Clean & Green

Here’s another way to enjoy the tangy sourdough here. I usually prefer thinner crusts but I actually liked the almost bread-y one here. Thought the pepper slices will be roasted till soft, but we didn’t mind the slightly blistered strips atop the pie. It’s not greasy at all since there’s no cheese. Don’t let that sway you as the combination with the tomato sauce, oyster mushrooms, onions and basil is delish!

If you’ve patronised Real Food before, then this signature dish won’t be a stranger to you. Available fried or steamed, we opted for the latter and the parcels filled with finely diced shiitake mushrooms, carrots, tofu and beans and it didn’t disappoint. The skin’s not too thick and the dumplings are very moreish drizzled with tamari and sesame oil.

Cauliflower rice with the works and sautéed mushrooms. Mushrooms were tasty though the cauliflower’s on the softer side (probably steamed/blanched instead of baked). Portion’s more for modest eaters.

Tangy guac and goat cheese tartine, perfect if you’re in the mood for a breakfast toast!

If you love kale, then this one’s for you! So much goodness in one bowl with amaranth, puffed quinoa, carrots, blueberries, goji berries, pomelo, sunflower and pumpkin seeds tossed in a passion fruit dressing.

Eating clean never looked so mouth-watering! With low-carb cauliflower rice as base, the flavours and textures are piled up high with crisped up fried eggplant discs, juicy and tangy roasted cherry tomatoes, creamy guac, fresh greens, sautéed shrooms and liberally seasoned steak (cooked to a medium doneness). There's also a dollop of sweet tomato-ey baked beans, but I'm not too fond of it personally (not sure if that was meant to be the salsa or was replaced when we visited). That aside, we really enjoyed this flavourful bowl.

Was expecting a more pronounced gochujang flavour, but other than that, this was a tasty bowl. Pork was tender and flavourful while the greens, sautéed veggies and pickles provided balance. The pickled lotus root slivers were a little too salty when we visited, but they seemed receptive to the feedback.

It's easy to overlook the vegetarian option at rice/salad bowl-centric places, but this was my favourite out of all the items we tried here! Possibly because it has many of my favourites: bite-sized kale, baby spinach, wonderfully seasoned smashed avo, marinated tofu, mushrooms and a zippy yuzu vinaigrette. Super refreshing!

For something more homey, I would recommend this sauce that features salted black beans. Alternatively, the "homemade recipe" sauce has a nice balance of sweet and savoury in the marinade with a hint of sesame oil.
Portion is more suitable for modest eaters, but there's an option to top up more brown rice.

Most foolproof option here: salmon topped with torched mentaiko sauce. Opted for the baby spinach base for $1 more. Wish they dressed the leaves in vinaigrette and/or pickled the cukes and tomatoes for some acidity.

My top three favourites here are the foolproof Patty Melt, solid Grilled Cheese and superb Fried Chicken Sandwich, but this Broccoli Falafel deserves a mention too.

Flavour-packed falafel with tangy tzatziki, tomatoes, lettuce and alfalfa sprouts between toasted sourdough – it's a really tasty meatless (#eatclean) sammie!

Tried three out of the four new Hero Bowls from Grain Traders’ refreshed menu. My favourite proteins (tuna tataki and pulled pork) are still around (starring in the Mawashi and Señor Hombro bowls respectively) and are still as good as before, with new side-kicks this time. The beef parrillada (flank seared on a parrilla, an Argentinean grill) in the Down Under bowl had a pleasant bite; I also liked the cauliflower pickle with curry leaves in that bowl.

As always, all the elements were seasoned well enough on their own and there was no need for the accompanying sauces for me (except the feta beetroot that enhanced the Señor Hombro bowl).