Grain Traders – CapitaGreen

With the opening of the new CapitaGreen, two new eateries have since found home in the recently completed office tower which features “green” design features, earning itself the Green Mark Award awarded by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore.

Grain Traders, which is from the same folks who brought us Kilo and Kilo @ PACT is a new concept which strives to bring more than just healthy meals to the office crowd in the Central Business District, but also to provide them with meals that are comforting and wholesome. The menu largely revolves around salad bowls in the afternoon and dinner hours, featuring both Build-Your-Own-Bowl where you get to mix from a wide variety of grains, protein, hot and cold vegetables, sauce and toppings, and the suggested Salad Bowls which give patrons pre-determined combinations if they are unsure how mix-and-match the ingredients. For breakfast, Grain Traders serve a different menu that features Oatmeal, Bagels and Brown Porridge to offer something for those who find salad not to their fancy. The coffee bar here is separated from the main salad bar here, and offers quite a selection of filter coffee and even cold brew apart from the usual espress-obased coffee. A small selection of cakes are also available at the coffee bar for those who are in for a coffee break.

(Build-Your-Own-Bowl)

Each Build-Your-Own-Bowl comes with a grain, a protein, a hot vegetables, two cold vegetables, a sauce and a topping. For mine, I have decided to go for Quinoa, with Grilled Striploin Steak, Wild Mushrooms, Bean Sprout Salad, Apple Kimchi with Asian Gravy sauce and Furikake as my topping which turned out to be rather Asian-inspired with Japanese, Korean and Chinese flavours. The salad bowl comes in a pretty generous portion which was rather wholesome, considering the amount of grains served on each bowl. Quinoa was soft and fluffy, but I felt that they perhaps could have done better in the processing of it; there were bits of grit around the whole bowl which quite ruined the texture of the Quinoa, though thankfully there was no unpleasant bitterness that is inherent of Quinoa that might not have been washed properly. Grilled Striploin Steak came in chunky strips, and each strip comes with substantial amount of fat so you get some bite as it comes with a slight pinkish centre, though some might find it a little gamey (I was okay with that). Wild Mushrooms were sauteed, and its earthy aroma definitely adds an interesting flavour and texture especially when you need a break from the beef strips. Both the Bean Sprout Salad and Apple Kimchi were really cleaver ideas; both served as cold vegetables, the bean sprouts carried a light savoury flavour while being crunchy, and the Apple Kimchi was a great combination of sweet, sour and spicy with the signature fermented flavour of Kimchi but with a sweet twist from the crunchy apples. Finishing the salad bowl of would be the Asian Gravy and the Furikake; the former that felt like a caramalised onion sauce with a tinge of vinegar at the end while the Furikake gives the salad bowl that umami touch.

(Cold Brew)

Cold Brew seems to be all the rage now, and Grain Traders offer both a Black and a White variant of the Cold Brew. Packaged rather similarly to the one from Old Hen Coffee Bar, Grain Traders’ version of the White Cold Brew was a rather similar in flavours to the Old Hen Coffee Bar variant, but less the malt-like sweetness. This would probably appeal to those who find that version too sweet for their liking, as this was a rather smooth drink that leaves no aftertaste at the end.

If Grain Traders is all about #feedingpeopleright, it seems to me that they had definitely achieved that; providing the office workers of the CBD with comforting, wholesome and healthy meals that is a refreshing change from the countless of salad bars in the area. Each salad bowl felt thoughtful as the combinations do not feel missing of any component, and yet the portion size allows you to feel just nicely filled without leaving you an empty stomach too soon or too stuffed for the next meal. Being in the CBD, Grain tarders definitely started a new game for salad bars within the area, and definitely worth the visit if you are working nearby. A little refining in some of the items like the Quinoa, and I am pretty sure this would be the next “in” lunch spot. Go before the queue goes crazy!

Grain Traders
CapitaGreen
138 Market Street
#01-01/02/03
Singapore 048946

Web Page: http://www.grain-traders.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/graintraderssg