Yet another change of tenants at Basement 1 of Capitol Singapore — taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Xiang Guo Li La, 八百碗 (i.e. 800 Bowls; the establishment does not have an English name based on the signboard — we will refer it as such in this post for convenience) is a new F&B establishment that has it focus on Shanghai cuisine. Much of the space still carries the same look as it had before when Xiang Guo Li La was still operating within the same space; not much has been done to the interior decor by 800 Bowls. Featuring a menu that mostly comprises of noodle dishes, patrons do have a good variety of soup and dry noodles to choose from — those looking to share an item across the table can also opt to go for their dumpling dishes (i.e. the section named Handmade Dim Sum on the menu), as well as a limited variety of appetisers. Choices of beverages are limited to canned drinks, though a house-made Soya Bean Drink is also available.

Was actually rather spoilt for choice when choosing the noodle dish to go for here — was initially intending to opt for the Ramen with Minced Meat & Crab Meat, though we did find ourselves going for the Ramen with Shanghai Prawn Wanton instead. The food did not take too long to arrive here; the Ramen with Shanghai Prawn Wanton is a pretty simple soup noodle dish that comes with four (4) pieces of their handmade prawn dumplings. Wasn’t carrying much expectations on the food here, but was actually pretty much blown away by how comforting this came to be — the soup is especially flavourful yet clean; carried a distinct sweetness, all that while the noodles provided quite a good, firm bite on its own. The Shanghai Prawn Wanton were equally outstanding — these were generously packed with prawns within and were especially plump; chewing through the silken skin of the dumpling, the prawn provides a good bite, and carried a natural sweetness that really showcased the freshness of the produce used in their dishes over here. Overall, a pretty satisfying bowl of noodles that is simple, yet comforting.

One wouldn’t be wrong to call 800 Bowls a hidden find — being situated in one of the areas with lesser footfall in the mall, the shopfront of 800 Bowls is also a little non-descript; one that seems to be not quite as attention-grabbing as that of other F&B establishments located within the same area of the mall. That being said, 800 Bowls does seem like a hidden gem for Shanghainese cuisine — the emphasis on handmade elements is a show on their passion to serve their patrons the very best, all that whilst using what seems to be quality ingredients and produce as well. Prices are also seemingly wallet-friendly here — the noodles being priced between $6 to $10.80; the most expensive item that falls out of this price range at $16.80 is the 800 Bowls Supreme Ramen that seems to be the full works here. A spot that we are most certainly willing to return again to check out the other items that they have to offer; also one that is worth making the trip all the way out for !