White Sands Mall at Pasir Ris has a unique Soup Spoon Union that has exclusively debuted two new concept stalls The Grill Knife and The Salad Fork. My friend who lives in the eastside sent me many appetising photos of her dinners enticing me to go. Unfortunately it’s not available any other Soup Spoon outlet except in the ulu Pasir Ris, so I so trekked all the way to the end of the green line to try it out.
According to the mall’s Facebook page, ‘Pasir Ris’ means ‘White Sand’ in Malay, named after a stretch of white beach that makes the North-East Coast of Singapore.
The menu, in addition to the usual Soup Spoon favourites, has an array of fresh salads (The Salad Fork) and grilled meats (The Grill Knife).
My boyfriend ordered the salad bowl ($8,80): with mesculun mix (+$1.50), hummus, whole egg, sunflower seeds, falafel balls, cauliflower rice + quinoa and carrot sesame dressing. Every component was fresh and generously packed on the plate. With over 40 fibre, protein, carb, and house-made sauce options to customise for your own salad/wrap, you’re spoilt for choice. And unlike some salad shops, I’m really glad that the menu allowed enough flexibility to allow a significant amount of protein in the dish. My main gripe would be that the falafel balls, although served hot, lacked the crunch and spice-filled infusion I’d had in other shops, but then that’s being nit-picky since it’s obviously not specialising in Greek/Middle Eastern. What I loved about the dish was the cauliflower ‘rice’ and quinoa: basically there is no rice, but it is replaced with crumbled cauliflower florets, edamame + quinoa, an innovative healthy way to add fibre that I approve of (taste-wise too; it’s like crunchy light-tasting fried rice!). I also enjoyed the unique carrot sesame dressing, which tasted like sweet juicy grated carrot with some tahini mixed in. Salads usually bore me but The Salad Spoon managed to create some twists and make things interesting.
I got the chicken combo with grilled chicken breast + portobello mushroom set with a pesto penne and ponzu miso ($12.80). The grilled chicken breast was done well and again I was happy to see they were generous with the portions. The marinade of the chicken allowed the natural grilled flavour of the poultry to come through, although without a sauce it felt a bit dry (perhaps choosing thigh would be a better bet if grilled). The ponzu miso sauce was alright but it wasn’t really that to my liking; perhaps being a mix of sweet, sour and salty in a Japanese style tastes a bit strange to me? But I heard the house gravy is good. The portobello mushroom is a bit small and slightly parched, but again well-seasoned. Luckily olive oil is available at each table, which I doused and made the whole dish taste good (yep, I love me olive oil. Nope it’s not because of Jamie Oliver). The pesto penne had a good pesto taste (although perhaps not as much cheese as the European standard?), but it was a bit too soft in texture. Nevertheless, each ingredient combined to make a pleasant dish, although not quite at fine dining standards.
The Grill Knife also has other options available including the salmon ($15.80), steak (flank $12.80 and ribeye $15.80), and pork cutlet ($12.80), as well as various combos of these for hungry ones. Each grilled meat comes with your choice of a side (mixed green salad, basil pesto penne, cauliflower rice with quinoa and edamame, chunky fries) and a sauce (ponzu miso, Japanese curry, house gravy, mushroom sauce). Customisation at its finest!
I thought it was a good idea for the menu to include the kcal count for each dish, although it was only for the two concept stores.
I like both stores at the Soup Spoon Union White Sands: fresh, innovative, wholesome, generous, affordable and yummy. It’s no-frills at its best. But with a caveat: with these prices, don’t expect gourmet food. However, the main problem is that it’s too far away from where I live: Soup Spoon Union can you please bring it over to the central area?! 😛
Prices not inclusive of 7% GST (no service charge)
Soup Spoon Union White Sands
#02-33, 1 Pasir Ris Central Street 3, Singapore 518457
Opening hours: 10.30am – 10.00pm daily
Telephone: 6585 0898
Website: http://www.whitesands.com.sg/stores/the-soup-spoon-union/ / http://www.thesoupspoon.com/home/our-brands/the-grill-knife/ / http://www.thesoupspoon.com/home/our-brands/the-salad-fork/
Ten Thousand Taste Buds 