Bistro Chef Ambience at Billion Bowls Billion Bowls can be found nine minutes away from Tai Seng MRT Station . If you’re coming from MacPherson MRT Station though, the walk will take you about 15 minutes. The stall is quite popular during lunchtime, so be prepared to wait upwards of 15 minutes for your food.

Even though I’m not a big fan of mentaiko, I still enjoyed the Mentaiko Salmon Bowl, and would certainly recommend it to mentaiko lovers. For more mentaiko rice bowls, check out Tofully at ABC Brickworks Food Centre or The Gyu Co , which is helmed by an ex-Daniel Boulud chef!