Japanese eateries are common in Singapore; there are a plethora of them scattered all over our sunny island and their prices can range from wallet-friendly to ‘I may have to eat soya sauce and rice for the next 2 weeks’.

Joining the ranks of the wallet-friendly list is Sora Boru, a brand-new Japanese dining concept in Somerset that dishes out a wide range of Japanese casual one-dish meals at incredibly affordable prices. Sora Boru is conveniently located in the heart of town at 313@Somerset and it is little wonder how it is already so well-received among executives who work in the area as well as students and shoppers.

Playfully named after the way the Japanese pronounce ‘bowl’, Sora Boru’s menu includes customisable chirashi-don, curry rice bowls, soba and their signature Volcano Beef Don and Snow Beef Don. All the mains here come in regular and mini sizes—great for different people with varying appetites.

And from 17 to 30 April 2019, quote “ladyironchef” or flash this advertorial when you order any Regular main and get any Mini of your choice at Sora Boru!

As of August 2019, Sora Boru is officially halal-certified. You can bring your Muslim friends to enjoy Sora Boru’s affordable Japanese meals.

VOLCANO BEEF DON

Aptly named after its appearance, Sora Boru’s Volcano Beef Don (S$11.90) is a glorified beef bowl of Japanese rice topped with your choice of stewed cabbage or seasoned bean sprouts and a massive pile of incredibly tender flame-grilled slices of beef.

The cherry on top is the rivulets of ‘lava’ that run down the sides of the volcano, which is essentially Sora Boru’s special in-house concocted spicy sauce. Coating the heap of beef evenly and generously, the sauce adds that much needed fiery kick that makes this dish deserving of its volcanic title.

SNOW BEEF DON 

On the other end of the spectrum is their Snow Beef Don (S$11.90) where instead of spicy gochujang sauce, the beef is doused in a unique homemade sweet and savoury sauce that is made from whipping cream. This is further enhanced by a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan which gives the dish its snow effect.

In comparison to its spicy counterpart, the Snow Beef Don has a creamier texture as well as a much sweeter flavour that stems from the whipping cream. The contrast of the sweetness from the sauce with the savouriness from the parmesan cheese created a medley of varying flavours that definitely got us hooked!

If we had to choose between the two, we admit that it won’t be an easy decision because we are equally obsessed with both of them. But if you really can’t make up your mind, then get both! We recommend getting the mini versions of both don (S$7.50 each) so that you can have the best of both worlds!

CUSTOMISABLE CHIRASHIBORU 

Fans of chirashi-don would know that a decent bowl of this goodness does not come cheap. Here at Sora Boru, fill your bowl to the brim with juicy cubes of sashimi. Mini bowls are super affordable and are priced at S$6.50, while regular bowls are at S$11.90 and large bowls at S$16.90.

What we also love about their chirashi-don is its customisability. Through a six-step process, diners can pick and choose their preferred bowl size, base, raw fish, add-ons, sauces and garnishes.

Examples of some of the raw fish that you can choose to add into your ChirashiBoru are salmon, scallop, tuna, octopus and swordfish.

BARA CHIRASHI EBIMAYO ABURI DON 

If you want to up your chirashi don game, you can opt for their Bara Chirashi Ebimayo Aburi Don (Mini S$9.50, Regular S$16.90) instead. This bowl of goodness features cubes of assorted half-grilled seafood such as salmon and baby scallops, tamagoyaki, tempura bits and cucumber that are blanketed in an incredibly aromatic blow-torched shrimp roe mayonnaise.

The savoury umami of the shrimp roe mayonnaise was reminiscent of the flavours of mentaiko. Blow-torching the decadent sauce also created a lovely char and an irresistible smoky flavour. Texture wise, the tempura bits added a lovely crunch to the entire dish and provided a nice contrast to the chewy sashimi cubes.

If chirashi and beef do aren’t your thing, you can always try the other dons available which include their Salmon Teriyaki Toji Don (Mini S$7.50, Regular S$13.90), Chicken Teriyaki Toji Don (Mini S$4.90, Regular S$8.50) and Ebi Vegetable Tendon (Mini S$4.90, Regular S$9.50).

CURRYBORU 

Japanese curry has always been regarded as one of Japan’s most well-loved comfort foods, which is why Sora Boru has an entire section of their menu dedicated to this perennial favourite.

Every bowl of CurryBoru here is drenched in a gratifyingly rich curry sauce that is cooked with a secret recipe that has been fine-tuned and perfected for months. Mildly spicy with subtle hints of fruity acidity, this robust concoction packs on a lot of flavours without being too cloying. Based on how much heat you can take, you can also choose between two levels of spiciness.

Each bowl of curry rice is paired with one type of deep-fried meat or seafood. Some options available are the Chicken Katsu CurryBoru (Mini S$6.50, Regular S$10.90), Shabu Beef CurryBoru (Mini S$6.50, Regular S$10.90) and Breaded Ebi CurryBoru (Mini S$6.50, Regular S$10.90).

If you’re feeling more peckish than usual, you can opt for one of their curry combo sets which are the Breaded Ebi with Shabu Beef CurryBoru (Regular S$12.90) and the Breaded Salmon with Shabu Beef CurryBoru (Regular S$11.90).

CHA SOBA SETS 

Sora Boru also has a selection of noodle options for you to tuck into. The cha soba here is springy and cooked to a nice al dente which goes perfectly with the chilled, savoury dipping sauce or warm soup.

The cha soba can also be enjoyed with your choice of accompaniments such as Ebi Vegetable Tempura (Mini S$7.50, Regular S$12.90), Chicken Karaage (Mini S$6.50, Regular S$10.90) and Chicken Katsu (Mini S$6.50, Regular S$10.90).

SCRUMMY SIDES

If you’d like more food for sharing (or if you’re simply ravenous), get some sides to go along with your mains. The recommended picks are Chicken Gyoza (S$8.50 for 6 pieces), Chawanmushi (S$1.90) and Yasai Corn Tempura with Tartar Sauce (S$5.50).

Our favourite of the lot is the Crispy Salmon Skin with Egg Mayo Dip (S$8.50) which features insanely crispy slivers of fish skin fried to a lovely golden brown. The egg mayo dip adds an addictively sweet and savoury touch to the salmon skin and we couldn’t stop ourselves from slathering everything on sight with it.

From 17 to 30 April 2019, quote “ladyironchef” or flash this advertorial when you order any Regular main and get any Mini of your choice at Sora Boru!

Terms & Conditions
- Valid for dine-in only
- Orders and redemptions must be made at the cashier
- Promotion is valid for any Regular and any Mini ChirashiBoru / DonBoru / CurryBoru / Noodles
- This offer cannot be stacked with any other promotions or discounts
- Flash Ladyironchef’s corresponding Facebook / Instagram / blog post to redeem

Sora Boru
313@Somerset #B3-19/20
313 Orchard Road
Singapore 238895
Sun to Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

This post is brought to you by Sora Boru. 

Singapore is home to many dessert monsters and this craze for desserts has led to a spike in dessert places in Singapore over the last decade. Ranging from the ever popular chocolate waffles to the trending Korean Bingsu, Somerset is one area in Orchard Road, Singapore that boasts a whole slew of dessert options.

Just in that area alone, we managed to suss out dessert places housed in both proper dessert cafes and/or served in food kiosks. No matter what kind of sweet indulgence or experience you are looking for, you should find it in this guide.

Here is A Sweet Tooth’s Guide To 24 Dessert Places In Somerset.

ANTOINETTE

Antoinette is one of Singapore’s favourite patisseries in Singapore and it has an impressive range of desserts such as Mont Blanc, Le Royale, Saint Honoré l’ Amour, Strawberry Shortcake, and their namesake creation, Antoinette – a milk chocolate mousse infused with earl grey tea.

333A Orchard Road
#02-33/34 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238867
Tel: +65 6836 9527
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

ARTEASTIQ BOUTIQUE TEA HOUSE

Arteastiq Boutique Tea House at Mandarin Gallery exudes the kind of sexiness you would associate with a date night or a regal dining affair for the high society.

The Silk Thread (S$13) is an interesting rendition of crème brûlée. It is not your usual sweet custard; it is infused with osmanthus. Lightly creamy and significantly less sweet, this variation is served with fresh plump berries.

333A Orchard Road
#04-14/15 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238867
Tel: +65 6235 8370
Mon to Fri: 11am – 10pm
Sat to Sun: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

BEN & JERRY’S

Everyone knows Ben & Jerry’s for its interesting ice cream flavours. The popular ones at 313@Somerset include Chocolate Fudge Brownie, New York Super Fudge Chunk and The Tonight Dough.

Apart from that, the ice cream parlour also offers sundaes, smoothies and shakes.

313 Orchard Road
#01-25/25A 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6884 9505
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

CHOCOLATE ORIGIN

Specialising in molten lava cakes, Chocolate Origin’s intense chocolate cake is paired with a scoop of cold vanilla ice-cream at the bottom. If that is not enough chocolate for you, get the speciality cakes that come in two flavours—original and dark chocolate.

313 Orchard Road
#B3-10A 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6884 4019
Daily: 2pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

CHURRO 101

Our picks from this popular Korean churro are the Dark Chocolate-dipped Churros and the filled churros, best eaten warm for that satisfying crunch.

313 Orchard Road
#B3-49 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

COLD STONE CREAMERY

Dedicated to being a multi-sensory ice cream chain, Cold Stone Creamery is known for their top quality ice cream and energetic crew working behind the counters.

Do not be surprised if the friendly staff to put up a short but exciting performance where they expertly toss your ice cream in the air before it lands into the cup.

181 Orchard Road
#01-17 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 6634 1015
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

DEAN & DELUCA

One of the top sellers at Dean & Deluca is its Rainbow Cake (S$7.50). The pastry chef uses six different fruit extracts – strawberry, orange, lemon, green apple, blueberry and grape – to give the cake its brilliant rainbow colours.

In fact, we liked it so much that Dean & Deluca’s cake is listed in our guide to Singapore’s best rainbow cakes.

181 Orchard Road
#01-09/10/15 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 6509 7708
Sun to Thu: 10am – 10pm
Fri to Sat: 10am – 12am
Nearest Station: Somerset

DOLCE TOKYO BY MOF

Aesthetically pleasing Japanese-Italian inspired desserts are the pride of Dolce Tokyo. Their Dessert Bento has five different types of desserts all neatly packed into a Japanese-style bento. You get to pick and choose a variety of options to personalise your own bento set.

GELÁRE CAFE

Geláre’s ice cream are all natural and do not contain any artificial ingredients, you can expect only the real deal. And everyone knows about Geláre Cafe’s half-priced promotion for their regular waffles on Tuesdays.

176 Orchard Road
#03-K01 The Centrepoint
Singapore 238843
Tel: +65 6659 6430
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

HONEY CREME

Known for its range of Korean-inspired soft-serve ice cream topped with different toppings such as honey comb (S$5.90), Organic Cotton Candy (S$5.50), and Popcorn (S$5.50) Honey Creme—a popular Taiwanese ice cream store has finally opened its first store in Singapore to much fanfare.

We will never say no to soft-serve ice cream on a hot day!

313 Orchard Road
#01-37 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6884 8468
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

ICE LAB CAFE

Opened by Korean comedian Shin Jung-Hwan, this Korean Bingsu outlet makes you feel as though you are in Korea during the winter season. A polar bear structure right in the middle of the shop has captured the hearts of many visitors and it is apparently a snow making machine that will create artificial snow.

Choose between a range of Bingsu flavours such as Injeolmi, Milk, Oreo, Green tea and much more.

321 Orchard Road
#01-01/02 Orchard Shopping Centre
Singapore 238866
Tel: +65 9664 6885
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

LADY M CONFECTIONS

This well-known New York cake shop prides itself on creating the freshest and finest cakes. The signature cake Lady M Mille Crêpes consists no less than twenty paper-thin handmade crêpes layered with light and fresh cream.

181 Orchard Road
#01-27 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 6509 3673
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

LLAO LLAO

With the array of toppings and sauces, Llaollao has revolutionised froyo, and they are no less pretty than ice cream sundaes.

Sanum is Llaollao’s signature – at S$6.95 per cup, it is really a froyo parfait that you can customise to your own preferences with three types of fruits, two crunches and one sauce.

313 Orchard Road
#B3-55 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Sun to Thu: 11am – 9.30pm
Fri to Sat: 11am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

HONG KONG SHENG KEE DESSERT

Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert at The Centrepoint is where you will find authentic Hong Kong style desserts such as their Mango Combination Series, Rice Ball in Paste and Durian Sago.

176 Orchard Road
#B1-14 The Centrepoint
Singapore 238843
Tel: +65 6736 3688
Daily: 11am to 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

HVALA WAFFLE BAR

Hvala Waffle Bar, a food kiosk at the basement of 313@Somerset is popular for its Japanese soft serves and drinks. Try their Matcha and Houjicha Soft Serves.

Hvala Waffle Bar
313 Orchard Road
#B3-50 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

KISS THE TIRAMISU

Kiss The Tiramisu has been a hit in South Korea ever since its debut in Hongdae, fusing Tiramisu and soft serve ice cream served in a swanky gold-rimmed plastic “wine glass” for your perfect social media photo.

Each tiramisu soft serve is made pretty similarly to an actual classic tiramisu, with mascarpone cheese, ice cream, crushed cookies, coffee liqueur and cocoa powder.

277 Orchard Road
#01-15 Orchard Gateway
Singapore 238858
Daily: 12pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

MACCHA HOUSE

Matcha drinks are also really popular here and we can see why. Their matcha latte is one of our favourites and one that we always return for.

The Matcha Tiramisu (S$6) and Matcha Chocolate Parfait (S$10) were two desserts that we enjoyed on our trip there.

181 Orchard Road
#B1-40 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 6636 5830
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

NUNSARAM KOREAN DESSERT

If you are heading to town, do swing by Nunsaram. Conveniently located at Orchard Central, it prides itself as the go-to cafe for desserts or simply a place where friends can hang out after a meal.

Most of the Bingsu in the cafe are presented with a scoop of ice cream sitting glamorously atop the pile of ice. We heard that they use fresh ingredients for every serving of Bingsu – such as the Sweet Potato Bingsu (S$12.90), where the purple paste is acquired from the sweet potato root itself.

181 Orchard Road
#05-51/52 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

O’MA SPOON

Having their Bingsu was akin to eating snowflakes with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that all of us approved. Their Patbingsu (S$12.80) did the phrase “less is more” justice. We were in awe of how a classic Bingsu that was served in just sweet azuki beans atop milk ice shavings could rock our worlds with its heavenly medley of textures and flavours.

313 Orchard Road
#04-20/32 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Sun to Thu: 11.15am – 10.45pm
Fri to Sat: 11.15am – 11.30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

PONG HANDCRAFTED GELATO

Thai coconut ice cream is a dessert we will always love but not all of us have the time or money to fly over to Bangkok whenever that craving kicks in.

Pong Handcrafted Gelato in Scape is where you can go to satisfy your Thai coconut ice cream desire. The fresh gelato is placed in a coconut husk and you get to choose toppings that you fancy.

2 Orchard Link
#02-18C SCAPE
Singapore 237978
Daily: 12.30pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

SUGAR LIPS

Quirky and whimsical, we did more than just a double take when walking past this dessert shop. Colourful paint is splashed across the cafe’s concrete floors, walls and exposed pipes.

We went for the Red Velvet Fluffy Waffle and Chocolate Seduction Truffle Cake. The former comprises octagon-shaped delightfully crisp red velvet waffles that are pillowy inside, while the latter is a sinfully rich chocolate cake alternated with generous amounts of chocolatey mousse.

277 Orchard Road
#02-01 Orchard Gateway
Singapore 238858
Tel: +65 6386 6387
Daily: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

TSUJIRI TEA HOUSE

We highly recommend going for Tsujiri Tea House’s classic Matcha Latte (S$5.60) and matcha soft serve (S$4.80). The matcha flavours are crazy intense but so good at the same time. Die-hard matcha fans will definitely fall in love with it right away.

176 Orchard Road
#01 – 101 The Centrepoint
Singapore 238843
Tel: +65 6238 8824
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

TWELVE CUPCAKES

Best known for their photogenic cupcakes, Twelve Cupcakes started out in 2011 founded by local celebrity couple Daniel and Jaime Teo.

Their standard menu consist of flavours such as Red Velvet, Cookies And Cream and Salted Caramel. In addition, they also have seasonal menus that change frequently to offer more variety.

277 Orchard Road
B1-01A Orchard Gateway
Singapore 238858
Tel: +65 6509 1255
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

21 CUBE ARTISAN ICE CREAM

Fried ice cream rolls were all the rage on social media just awhile ago after it became popular in Thailand.

While the trend is dying down, you can still find ice cream rolls at 21 CUBE Artisan Ice Cream. They have a good variety of flavours and toppings for you to choose from.

For more recommendations, read The Ultimate Orchard Road Food Guide that features the best places to eat at in Orchard Road.

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Oh how we love the comeback of churros. Churro101 has arrived in Singapore just a couple of weeks back and its reception has been very successful. After an old wave of churros slowly disappeared in Singapore, some smart entrepreneurs decided to rekindle it, and this time, in a Korean style – because anything Korean seems to work, no?

Truth to be told, we are suckers for Korean food and food concepts, so Churro101 was a must-try on our list. They have a big range of different churros, but the ones that appealed to us the most on our first visit were their filled churros and churros coated with dark chocolate.

The churros are deep-fried fresh and served to us a la minute. We picked the Dark Chocolate Churro with Strawberry Crunch (S$5.90). The dark chocolate range is also available in two other coatings – almond and coconut.

The churro was served warm, and tasted no less exquisite with the dark chocolate surrounding it, melted very delightfully with every bite.

Churro101 also offers other options such as filled churros – think Cream Cheese-Filled Churro (S$4.70), Chocolate-Filled Churro (S$4.50) and even Milk Mustard-Filled Churro (S$4.50).

You can also go with the original taste for the classic Cinnamon Churro (SS$3.50), but can we say that the flavoured ones are more exciting?

As much as we love churros, we have to disagree with Churro101′s tagline of Korean “Better Than Boyfriend” Churros. Food always taste better when you have something to share it with. Make sure to bring along your loved ones here and share the churros (and calories). 

Churro101 first opened in Bugis+ and 313@Somerset is their second outlet. And we are guessing there will be more to come!

Churro101 Singapore
313 Orchard Road
B3-49 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

Hvala Waffle Bar, a food kiosk at the basement of 313@Somerset, has just launched a new dessert that all of us in Singapore have been waiting for – the Hong Kong-style Egg Waffle with Soft Serve.

It is every bit photogenic, but is it anywhere near the original Oddies Foodies of Hong Kong?

Haven’t heard of this waffle bar? Business started back in May this year for Hvala, serving thin waffle on a stick. Sure, it is pretty, but ‘gai dan zai’ soft serve is still sexier and we definitely gravitate towards that more.

Hvala Waffle Bar’s rendition comes with vanilla soft serve in a cup, egglet (or what we all know as ‘gai dan zai’), and two toppings of your choice – koko crunch, muesli, fruits and fruity pebbles are a few to name. An Egg Waffle Soft serve with two toppings is S$6.90.

Admittedly, this is a direct copy of the famous Oddies Foodies in Hong Kong. Oddies Foodies’ version is much more sophisticated and well-balanced with a good mix of contrasting ingredients – think panna cotta, brownie and fruits – whereas Hvala Waffle Bar has kept theirs a lot simpler, and free for you to customize and ‘play up’.

We love how Hvala has so many different types of sauces to pick from; maple, chocolate and speculoos are a few to boast. But when it comes to the soft serve, it still has a lot more to catch up with Oddies’.

We have to wait and see if Hvala Waffle Bar can emulate the success of Oddies Foodies to start a new wave of egg waffle soft serve trend here in Singapore.

For now – trend or fad? You decide.

Hvala Waffle Bar
313 Orchard Road
#B3-50 313@Somerset
Singapore 238895
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Somerset