Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining - Bugis

I often get asked where should I bring my family/friends/colleagues for guaranteed high quality vegetarian food.  Bespoke is one of those I always find myself recommending to people, mainly due to the novelty of it being a 100% vegetarian Japanese place.  Recently, Bespoke decided to increase the number of dishes on their menu, so I felt compelled to head down and let you all know what dishes to expect from the new menu.  So, here we go...




Bespoke Japanese Vegetarian Dining
Location: 91 Bencoolen Street, #01-50 Sunshine Plaza
Contact: 63377050
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-3.00pm & 5.30pm-10.00pm


Japanese Seaweed Fried Rice was the first dish to be assessed.  Overall this was a decent fried rice, with a glorious smokey aroma, which shimmered through every grain of rice.  The seaweed was also particularly delicious.  It was neither too fishy in taste, nor slimy in texture.  The portion size (like most dishes at Bespoke) is also quite generous, although some may still be a little deterred by the price tag.  An enjoyable fried rice dish.

Price: $8.00.     7/10


As I type this review, there is a tinge of humility that I feel come over me when reflecting on this Gai Lan Sesame Sauce side dish.  Honestly, I was reluctant to order this dish, as it is 'just vegetables' to me.  My girlfriend managed to convince me, and I am glad she did.  Believe it or not, this turned out to be the best dish we ordered all meal.  The kai lan itself is perfectly cooked.  I mean perfect.  You couldn't possibly cook this vegetable better.  It was fresh and crunchy, with zero annoying stringy fibre.  The sauce had delicious roasted sesame flavour (gomadare), matched with slight acidity (ponzu sauce) and salt from light sauce.  I felt like losing all social inhibitions and licking the sauce from the plate like gleeful golden retriever.  Simple is sometimes best.

Price: $4.00.     9/10
Another new dish to grace the menu is the Tomato Meat Sauce on Rice.  I was quite disappointed to discover upon sinking my spoon into the food, that a layer of melted cheese was nesdtled between the rice and sauce.  For vegetarians, I am sure this cheese will have you giggling with delight.  For vegans, it is a bit of an unwelcome surprise (especially as it is not indicated at all on the menu).  The flavour of the meat sauce is exactly like a stereotypical pasta sauce, which would have perhaps worked better as a baked rice.  Overall a good quality dish.

Price: $9.00.     7/10


Dumpling with Five Kind Vege was the next dish to arrive to our cramped table.  Presentation wise, there is not much to complain about.  The raging fire beneath a stone cube looked magnificent.  However, overall this was probably the most forgettable dish of the evening.  Bespoke still has salt problems in some of their dishes (which I've addressed in previous posts).  This dish is simply too salty, I would not be doing my duty as a food writer if I said otherwise. The dumpling skin is decent, but I found the filling to be too overwhelmed by the conglomeration of herbs used.  Definitely some significant improvements can be made to this dish.

Price: $10.00.     6/10
I always love ordering the Avocado Maki and Unagi Maki from Bespoke, both never fail to disappoint me.  As I'm vegan, I always request for the mayo (which is not vegan) to be excluded from the sushi - Although most of the time the staff forget and I ultimately have to get it sent back again.  It is difficult to pick a winner in this maki vs maki battle, but I would have to say unagi is my favourite.  Pluck one of these beauties from the plate, dip it liberally in wasabi infused light soy, slot it in your mouth and you will be in heaven.

Price: $12.00.     Avocado - 8/10, Unagi - 9/10


Lastly, we decided to order one of the new set meals, which was the Buta Shoga Set. The focal point of this dish is the mixed vegetable stir-fried pork style plate.  The mock pork used was pretty decent, although the overall salt levels were a little too high once again.  Most the set meals at Bespoke come with their delightful radish salad, which never fails to disappoint.  Rice, soup, soft tofu and pudding dessert are the other components to this set meal.  I still prefer the unagi don set and green tea soba set personally.

Price: $14.50.     6/10


Conclusion - I would happily pay $40 and order 10 plates of sesame kai lan, and munch away with joy on them. The kai lan is a must order, and was undoubtedly the highlight of the new menu.  The rest of the new dishes were a bit hit and miss for me, honestly.  I wish they would clearly indicate which dishes are vegan on the menu, otherwise Bespoke will inevitably end up feeling the wrath of vegans who order dishes that secretly have cheese or other animal products inside.  Bespoke is still one of the best vegetarian places in Singapore, with some really outstanding dishes.  If they could control their salt levels, it would rank even higher.

Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 8/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10