Top 5 healthy food recommendations in the CBD area

#1: Wheat Baumkuchen

Recommended by Sheryl Fang, Tax Associate

Just a short 5-minute walk from the office at Asia Square, Wheat Baumkuchen prepares food very quickly meaning that you don’t spend half your lunch time queueing for food. I really like this place as the food is tasty, filling and affordable! They even named their food after cold climate animals which I find really cute! Healthy eats like brown rice and soba noodles are their specialities. I highly recommend the polar bear rice (brown rice, sautéed pork, egg and salad etc) and salmon soba noodles. What’s more, Wheat Baumkuchen just received recognition as a Healthier Dining Partner with the Health Promotion Board which reaffirms the nutritional benefits of the food that they provide. This also means they will be offered a grant to develop and promote even healthier menu options besides the current ones. More dishes will be launched in the coming months which I’m really looking forward to!

Address: 8 Marina View, #02-02 Asia Square Tower 1, Food Garden, Singapore 018960
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am – 8:00pm; Saturday 8.00 – 3.00pm; Closed on Sunday

#2: The B Salad Kitchen

Recommended by Tracy Lee, Audit Senior

Located at Amoy Street Food centre, I think the B Salad Kitchen is probably the cheapest salad-in-a-bowl that you can find in CBD. It costs $4.80 for Salad Base + 5 Basic toppings + Dressing. I bet you can’t get any salads cheaper than this in the area! Just add 50 cents more and you can get a bowl with Salad Base + 4 Basic toppings + 1 Premium topping + Dressing. You have over 30 toppings and over 10 home-made dressings to choose from. I highly recommend these salad toppings as they are deliciously prepared in-house and you can’t find some of them elsewhere: Pumpkin (basic), Baby Asparagus (basic), Sautéed Mushrooms (premium), Smoked Fish Salad (premium), Salmon Mayo (premium) and Smoked Duck (premium). The portions and dressing are really generous – it’s such a value-for-money healthy meal!

Address: 7 Maxwell Road, Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-37, Singapore 069111
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10.00am – 8.00pm; Closed on Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays

#3: Grain Traders

Recommended by Chan Wenjie, Tax Senior

From the team behind Kilo and Kilo at Pact, Grain Traders is a bistro located just 5 minutes away from the Deloitte office which serves up more than your usual salad. Since opening last September, this casual joint continues to draw huge crowds during lunch hour thanks to its tasteful interior and seriously yummy food. The ambience is great – floor to ceiling windows and high ceilings allowing natural light to easily fill the spacious eatery.

Upon entering, the spread of food is displayed prominently in front of the hungry queues. Simply point and pick one grain, two vegs, one protein, one topping and a sauce, all served in a huge bowl. On days when I feel less adventurous, I go for the more tried and tested set combinations (affectionately called ‘Hero Bowls’) carefully selected by Grain Traders themselves. My favourite is the ‘Beebop’ – brown rice, braised pork shoulder, furikake baby corn, mixed beans topped with crispy garlic shallots.

Overall, the food is balanced, satisfying and healthy. While the prices might be slightly pricier than other CBD salad places, this bistro definitely ups the overall game with its atmosphere and wholesome food done right. Highly recommended for a good Friday treat after a gruelling work week!

Address: 138 Market Street, CapitaGreen, #01-01/02/03, Singapore 048946
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.00am – 8.00pm; Closed on Saturday & Sunday

#4: Teppei Japanese Restaurant

Recommended by Ng Zhi Hui, Enterprise Risk Services Consultant

Don’t Singaporeans just love anything that has a queue? The lunch sets may be a little pricey but for those who want a bowl of authentic japanese chirashi, the price may be worth paying. The Bara Chirashi, priced at $17.90 (along with a set of miso, tea and buffets of appetizers), is the star dish at this popular lunch-time place. Huge chunks of various raw seafood are marinated in an aromatic soy sauce that still renders the freshness of the sashimi: it’s a heavy lunch yet still healthy food. The selection of seafood including salmon, mackerel, tuna and herring all provide an excellent source of protein and Omega-3s. The miso soup is rich in magnesium, calcium, folic acid, iron and various antioxidants. These healthy freshness juicy bites totally perk up my work week.

Address: #01-18, Orchid Hotel, 1 Tras Link, Singapore 078867
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 12.00pm – 2.30pm; 6.00pm – 10.30pm

#5: Piao Ji Fish Porridge

Recommended by Grace Low, Audit Senior

You can probably see the queue even before you see the stall! This stall sells fish soup and seafood soup. I would recommend the seafood soup which comes with 3-4 large sweet prawns on top of the pomfret slices. The fish slices are really fresh, but the most noteworthy part would be the soup that is very rich, full of flavour and nutritious. It does not have any fishy smell and it’s not that oily, which makes it easy on the stomach. Prices range from $7-10 so it might be slightly more expensive than your average hawker fare but it’s definitely worth the wait and also the price! Do remember to take the sauce too, which contains fermented soy and grated ginger that goes very well with the fish slices.

Address: 7 Maxwell Road, Amoy Street Food Centre, #02-100/103, Singapore 069111
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10.30am – 3.00pm; Closed on Thursday

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