O'bean is a unique vegetarian bistro because it specialises in dishes that incorporated the healthy soya bean. Soy bean boasts plenty of health benefits and this place even retails the organic soy powder which they use for the food. It seems like soy bean is used more predominantly in Asian countries and commonly found in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Malay cuisine.
To begin, the Signature Soya Porridge ($5) was smooth, light and not heavily salted. It was more watery than the Cantonese-style sticky congee but without the visible grains in Teochew porridge. There is a bit of everything--century egg, braised peanuts, seaweed, you tiao and of course, the "mock" intestine.
The Spicy Eggplant ($5.80) was less oily but nothing short of flavors. The fiery chilli padi and some unknown crunchy bits tossed in turned this into an appetizing dish which made us swooned for more.
Perhaps a healthier version of fish soup is this milky white Soy Dumpling Soup served in a mini-steamboat case ($8.80) . It had pleasant hints of white rice wine, though the wine taste could be stronger. But the fillings of 5-6 large dumplings were too little in comparison to the thick dough and they were bland.
It was a thoughtful move for the shop to allow diners to choose the amount of sugar for the Soy Milk ($2.20 for Large size) I found it sufficiently sweet despite opting for 25% amt of sugar. Add-ins such as grass jelly($0.50) and red beans($0.50) may have contributed some sweetness but overall, it was a simple yet delicious drink made with organic soy milk powder.
During weekends and PH, all sets including this Kway Chap Set comes with 10% discount. Though the soya kway tiao and braised platter were meat-less, they tasted very much similar to usual version without MSG and too much salt. Some might find the braised sauce bland or diluted but I doubt this would affect the satisfaction drastically.
The oddest dish was the Soya Ramen ($6). Served in the largest bowl, the dark brown broth had an indescribable strange taste that left us in a daze. Not that it was totally awful but it was difficult for anyone to like the taste. The large amount of brown powdery granules clinging to the sides of the bowl and floating in the soup remained an unsolvable mystery.
Fortunately, we could easily polish off the desserts, such as the Original Beancurd ($1.80)topped ginko nuts for $0.50. Made without gypsum powder, gelatin, agar agar powder or creamer, the beancurd was wobbling so much as the waiter served it that I thought they had made a mistake of serving soya milk. The gloopy beancurd slides down the throat so effortlessly, makes this another place for solid, good-quality beancurd in Singapore.
Information about PURESOY, the organic soy product used in this shop
I am not a fan of mochi but the Signature Black Marbles Balls 黑丸子($5.60) is an exception because the rice skin was thin but yet resilient. Consisting of five ping-pong sized glutinous balls dusted with lightly sweetened black bean and sesame powder mixture, each one oozed out warm sweet peanuts filling that makes this traditional dessert more aromatic and interesting.
Without service charge and GST, the total bill for 5 pax came up to be $43, which was reasonably economical and it was understandable why this place charges for water. Service was warm, friendly despite some occasional baffling waits for food. Apart from the dumplings and ramen broth, the food, especially the porridge and beancurd and soymilk are noteworthy to order in future again.
I am not a fan of mochi but the Signature Black Marbles Balls 黑丸子($5.60) is an exception because the rice skin was thin but yet resilient. Consisting of five ping-pong sized glutinous balls dusted with lightly sweetened black bean and sesame powder mixture, each one oozed out warm sweet peanuts filling that makes this traditional dessert more aromatic and interesting.
Without service charge and GST, the total bill for 5 pax came up to be $43, which was reasonably economical and it was understandable why this place charges for water. Service was warm, friendly despite some occasional baffling waits for food. Apart from the dumplings and ramen broth, the food, especially the porridge and beancurd and soymilk are noteworthy to order in future again.
O'bean Organic Soya Store
83 Tanjong Pagar Road
(5 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT)
Mon-Fri: 10am-10:30 pm
Sat/Sun: 10am-11pm
Other outlets:
Ang Mo Kio: Blk 449 AMK Ave 10 #01-1733 (next to 453 wet market)
Raffles Place: 1 Amoy St, Far East Square #01-01
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