Billion Bowls was a stall with quite a hype back then when they were first featured on social media — the coffeeshop stall located at the coffeeshop named Meetup@83 at 83 MacPherson Lane is opened by a chef previously from Mikuni; the stall serving up Japanese Ramen and Donburi at pretty affordable prices (none of the items here exceeds $10). Items that are listed on the menu include a Spicy Chicken Ramen, Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and Bulgogi Don; those looking for something to share across the table can also opt for sides such as the Signature Golden Prawn as well.

Having dropped by Billion Bowls since the spot that we had initially wanted to check out wasn’t opened for the day, it was easy to decide what to go for here — we opted for two of their Donburi which features their signature sauces; the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and the Golden Sauce Prawn Don. Whilst the former is something which was well-executed, the latter was also as well-executed but also something which we found to be less predictable. The elements that come with the Golden Sauce Prawn Don is what one would have usually expected out of a Donburi like this — essentially the prawns come blanketed in their Golden Sauce that seems to have been torched; all atop a bed of short-grain pearl rice with a side of cherry tomatoes and wakame (i.e. seaweed). Going straight for the Golden Sauce Prawn, it is little wonder why there was just so much talk about Billion Bowls back then — the Golden Sauce is undeniably creamy with a slight smokiness from the torching; there is this slight saltishness but the flavours are undeniably clean, and so much so that its flavour is just something that we can’t quite put a finger to. Nonetheless, it was a good combination with the prawns here — the light flavours of the sauce just paired so well with the natural sweetness of the prawns; the prawns are also pretty fresh and provided a good bite considering how chunky they are. The bed of rice beneath came with rice that was lightly drenched with a sweet-savoury Japanese sauce for some flavour — didn’t feel like there was any conflict between the Golden Sauce and the sauce used on the rice in terms of flavour; the sauce for the rice also makes the rice easier to have. Whilst the cherry Tomatoes are essentially just what they are, the Wakame does help to provide a slightly refreshing crunch.

The crowds seemed to have died down at Billion Bowls — the coffeeshop being barely full when we visited for lunch on a weekend lunch service, and that that there were a constant stream of patrons for Billion Bowls though there was never quite a queue to begin with. That being said, they seem to have been pretty consistent with the food that they are serving out to their patrons — we were actually pretty impressed by both the Mentaiko Mayo Salmon Don and the Golden Sauce Prawn Don for their quality; definitely put some other establishments to shame and also very value-for-money as well. An earnest setup by folks who have not only got a good repertoire, but also the passion to serve their patrons their very best; Billion Bowls is certainly a destination to check out!