Hello Arigato (Bukit Timah)

Not forgetting the new Strawberry Matcha Cloud ($6) which I really enjoyed. Their rendition was the ideal thirst-quencher. I love that the strawberry element didn’t taste artificial and most importantly the delicious Uji Matcha Cold Foam had a very nice creamy consistency. The matcha flavour was also distinct and the concoction was smooth.

And while I am still on team sando, their Mentaiko Pasta ($22) was flavourful and not too cloying. Coated generously with a light mentaiko sauce, the slurpy spaghetti with the slightly torched surface was pleasantly balanced (not overly saltish) and well-executed. The added lemon vest, nori, sweet slices of Hokkaido Scallop Sashimi and briny bursts of tobiko were perfectly complementary to the creamy spicy cod roe sauce as well.

Here with my family for more of their signature sandwiches; Hello Arigato’s 'newer' outlet-exclusive Truffle & Eggs Sando ($18) was a classic sweet-savoury breakfast combo. Think fragrant truffled scrambled eggs, fluffy crispy maple hashbrown, umami homemade mushroom jam and wonderfully melted American cheddar packed between two slices of soft Japanese milk bread. Yummy!

Finally closer to home, Hello Arigato’s newest space at Bukit Timah was a great chill spot. Here for their sandos, I had to get their popular Tamago Sando and outlet-exclusive Wagyu Hamburg Gyu Sando to share.

Oddly, I wasn’t expecting a cold sandwich thus I was pretty surprised when I bit into their Tamago Sando ($14). However, once I got passed that, the cool Japanese Egg Mayo really delivered. As I personally enjoy a more well-seasoned sando, the tamgoyaki and jammy Ajitama Egg added that nice oomph. The medley of eggs was wonderfully sweet, creamy and luscious (just the right amount of mayonnaise for me) which served as a great contrast to the lightly toasted Japanese-style fluffy milk bread.

For those yearning for heartier fare, the Bukit Timah special Wagyu Hamburg Gyu Sando ($28) was the real deal. The juicy, moist hunk of a homemade Hamburg patty was flavourful and oh-so-tender on the inside (mildly beefy and not at all gamey). Love love the thinly battered exterior, I found the delicate crunch to be just right. Layered with caramelised sweet onion jam and American cheddar, the milk bread sando wasn’t too cloying either on a whole though certainly pricey for a casual brunch grub.

There seems to be nothing that is stopping Hello Arigato from expanding its operations further — while their Everton Park outlet had only been opened just for a few months, it seems that the folks behind Hello Arigato aren’t resting on their laurels all these while. With outlets located at Upper Thomson, Joo Chiat, and Everton Park, Hello Arigato’s newest outlet is located within Bukit Timah. Being just a short walk away from Botanic Gardens MRT Station, Hello Arigato’s newest location at 551 Bukit Timah Road isn’t too difficult to find — it is located just in the same building as Atlas Coffeehouse just a unit away; Atlas Coffehouse being yet another cafe that can be said as a landmark within the neighbourhood considering how it had made its presence in the neighbourhood several years ago since its establishment. Hello Arigato’s Bukit Timah outlet is the brand’s very first outlet that occupies a double-storey shop unit; that being said, the shop space is actually pretty tight across both levels. Still decked in a way that should be pretty familiar for those whom have visited their other locations, the minimalistic, living room vibes that seemingly follows a Scandinavian theme with its use of white walls and dark wooden furniture and fittings is still much of the decor here — the ground floor is also home to the ordering counter and open concept kitchen, while the upper storey comprises of counter seating as well as a more casual (though cramped) dine-in space that makes use of stools and low tables to maximise the area. As with all Hello Arigato concepts located across the island, the Bukit Timah outlet features some items that are exclusively available here — this includes some of its Sandos, as well as the entire section dedicated to pasta that they have named “Pasta Arigato”; the Choco Pistachio Shibuya Toast being the only outlet-exclusive item in the “Sweets & Treats section”. Outlet-exclusive beverages includes the Momo Orange and Mango & Passionfruit Sodas — these would be on top of the usual alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that they have to offer.

A trip to Hello Arigato would usually not be complete if one completely skips out on having their Sando. Skimming through the menu, we did notice that the outlet of Hello Arigato at Bukit Timah does carry quite an extensive selection of Sando that are exclusively available at this outlet. Amongst those, one of the Sando that seem to have stood out the most to us would be the Red Curry Kani Sando. Based on the description of the item on the menu, the Red Curry Kani Sando comes with elements such as Kani Ebi Patty, Homemade Red Curry Sauce, Kaffir Lime, Pickled Spanish Onions and Japanese Milk Bread. For those whom are familiar with Hello Arigato’s Sando offerings, the presentation and composition in terms of how the different elements are being layered in the Sando should be nothing too out of one’s expectations — the Sando comes as-is on the plate, while the Red Curry Kani Sando first consists of the Homemade Red Curry Sauce that is spread across the slice of Japanese Milk Bread at the bottom; all that before the Kani Ebi Patty is stacked atop. Following the Kani Ebi Patty would be Pickled Spanish Onions and the Purple Cabbage, before it is being topped off with the slice of Japanese Milk Bread on the top. Sinking our teeth into the Red Curry Kani Sando, the Japanese Milk Bread carries a light and soft texture that their Sandos are known for, allowing for a neat and firm bite into the other elements in between without having everything else falling apart. The Purple Cabbage provides for a good crunch, while the Pickled Spanish Onions further enhances those textures with a tangy note to cut through the natural sweetness of the crustaceans that are part of the Kani Ebi Patty — a deep-fried patty that features prawns and crab. Here, there is an evident hint of curry — one that is more akin to that of curry powder rather than the coconut-infused curry that one would associate with local curry dishes, providing a flavour of spice to the Sando; the Sando did not seem to come with a spicy kick, though the addition of Kaffir Lime did provide a zing that cuts through all of the flavours pretty aptly.

Our experience at the various Hello Arigato locations were all pretty memorable; the food items seem to have gotten more inventive with the opening of every new outlet. That being said, we are not that sure if that is the same about Hello Arigato Bukit Timah — on one hand it does seem that we did order pretty much all of the wrong dishes, though we did not feel that usual oomph in the dishes that we would feel from our previous visits to their other locations; just did not feel quite as consistently good as what we had experienced especially with their Joo Chiat Road and Everton Park outlets. Apart from the Red Curry Kani Sando, we also managed to give the Karasumi Pasta that comes with elements such as Cured Mullet Fish Roe, Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce, lkura, Shiso Leaf, Soft Shell Ebi and Tagliatele Pasta. While the pasta is well-executed and is done al-dente with a tangy tomato-based sauce, we just did not feel that the Soft Shell Ebi had much of a purpose in the dish. First off, we weren’t quite sure if the prawn shells are meant to be consumed in the same way that one would enjoy soft-shell crab, though de-shelling the prawn before consumption would be the most natural thing to do — that removes much of how it was intended to be; the prawns were also pretty uninspiring to say the least despite being much of the star of the dish apart from the pasta itself. On the other hand, the Arigato Truffle Fries was a crowd-pleaser; featuring Thundercrunch Fries, Truffle, Parmigiano Reggiano and Truffle Mayo, the Fries carried an extra crunchy texture with generous shavings of the cheese and a Truffle Mayo that is no doubt heavier on the mayonnaise aspect, but still a decent offering overall. Prices of the mains range between $14 to $28; the lowest-priced item being the Tamago Sando which is a dish that is available at most of their other locations, while the priciest would be the Wagyu Hamburg Gyu Sando. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend Hello Arigato Bukit Timah as the first outlet of Hello Arigato to try considering our experience, though it could be us ordering all the wrong items — that being said, still a destination to check out for those whom love what they are doing so far at their other outlets.