There definitely seems to have been a bit of popularity behind the concept of mainland Chinese-style cuisine being served in mini bowl format considering how there are quite a number of such establishments being situated all across the island these days — think the likes of Bai Wei Mini Bowl 百味小碗菜, Mom's Hand Mini Bowl Kitchen 妈妈手小碗菜, Delibowl Express Rice Kitchen and Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang 宽窄碗碗香 in the Singapore dining scene. Opened recently at Grantral Mall @ MacPherson, 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl 一日三餐 碗碗菜 is the latest of such mini bowl concepts to have opened in Singapore — the concept is not to be confused with 呷三碗 Eat 3 Bowls or 3 Meals a Day 一日三餐 despite the rather similar-sounding name to the two unrelated establishments; in fact, 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl is a concept by the same folks behind Crab Wang Imperial Dining 蟹王御厨 that is located at Hotel Boss as evidenced by both the SGQR label and the shirts worn by the chef in the kitchen. 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Taiwan Fullhouse 食尚台湾 at Grantral Mall @ MacPherson; the dine-in area mostly being located along the shopping aisles of the mall. 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl had done quite a fair bit of work to the space vacated by Taiwan Fullhouse; adopting a yellow colour theme to the space, 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl is pretty eye-catching with its bright and cheery shopfront — the dine-in furnishings are pretty simple with the use of white dining tables and yellow stools with a rattan-esque accent; there is also the use of cushioned booth seats for some tables to provide for a more comfortable dining environment for its patrons. 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl does claim that its menu changes on a daily basis; the various dishes that they have to offer are split into colour-coded bowls which denotes the price category of the dish — the lowest-priced dishes would be the bowls coming with a green rim at $1.90 per bowl, while the priciest ones would be those coming with able rim at $4.90 per bowl. Interestingly, 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl does offer patrons with two (2) choices of carbs — one being the white rice and the other being porridge; both of these are chargeable at a flat fee but subsequent refills are complimentary.

Skimming through the selection of the dishes that are being offered at 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl, we do note that the dishes that they have to offer are more localised as compared to the other establishments serving up mainland Chinese-style mini bowls around the island — perhaps something about how the concept is being run by an establishment that is more of a seafood zichar restaurant, though this also meant that the offerings does remind us of the dishes that one can also find at local Chinese-operated mixed economy rice stalls. Case in point would be the Black Pepper Sweet & Sour Chicken. It is noted that the dishes available at 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl does seemed to have been prepared some time in advanced and have been sitting around the display warmer for some time; the sauce of the Black Pepper Sweet & Sour Chicken does seemed to have been exposed to the surroundings for a while with the chicken chunks carrying a rather limp texture being aired out and coated with a dense and thick sauce. Nonetheless, the chicken chunks are still reasonably easy to chew through, with the sauce carrying a deep sweetness that seems to also focus more on the underlying savoury notes coming from the black pepper — something closer to the sweet and sour pork chops that some local Chinese-operated mixed economy rice stalls would serve; there was a slight hint of pepper in the finishing notes, though not one that we necessarily found to carry a spicy kick. We also noted the use of curry leaves that were wok-fried with the chicken cubes to help to add another dimension of flavours, though the curry leaves weren’t carrying the crispness that we would have liked it to have. Onions are also added for a soft crunch as well.

The Green Dragon Vegetables is a dish that is categorised in the lowest pricing tier at $1.90; this item seems to be a wok-fried dish comprising of both the green dragon vegetables and beansprouts — carrying the savouriness of a typical wok-fried beansprout dish that one can find at zichar establishment, the beansprouts also added a crunch to the dish. We would wish for them to add some chunks of salted fish to the dish for an extra burst of flavours and a bit of bite that would further enhance the dish. The Shrimp Beancurd is served in a bowl with an orange rim much like the Black Pepper Sweet & Sour Chicken — the price of the dish being at $2.90 which is one of the middle-tiered items that 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl has to offer. While the beancurd is still soft and silken within, one can still probably tell that the dish was sitting in the display warmer for quite a while before we picked it up; the edges of the beancurd did feel a bit dried out. That being said, we did find the gravy drenching the beancurd to be rather intriguing; it carried a savoury yet umami note that hints of dried shrimps — a bit of a twist to the usual homemade beancurd that often comes with soy sauce and pickled radish that some zichar establishments serve up.

One thing that we had noted about 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl is how they do seem to prepare way to many dishes in advance whilst leaving them on the display warmer; while this does create a more impressive display where patrons do get a view of everything they have to offer, we did notice the gravy and sauces of some of the dishes conjugating — something that would impact the dining experience for those whom are opting for those dishes. Otherwise, we do feel that 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl does feel more like an alternative mixed economy rice concept rather than that of a true-blue mainland Chinese-style mini bowl establishment given the dishes that were available on the day we made our visit. Prices are pretty reasonable and comparable to other similar establishments around however. With all that in mind, 3 Meals • Bowl by Bowl would definitely make for a pretty interesting and wallet-friendly dining option for those whom are working in the Tai Seng neighbourhood.