Love savoury Steak bowl but don't have wallet as thicc as LeBron? Then this one's for you. Quickly rising as a go to spot for delicious but affordable cafe in central Singapore, Five Ten surely didn't disappoint upon first try. Best part is? It's only $10!
Me most of the time
The amazing thing about beef bowl is that it comes with a wide range of places to taste it in. Some are really bougie like infamous Fat Cow at Camden Medical Centre, which reigns supreme in it's own category of high end cut of meat and way of cooking. But sometimes when one is not very bougie because one is broke AF, we all need OPTIONS. So when I first heard that there's a place in Chinatown that serves roasted Steak bowl for cheap I was like, "YAS, TAKE MY ($10) MONEY".
Newly opened, Five Ten is located strategically at the centre of Chinatown, right opposite of the the Sri Mariamman temple to be exact. Right off the bat, the appeal of the restaurant came form it's simplicity. The name Five Ten, actually comes from the range of dishes that they are serving. $5 for their side dishes and $10 for the main dishes.
The space within the restaurant is very spacious and well lit, and by the time I visited, which was during lunch time, it was packed. They also have an a bar on the second level, making Five Ten a perfect place to go for dinner and drinks night.
Since I visited with a bunch of my colleagues (no longer #ForeverAlone) we delved straight into the sides menu. Each side dish is $5 and we decided to order the Boiled Kai Lan, Fried Smashed Potato, and Fried chicken with Nori Mayo dip.
This Fried Chicken side dish definitely stole my heart. I'm a big fan of anything fried, especially when it's chicken. The platter was a mix of juicy chicken thigh and breast meat, perfectly fried and not too dry. The seasoning on the chicken reminded me of Shi Lin chicken, which was really apt since Five Ten is originally inspired by Taiwanese street food. Each serving also comes with nori mayonnaise dip, which is OFFICIALLY my new favourite dip.
The Boiled Kai Lan is definitely worth ordering if you're sharing it with your friends. Perfectly seasoned and with a little bit of a bite from the chilli, this side dish pairs perfectly with the other side dishes and the Beef Bowl.
The Fried Smashed Potato is a perfect alternative for french fries. Bonus tip: it goes well with the nori mayo as well!
IT IS ONNNNN!!
But enough talk! Let's get to the main star of the show, $10 Steak bowl! Visually it definitely looks promising. The serving of the steak is also very generous. The steak was cooked Medium rare, and comes with a side of soft boiled egg and pickles. Served of a bed of rice, the size of the bowl may look deceptively small but it is definitely filling.
The steak was perfectly seasoned and seared. It definitely had a melt in your mouth quality and relatively easy to eat with a chopstick (that's how tender it is.) The pickles and the soft boiled egg compliments the salty, savoury taste of the steak. I mixed the soft boiled egg into the rice and used it as a dip for the steak. SHIOK!
Final thoughts? Five Ten is definitely a perfect place to have a nice lunch with your buddies without burning a hole in your pocket. On top of the cheap price point and generous serving, The Steak bowl was pretty high quality and cooked really well. Five Ten is a must try!
Five Ten
237 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058786
Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 2.30 pm, 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)
Closet MRT: Chinatown