Over the last decade, Singapore has seen an exponential rise in soya bean stalls, that sell a variety of desserts, drinks and other items. O'Bean is one of the newer kids on the block, but has already established a number of stalls in locations such as Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar. For the purpose of this review, I visited their newest establishment, located in Far East Square. It is conceivable to walk from Chinatown MRT and Raffles Place MRT, in order to reach here.
O'Bean Organic Soya StoreLocation: #01-01, 1 Amoy Street, Far East SquareContact: 91186375Opening Hours: Daily 8.00am-8.00pmO'Bean is unlike most drinks/desserts eateries, as they also have a somewhat detailed savoury section to their menu. Prices are not cheap, and some of the dishes do contain egg, so be cautious when ordering.
One issue O'Bean really needs to address is the baffling waiting time. For the first dish to arrive, which was the
Soya Ramen with Dumpling, I waited almost 20 minutes. Upon tucking into the dish, I was pleased to find that the soup base was not too salty, and had good flavour. But that was contrasted by the disappointment of the ingredients being hopelessly overcooked. The vegetables were so overcooked they were practically rendered to mush. Moreover, the dumplings were stuck together in one big blob. It is a shame, as these amateurish mistakes ruined what could have been a really decent dish.
Price: $7.80. 5/10Next dish was the
Peanut Soya Porridge. This dish has the option of large and regular sizing. I opted for the regular. I was quite pleased that the portion sizes at O'Bean were not at as small as I anticipated. Therefore, this dish was suitably sized for the price. I was impressed by the flavour and texture of this porridge. The only improvement I would suggest is having more rice grains present, to give the dish more substance.
Price: $3.00. 7/10![]()
I picked out one of the side dishes to order also, which was the
Braised Beancurd. All the food from O'Bean is completely 100% vegetarian. However, some of the side dishes do have egg. This beancurd was sat in a deliciously strong mushroom broth. Some customers may find this broth too salty or overpowering, but for my salt-obsessed taste buds, it was just fine. A satisfying little snack.
Price: $1.20. 7/10We move onto the desserts, and we start with the
Original Beancurd. Price wise, I found this dessert was definitely reasonable. However, quality wise I found that there was some improvements that could be made. To start with, I found that too much sugar was used overall, a reduction in the aforementioned ingredient would be welcomed. Also, the beancurd didn't have that delectable creamy consistency, that some of the more famous beancurd dessert stalls in Singapore have. With a few adjustments this dessert could be much better.
Price: $1.80. 6/10Another dessert I selected was the
Black Glutinous Rice & Banana. This item was unfortunately the most disappointing of the meal. What was delivered to our table was vastly different from what the picture suggests. Firstly, the dessert was way too diluted. I expect a dish like this to be served hot and creamy, instead the texture was more like water and the temperature was lukewarm. Secondly, the chef rather lazily just added slices or raw banana into it. I was expecting the banana to be cooked, so that its texture becomes more creamy and flavour more caramelized - But sadly that was not the case. All in all, the dish looked like it was put together by a seven year old - Not something I would suggest anyone order.
Price: $3.50. 4/10Conclusion - Definitely significant improvements need to be made in all aspects of service and food quality at O'Bean. Considering how simple the dishes are, I just couldn't understand why there was such a long waiting time. Singapore is a country that has incredibly low waiting time for food - Therefore, I doubt many other customers will be able to accept it either. But it is not only waiting time - The quality of dishes, especially the banana glutinous rice really needs vast improvement, just to get to an acceptable level.Overall RatingFood - 5/10Ambiance- 6/10 Service - 4/10 Value - 6/10
I picked out one of the side dishes to order also, which was the Braised Beancurd. All the food from O'Bean is completely 100% vegetarian. However, some of the side dishes do have egg. This beancurd was sat in a deliciously strong mushroom broth. Some customers may find this broth too salty or overpowering, but for my salt-obsessed taste buds, it was just fine. A satisfying little snack.
