(Closed) Haru – Guillemard Road

(Haru had since ceased operations.)

Being situated in the same compound as Brawn and Brains in the old Singapore Badminton Hall is Haru, which had just recently moved into the complex.

Visiting Haru during their soft launch phase, Haru is a simple hole-in-the-wall concept that serves up Japanese Korean Inspired Bowls. Naming themselves Haru, Haru is Japanese for the spring season; the Chinese stamp “三人一口” actually refers to the deconstruction of “春”, which is the Kanji character for “spring”. The decor is simple, clean and minimalist; featuring an open concept kitchen, a bar counter is situated right after the kitchen while the interior features a mix of white, pastel blue and wooden accents that is easy on the eyes. During the day of our visit, Haru was serving up a small selection of grain bowls with different meats, whilst serving a small variety of teas as well.

We went for the Gochujang Braised Pork Bowl; every bowl comes with a choice of either Japanese Pearl Rice, Wholegrain Rice, Soba or a vegan option. We opted for our order to come with Japanese Pearl Rice, while the bowl also came with other condiments such as Mizuna, Lemon and Ginger, Tomato, Basil and Cucumber, Baby Corn, Carrots with Sugar Peas and Sesame and Pickled Lotus Roots. Altogether, this is a pretty hearty bowl that would satisfy those who are looking for a balanced diet considering the portion of greens being included in the bowl — crunchy greens that goes with the slurpy soba tossed in a dressing that seemingly carried a Yuzu-esque flavour that was refreshing. The slab of Gochujang Braised Pork was fork-tender; carried a light hint of gingery note though felt missing the point when it came to the Gochujang — it lacked that familiar hint of sweet and spicy note that we associate with Gochujang; a little off considering the namesake of the bowl.

We also went for the Miso-Sake Salmon Bowl; the bowl itself coming with other elements such as Mizuna, Lemon and Ginger, Tomato, Basil and Cucumber, Menma, Coriander, Mint, Lime and Spring Onion and Pickled Lotus Root — most of the elements bear much resemblance to the Gochujang Pork Bowl. Yet another hearty combination that comes with a generous portion of greens atop pearly rice, the salmon here comes torched; bursting with freshness with its natural flavour. We were, however, not so much into the raw egg yolk that was included in the bowl though.

Serving three different types of tea, we went for the Hot Sencha; essentially a deep steamed green tea that light on the taste buds and fits the food pretty well.

With a myriad of grain/salad bowl places situated all around the island lately, Haru does seem to need a little more work if they are looking to stand out from the crowd — the offerings are pretty simple but commonly found elsewhere, while the execution can admittedly be improved especially for the case of the Gochujang Braised Pork. That being said, with so many health-conscious folks being around the area for activities (the complex is also home to Onsight Climbing Gym and Yoga Inc.), Haru is probably a good spot that serves substantially sized fare for them to recharge after a good workout.

Haru
100 Guillemard Road
#01-06
Singapore 399718

Web Page: https://www.harusingapore.com/