Billion Bowls (Hong Lim Market & Food Centre)

Started back at MacPherson by a ex-hotel chef, they have moved to their new place at Hong Lim Food Centre.

Offering affordable Japanese foods, their mentaiko mayo salmon don seems very popular among the reviews.

Generous portion of salmon here I would say, topped with torched mentaiko sauce which is highly addictive to the taste.

Accompanied with some green and a bowl of miso soup.

Billion Bowls might be a name that some could be pretty familiar with — a spot that was previously mentioned on social media and also one which we had also made a visit to in the past, Billion Bowls had since shifted from its original location within a coffeeshop named Meetup@83 at 83 MacPherson Lane to a stall at level two of Hong Lim Food Centre, taking over the premises vacated by Peace Thai Cuisine (also the same unit taken by Eddy’s before its move to another unit within the same food centre); its previous location being a HDB block that has been earmarked for en-bloc together with 81 and 82 MacPherson Lane (the former being the HDB block which Prodigal Cafe used to occupy before taking over the operations of Lowercase Cafe). For those whom are unfamiliar with Billion Bowls; the brand is established by a former Junior Sous Chef of Mikuni at Fairmont Singapore and specialises in Japanese Donburi — it’s signature dishes include the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and Signature Golden Prawn Don, though they do offer more conventional options such as a Tori Katsu Don, Ebi Fry Don and even Tori Karaage Ramen as well. Despite its move, Billion Bowls still maintains a pretty recognisable look — the signboard and menu board looking fairly close to the ones that they had previously used at MacPherson, while the menu pretty much consists of the same items which they had been offering since their days at MacPherson.

We had previously given both the Signature Golden Prawn Don and Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don a go when we visited their MacPherson location some months before its relocation — whilst we did wanted to order something different to give their other offerings a try, we eventually stuck with going for the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don since it did feel a little silly to visit Billion Bowls without going for either dish. The Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don retails for $8.90; the Don coming with elements such as the slab of salmon that is dressed in Mentaiko mayonnaise, as well as short-grain Japanese rice, Chuka Wakame (i.e. seasoned sesame seaweed salad) and cherry tomatoes — it also comes with a bowl of Miso Soup on the side. Digging into the rice bowl, it is noted that the size of the slab of salmon provided here is actually pretty reasonable considering its price point — there is sufficient fish to go around the rice. The slab of salmon is also flaky and done pretty well; not to try, yet carried that signature flavour of the fish pretty well. Well-dressed in Mentaiko mayonnaise that covers the entire slab of the fish, the Mentaiko mayonnaise also comes torched using the blowtorch — carried an umami note with a slight hint of smokiness that hits the spot; pretty much a crowd pleaser on its own. The bed of rice beneath is pearly; very well-cooked being sufficiently sticky without being overly wet — the rice drizzled with teriyaki sauce for a slight flavour and helps to moisten the rice a little, making it easy to eat. Really liked the inclusion of Chuka Wakame instead of Gari Shoga Shiro (i.e. Sushi Ginger White) that one might find in some Dons — adds yet another umami note with a soft crunch, while the cherry tomatoes helped to add a refreshing burst of zest-iness that cuts through the fish and the Mentaiko mayonnaise to refresh the tastebuds. All in all, the elements were pretty much on-point, and quality being consistent to what we had experienced during our visit when they were still located in MacPherson.

Having visited them when they were at MacPherson some time after the initial hype from social media, the hype seemed to have died down with Billion Bowls back then — a bit of a shame considering how they do serve up some pretty good Japanese Dons. We were therefore pretty heartened when we noticed a short takeaway queue mainly comprising of office workers waiting to get their food when we visited them at Hong Lim Food Centre — perhaps a location with the right clientele that would be receptive of such fare in hawker centres. Prices of the Japanese Dons at Billion Bowls can also be said as wallet-friendly — no doubt they are priced slightly higher than the usual hawker fare, but with the mains being priced from $6.90 to $9.90 (the priciest item being the Signature Golden Prawn Don), Billion Bowls can be considered as an option that could still work as an everyday option for office workers in the area if they do not mind splurging a little more on food. Having only tried the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don during this visit, we found the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don to be of a quality that was consistent with what we have had during our visit to their previous MacPherson location — reasonably-portioned, yet also consists of well-executed elements that brings quite a bit of value considering its price point. Definitely an option to think of again if we are dining at Hong Lim Food Centre on a day that we are making a trip back to the office!

Tbh not very impressed. The golden sauce is quite mild, it is thick and creamy in texture but really it isn't anything too crazy. The ckn roll tastes very normal too.
Can try if you're stay in the area

They're moving to honglim right now, so this outlet won't be open anymore.

Billion Bowls was a stall with quite a hype back then when they were first featured on social media — the coffeeshop stall located at the coffeeshop named Meetup@83 at 83 MacPherson Lane is opened by a chef previously from Mikuni; the stall serving up Japanese Ramen and Donburi at pretty affordable prices (none of the items here exceeds $10). Items that are listed on the menu include a Spicy Chicken Ramen, Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and Bulgogi Don; those looking for something to share across the table can also opt for sides such as the Signature Golden Prawn as well.

Having dropped by Billion Bowls since the spot that we had initially wanted to check out wasn’t opened for the day, it was easy to decide what to go for here — we opted for two of their Donburi which features their signature sauces; the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and the Golden Sauce Prawn Don. Whilst the former is something which was well-executed, the latter was also as well-executed but also something which we found to be less predictable. The elements that come with the Golden Sauce Prawn Don is what one would have usually expected out of a Donburi like this — essentially the prawns come blanketed in their Golden Sauce that seems to have been torched; all atop a bed of short-grain pearl rice with a side of cherry tomatoes and wakame (i.e. seaweed). Going straight for the Golden Sauce Prawn, it is little wonder why there was just so much talk about Billion Bowls back then — the Golden Sauce is undeniably creamy with a slight smokiness from the torching; there is this slight saltishness but the flavours are undeniably clean, and so much so that its flavour is just something that we can’t quite put a finger to. Nonetheless, it was a good combination with the prawns here — the light flavours of the sauce just paired so well with the natural sweetness of the prawns; the prawns are also pretty fresh and provided a good bite considering how chunky they are. The bed of rice beneath came with rice that was lightly drenched with a sweet-savoury Japanese sauce for some flavour — didn’t feel like there was any conflict between the Golden Sauce and the sauce used on the rice in terms of flavour; the sauce for the rice also makes the rice easier to have. Whilst the cherry Tomatoes are essentially just what they are, the Wakame does help to provide a slightly refreshing crunch.

The crowds seemed to have died down at Billion Bowls — the coffeeshop being barely full when we visited for lunch on a weekend lunch service, and that that there were a constant stream of patrons for Billion Bowls though there was never quite a queue to begin with. That being said, they seem to have been pretty consistent with the food that they are serving out to their patrons — we were actually pretty impressed by both the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and the Golden Sauce Prawn Don for their quality; definitely put some other establishments to shame and also very value-for-money as well. An earnest setup by folks who have not only got a good repertoire, but also the passion to serve their patrons their very best; Billion Bowls is certainly a destination to check out!

Billion Bowl also serves a bulgogi don where a generous portion of beef stir-fried with onions and bulgogi sauce is placed on top of Japanese short grain rice with cherry tomatoes and wakame.

It is a decent beef bowl and represents good value at $7!

Billion Bowls' signature golden prawns is their take on Mikuni's teppanyaki prawns in golden sauce.

Let's just say you cannot go really wrong with prawns in a creamy golden egg sauce!