Even though restaurants that use robots aren’t exactly a new phenomenon (think conveyor belt sushi and robotic bartending systems), we’re still pretty excited by Singapore’s latest eatery to embrace the future: Bowl & Bowl.

Before the interview, we expected the owner of this innovative 28-seat self-service joint to be an engineer or at the very least, a tech geek. Yang Ming, 43, is neither. The Tianjin-born entrepreneur has actually spent the majority of his life in the culinary world.

“In 1997, I came to Singapore to undergo culinary training,” shares Ming. “I was only 19 years old. That was my first time visiting Singapore and I’m still here now!”

After making his name as head chef at an established Chinese restaurant chain (he declines to reveal its name), Ming struck out on his own along with his wife, Eileen, to open a mala xiang guo stall in Cineleisure’s food court four years ago. Both declined to be photographed for this feature.

Finding and retaining good staff for their mala xiang guo stall was the biggest challenge they faced. “It’s just really hard to hire good staff,” says Ming. “This prompted us to start thinking of ways to overcome the obstacle.”

During a serendipitous trip in China last year, Ming came across an eatery that uses robots to prepare fried rice and he was immediately intrigued. The couple then visited a factory in Suzhou that manufactured cooking robots and secured distribution rights in Singapore. The six cooking robots cost him over $40K.

“We’re excited to have found a solution to our manpower issue. Training a chef can be tricky and it involves a lot of time and effort. With these robots, you just have to focus on perfecting an SOP and every dish can be replicated with consistent quality,” Ming tells us with enthusiasm.

Ming’s previous experience as a head chef played a crucial role in the development of Bowl & Bowl. “Fried rice was a signature dish at the restaurant chain I worked at. It took me three years to perfect the skill of making it,” says Ming. “We also wanted Bowl & Bowl to be an accessible and affordable concept that caters to all ages, and fried rice definitely ticks all the boxes.”

Ming’s passion for fried rice is evident when we asked him about the secret to this deceptively simple dish. “The rice grains have to be chewy and there should be no clumps. Each rice grain should be separate and cooked perfectly,” Ming tells us.

He launched into a long and detailed scientific explanation on how to achieve it that we shall summarise as: the theory of expansion and contraction.

Ming’s preparation process ensures that the rice grains do not get overheated when in the frying pan, which leads to overcooked, mushy rice. The tedious steps include soaking the rice in cold water before cooking, air-drying the cooked rice in cool temperatures, and gentle stirring to keep the rice fluffy and prevent clumping – all are done by hand.

“Ultimately, there are still some things that can’t be done by robots,” laughs Ming.

Is fried rice cooked by robots gimmicky? Yes. Does it taste good? Surprisingly, yes.

We took a bite of freshly fried rice and were delighted to find that it was fluffy and fragrant. Bowl & Bowl uses Japanese short-grain rice, which can be stickier and harder to stir fry compared to medium-grain jasmine rice, but it’s been executed perfectly and we’re rewarded with a chewier texture that’s not too oily or dry.

The fried rice here is not of the premium jin bao yin (‘silver wrapped in gold’ in mandarin) variety, where each grain is coated with egg yolk and takes on an auspicious golden hue. Bowl & Bowl opts for the less technically precise sui jin (‘broken gold’ in mandarin) version, where the eggs are scrambled and loosened into bits.

Another compromise is the lack of wok hei. Even though the pan is cranked up to 220°C (high heat is essential for frying rice to dry the grains and prevent clumping), the robot’s non-stick frying pan and induction stove aren’t quite the match for the fragrance produced by a traditional wok over flame.

Overall, we’re still pretty impressed by the excellent springy texture and impeccable seasoning of Bowl & Bowl’s fried rice, which are almost good enough to make up for the missing wok hei.

Bowl & Bowl offers 11 types of fried rice, from Japanese-style options like Mentaiko Salmon Fried Rice ($10.90) and Diced Unagi Fried Rice ($8.50) to familiar favourites like Prawn Fried Rice ($6.50) and Chicken Floss Fried Rice ($5.50), and even a Vegetarian Fried Rice ($6.90) with yam spring roll and fried tofu.

Ming has also introduced light, refreshing toppings like edamame, cherry tomatoes and corn to combat the jelak feeling that you sometimes get from wolfing down a bowl of fried rice.

Slightly charred on the outside and tender on the inside, the bold and intense flavours of the black pepper beef cubes make it our instant favourite. The tenderness comes from an overnight juice marinade that includes kiwi and apple, as well as being cooked sous-vide style. Cubes are flame-grilled with a blowtorch before serving to deliver that irresistible smoky flavour. We also enjoyed the spicy kick from the black pepper seasoning, which pairs really well with the rice.

Just one tiny gripe – we think the beef cubes can be a little bigger for a more satisfying bite.

Also cooked with the sous-vide method, the salmon is moist and supple, while the same aburi technique on the fillet and mentaiko dressing adds a robust, smoky scent.

The dish also comes with pickled radish, edamame, tobiko and dash of furikake to round off its Japanese influence. A refreshing combination that we would definitely reorder.

This dish is basically the porridge version of fried rice, where rice is cooked in stock at high heat and intensely stir-fried with other ingredients until it becomes a porridge.

Ming proudly calls this his version of Buddha Jumps Over The Wall in porridge form, and we can tell why from the first mouthful. Layers of rich, robust flavours come from a tantalising trifecta of shiitake mushrooms, dried cuttlefish and dried shrimp, often used in aromatic Chinese stews. The texture of this dish is closer to Teochew porridge with distinct grains, rather than the silky-smooth style of Cantonese congee. There is also a range of toppings like raw salmon slices ($1) as well as century egg, crispy you tiao and shredded duck (50 cents each) that you can add to your order for an extra deluxe finish.

We hear that this dish often sells out by noon, so do visit early if you’re planning to try it.

Can these robots beat fried rice cooked by humans? Well, yes and no. While the robots’ lightning-fast frying techniques are unbeatable by human standards, what sets Bowl & Bowl’s fried rice apart is its fluffy, chewy texture that is achieved from chef Ming’s tedious and manual pre-cooking preparation. When the novelty wears off, we’d still return for the delicious fried rice and creative toppings. With an affordable price range of $4.50 to $10.90 for a big bowl and a good variety of toppings, Bowl & Bowl is worth a visit even if you don’t care for robots.

Bowl & Bowl is at #B1-01, Gourmet Paradise @ HDB Hub, 480 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, S310480. Open daily 10.30am - 9.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/welovebowlandbowl.

Photos: Aik Chen

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