Grain Traders

Grain Traders
138 Market Street
#01-01 CapitaGreen

100 Tras Street
#01-03 100 AM

http://www.grain-traders.com/

The Selection Spread

Mix, Eat, Love

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 6
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $18 per person.


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Founded in August 2015, Grain Traders offers hearty, healthy, wholesome meal bowls custom-built with a variety of tasty vegetables, premium meats, and a host of grain varieties. The kitchen is headed by Chef Gisela Golding, who hails from Caracas / Santiago De León De Caracas, in the Metropolitan Region Of Caracas (MRC) in Venezuela. The meal bowls at Grain Traders are like a Western version of Asian economic rice meals.

Ambience at Grain Traders is rustic industrial and functional, yet inviting. The bright, spacious place features an eclectic mix of rough, industrial-looking wooden furnishings. Resembles both a laid-back Australian cafe and a Mexican fast-casual eatery, with its posters and washed-out pastel colours. An espresso bar dominates one end, while at the other, an eye-catching display of colourful and vibrant variety of food options are laid out.

Service at Grain Traders is completely self-service, cafeteria style. Diners queue up before the display, pick out the ingredients for their meal bowl, then make payment at the cashier. I note that staff are friendly and helpful, and will offer recommendations if asked. They also clear away empty / dirty tables efficiently, important during peak periods. Staff are friendly and will engage you, however, it's more reactive, rather than proactive.

Food at Grain Traders is focused on wholesome meal bowls, with dishes a mix of both Western and Asian influences. Very modern. Each bowl features a choice of 1 grain (6 varieties), 1 protein (6 varieties), 1 hot vegetable (6 varieties), 2 cold vegetables (7 varieties), 1 sauce (8 varieties), and 1 topping (8 varieties). Ingredients are fresh, tasty, and decently executed. Portions are huge, very hearty and filling, suitable for sharing. Prices are comparable to a cafe, budget about SGD $18 for a meal here.


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Grain Traders Exterior

Grain Traders Interior

Counter

Grain Traders Menu Breakfast

Grain Traders Menu Lunch & Dinner

Grain Traders Menu Drinks

The Selection Spread

The El Hibaro (SGD $16) is an earthy, meaty meal bowl, featuring tender savoury salty grilled beef striploin steak, coated in tangy herbal salsa verde sauce, over charred veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers / capsicum), wafu tomato, bean sprouts salad, and Japanese white sushi rice. Nice contrast of the tender beef and crunchy bean sprouts, the smoky charred zucchini and charred yellow squash against the nutty juicy wafu tomato, and that fluffy white rice. So shiok.

El Hibaro (SGD $16)

El Hibaro

The Mr. Pirom (SGD $16) is a light, refreshing meal bowl, featuring bouncy savoury sweet seared marinated tuna fish, coated in a robust salty sweet miso caramel sauce, over earthy wild mushrooms (shiitake, golden / enoki, straw), green apple kimchi, crudités coleslaw with kaffir lime vinaigrette, and Japanese soba noodles. Good mix of flavours, I particularly like the juicy sour green apple kimchi, though the bitter flavour of the crudités coleslaw was off-putting for me. Overall, still liked this.

Mr. Pirom (SGD $16)

Mr. Pirom

Mr. Pirom

The Upstream (SGD $17.50) is a healthy, fresh meal bowl, featuring flaky savoury sweet chargrilled salmon fish, coated in a bright tangy wasabi sauce, over smoky sweet savoury roasted butternut squash & sweet potato, spicy homemade cucumber pickles, bean sprouts salad, and a bed of super greens. Lovely crunch from the various vegetables, then you get the sharp spicy heat from the cucumber pickles, and the warm sweetness of the butternut squash and sweet potato cubes. I got an additional hard boiled egg for greater flavour. Yum.

Upstream (SGD $17.50)

Upstream

Upstream

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