The Salted Plum – Wallet-Friendly Taiwanese Rice Bowls At Just S$10

Brought to you by the same folks that gave us delicious yet affordable Taiwanese-inspired rice bowls and the likes, Five-Ten, The Salted Plum brings to the Circular Road enclave a refreshing twist on Taiwanese-style street food but with a more extensive lunch and dinner menu—with meals mostly costing either S$5, S$10 or S$15.

Although catered more towards the bustling office crowd, their lunch rice bowls are truly something worth trying. Priced at only S$10, what you get is a hearty bowl filled to the brim with delicious meaty goodies, a sous-vide-cooked onsen egg atop fluffy white rice.

Whether you are looking for a quick meal during lunch break or some tapas food to go along with beer after the sun goes down, The Salted Plum is one up-and-coming dining destination to include in your must-visit list.

Among some of the restaurant’s best-sellers during lunchtime is the Burnt Chilli Chicken Rice (S$10), that is essentially a rice bowl that is topped generously with bite-sized chunks of boneless chicken thigh. What we love most about this seemingly simple dish is the amount of ‘wok hei’ that exudes from the bowl as well as the enticing red colour of it.

Besides the few bits of chilli padi hiding among the chunks of chicken, a secondary level of kick is derived from a healthy sprinkling of Japanese chilli powder. The initial taste was not that spicy but as the chilli slowly settled on our tongues, we must admit that it did sting—in a good way. All in all a flavourful and reasonably priced item that we can see ourselves ordering again during a future visit.

To satisfy your inner craving for meat, the Steak (S$10) is a really option to consider as a supplement to your main meal. Seared to utmost perfection, the steak boasts a caramelised crust as well as medium-rare centre but what makes this dish truly magical is the fried garlic sprinkled over top as well as the pickled cabbage that cut through the intense beefiness really well.

If you do, however, fancy yourself a more filling meal for lunch—that also features steak—we highly recommend getting the Steak Rice (S$10) that gives you the same gorgeous steak atop rice and an onsen egg thrown in as well. But do note that this option is only available during lunch.

Complete your meal with the Smashed Baby Potatoes in which the chefs turned whole baby potatoes into thin, crispy potato chip-like slices, complete with a handful of salted plum powder for the extra oomph. The ingredients used may be simple but it really was the execution of the dish that impressed us.

In fact, it was so addictive that we kept reaching out for more and one portion was definitely not enough.

The Salted Plum
10 Circular Road
Singapore 049366
Tel: +65 9181 6265
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay