Bowen’s (Queenstown)

Mediocre at best, comparable to cheaper hawker centre ones, thus it’s overpriced

The coating falls off the fish wayy to much. And the fish is tasteless, like most fish and chips

Comes with a stick of garlic bread
The soup is thin and bland.

Bowen’s is one of the those establishments that have came a really long way when they had first started. We recalled having visited Bowen’s quite a long while ago — a stall that had first started out within a coffeeshop in Jurong West, Bowen’s had expanded its operations over the years; albeit in a quieter fashion than most other establishments do these days. It did take them quite a number of years before the opening of their standalone location at Blk 416 Pandan Gardens; this would be the same neighbourhood where one can find other notable establishments like Ah Hua Teochew Fishball Noodles and PGFN SINCE 1982 — PGFN being the acronym for Pandan Gardens Fishball Noodles. With the opening of the Margaret Market that is right beside the Margaret Drive Hawker Centre just a short walk away from Queenstown MRT Station, Bowen’s now operates two locations, with the Margaret Market outlet being the second outlet in conjunction with their Pandan Gardens outlet. Margaret Market is a building that is interesting and integral with the heritage of Queenstown — Bowen’s Margaret Market outlet operates out of a shop space that also has dine-in seating, though there are communal seating located on the first floor of Margaret Market itself where patrons can order across different dining establishments altogether; a little bit like a hawker centre. The menu at Bowen’s outlet at Margaret Market is segregated into sections dedicated to Pasta, Main Course, Fries and Sides — beverages available here includes a variety of Illy’s Coffee, tea sourced from The Gryphon Tea Company, and Bowen’s very own concoction of drinks being categorised as Bowen’s Drinks.

Our last visit to Bowen’s was quite a number of years ago when they were still located at a coffeeshop that is situated in Jurong West. Since then, it seems that Bowen’s has pretty much refined its selection of items that it offers to its patrons — the Signature Spaghetti with Wild Boar Sauce that we have had back then is no longer being offered in the menu; at least at their Margaret Market location. Wanting to go for at least one item in the Pasta section of the menu, we were very much dead set on their Mushroom Risotto — the Mushroom Risotto is being described to come with elements such as that of Aborio Rice, White Wine, Parmesan Cheese and Top Grade Butter according to what is mentioned in their menu. Well-executed risottos are usually quite a tough find, so the execution of the Mushroom Risotto at Bowen’s which we have had was actually pretty surprising coming out from an establishment that is seemingly low-profile. On first look, the Mushroom Risotto looked like it has been done just right; creamy yet not overly wet — definitely felt like a good attempt without a doubt. Digging into the Mushroom Risotto, the Aborio Rice here is cooked to just the right degree; all of the elements that goes into the “cream” gave it that slightly buttery, savoury note — the strongest tasting notes would be those coming from the parmesan cheese and the top grade butter. Whilst the flavour was prominent, it was not overly so — in fact, the flavours and consistency was pretty well-balanced so much so that we just kept going for more, the Aborio Rice delivering just a good bite along with the sufficiently rich-tasting “cream”, and did not end up being too soft from absorbing too much of that “cream”. The addition of the mushrooms helped to provide an earthy note that cuts right through those creamy and savoury flavours just about right; adds a good bounce to the dish as well. For how Bowen’s is pretty much a casual Western eatery, their attempt on the Mushroom Risotto is one that might actually put some higher end bistros to shame.

Bowen’s was one of those spots that we really felt that they had quite a fair bit of potential when we had visited them a number of years ago. Back then, they seemed to be an establishment with some very unique ideas on serving up western fare from a coffeeshop setting that is not only just unique, but at an affordable price point as well. Since then, Bowen’s have grown quite a fair bit as an establishment — what came along with their expansion seems to be a sort of maturity as a concept, yet staying true to their roots. It is arguable to say that the items being served out from Bowen’s at their Margaret Market outlet does seem a little conventional and similar to that of other modern casual diners serving up chops, steaks and grills — and one wouldn’t be wrong in making this statement. That being said, it feels that Bowen’s had positioned themselves in this manner after seemingly knowing what works for them and what does not. The Chicken Chop that we have also tried during our visit to Bowen’s Margaret Market is a great example of this; an item that is pretty commonplace in all establishments that serves up western cuisine, the Chicken Chop here came with that crisp skin and tender and juicy meat that we would be looking for in the ideal plate of chicken chop — the chicken chop was also not overly seasoned, while the thick-cut fries came crisp without being too greasy and well-filled with potato. We usually don’t pay much attention to mesclun salad that is served with the chops and grills but the depth of flavours from the vinaigrette was something that we found particularly appealing. Prices of the Pasta dishes at Bowen’s range from $11.50 to $25, while the items listed on the Main Course section starts from $7 for Three Fried Chicken Wing (served with fries) to $30.50 for the Bowen’s Signature BBQ Pork Ribs. Bowen’s is definitely a great addition to the SkyResidence @ Dawson neighbourhood with its decently priced, quality western fare — a spot that we are most certainly keen on revisiting again!