Grain Traders

Love, love, love this place. I could probably eat it every day, for realz.
Although I’d then be broke, but I’d be healthy, so what’s more important?
Anyway, my work people rave about GT all day every day, so I thought let me go see what all the fuss is about. I ordered the upstream which was really really good. The dressing was the real star, and although when you look at the amount of food you are getting, you start to panic, but you’ll be full. I promise. You can also make your own salad, or bowl, or whatever, but they have some pretty good ones already put together. The second one I tried had chicken, and more of a Mexican feel, but the upsteam was def. better. For a meal, snack and water will run you $ 16. Not cheap, but def. worth it. I saw they also do breakfast, and have some interesting stuff going on, so looking forward to go when I have a free minute to spare in the AM. Perfect for those who work in the CBD and need a quick, healthy lunch, or live in the area and need something after a work out, or on the way home from a late night at the office.

Obsessed with this place! My husband took me for lunch today and I forgot to take pictures of the food, but I had the steak and salmon bowls to share. Coffee was alright but the juices were delicious. Definitely recommend, but seating is limited and it’s super packed during lunch hours. Still, people don’t eat for more than 15 mins on a busy work week so turnover is not slow. Steak is more filling and salmon is healthier. Husband said he also tried the pork which was good. I can’t wait to try the rest of the menu. Will come during non peak hours since I’m in school anyway and don’t have a set lunch time. Too bad they don’t have one near my school (INSEAD) otherwise they would sell out so quick! Maybe do a pop up for a month or something. Anyway, right now daily cut and salad stop are the only healthy options. And class ends late so it would be nice if healthy options are open, not just bar food. Anyway, go and eat healthy here!

This will put a dent in your wallet, but once it touches your lips, it’s just so good!
I understand the appeal. In CBD, tons of people want healthier options, and this is definitely one of them. There are a lot of choices here, and possibilities seem endless.
I’m usually the type who’d rather just choose whatever combos they offer, but none of them really appealed to me so I went the custom bowl route.
You get to choose from lots of different grains, proteins, and veggie add-​ons. Everything I chose tasted great: the charred corn, striploin steak, pickled capsicums, and the bean pico de gallo. Additionally you can choose a sauce, and that in itself took me a while because there was a lot and I wanted to try so many!
Depending on what you get it could be $ 15 – 20. For Singapore, that’s a pretty expensive lunch.
To beat the crowd, you seriously have to go between 11 – 11:45, because once 12 comes around the queue spans the entire restaurant and there are no seats available.
Enjoy your healthy lunch! I, on the other hand, just need to learn how to make all of these ingredients at home so I can assemble myself!

I was in urgent need of real food. Grain Traders delivered, although at a price.
The dealio is simple: select
1 — Base (rice, leafs, quinoa etc.)
2 — One protein
3 — One hot veggie
4 — Two cold veggie
5 — Topping
6 — Dressing
Then pay.
I added a beverage and my wallet was $ 20 SGD lighter. Although good I don’t think it is twenty bucks good.
At lunch time the place was slammed but the line moved fast.

I LOVE this place. GREAT coffee, super friendly service, FREE Wi-​FI and a super cool loyalty card system.
You will not be disappointed with the coffee — punchy flavours, served at the right temperature with creamy, silky smooth milk — delicious. Stamp your own loyalty card and when you buy 6 cups, get a FREE one — amazing! I hate having too many card in my wallet, so this «keep your card at the store» thing is right up my street.
Connect to the FREE Wi-​Fi (speed is pretty good) and enjoy working as you sip your coffee or watch workers walk by the full length windows of this CBD café /​restaurant. Music can be a it noisy though, so be aware.
Cakes are pretty ok, although can be a bit dry. I have yet to try the food from the other side, but the DIY salad looks fantastic.

Delicious. BUT EXPENSIVE!
I really don’t understand. Does eating lunch in CBD has to be this expensive? I know there are bankers and lawyers but there are also underpaid consultants (aka me) and also others who earn a decent salary for a living. I call this pure indulgent eating here, and can only do it once a while.
That being said, Grain Traders serves really good, fresh food. I enjoyed my food here tremendously. It definitely reminds of the fuss– free, health-​conscious restaurants you get in Australia or the US. The concept is the same like The Daily Cut, you can either order set meal called «Hero Bowls» or DIY your own lunch. Same price at $ 16 nett. Hero Bowls section comes in 6 choices but since I was hangry (read: hungry + angry), i head straight to the DIY section. For the price you get to choose:
1 grain (quinoa, brown rice, japanese rice, or soba)
1 protein (beef, salmon or chicken)
1 hot vege (various items to choose from)
2 cold vege (various salads, kimchis etc)
1 topping (no, im not talking about rainbow sprinkles or m&ms here)
1 sauce (you MUST MUST try the MISO CARAMEL sauce!!)
…and you get a bowl of wholesome meal.
There;s also a coffee bar on the other side of the restaurant that serves decent coffee at the price you get from ‘bucks. I got myself a cup of latte and it was pretty good, at $ 5.50.
I spent a total of $ 21.50 of lunch today, which is equivalent to almost 3 plates of normal mixed rice from the hawker center. Will i come back, yes. Maybe once every fortnight. Or else I might have to get a bank loan to eat here daily.
Lunch crowd (12−1pm) tends to get overwhelming so come really early or late to avoid the madness. Service is prompt and efficient overall!
p/​s: The miso caramel sauce is as good as the maple butter syrup from clinton st bakery. I can drink it on its own, I swear

Great food, crazy lunch crowd on a weekday (avoid if you wanna get seats) healthy eating never tasted so good. love the idea of the buffet line– the colors of the vegetables against great serving plates are clever. $ 16 for a bowl of hearty healthy portion. not cheap on the wallet but then again, we’re in the CBD area. I will come back again