Canteen Bistro Review: Beef And Fried Chicken Omurice Lunch Sets From $8 Nett Hidden In SMU

A speciality of Canteen Bistro , omurice is a simple yet delicious creation that unites rice and egg to form a comforting dish that has won the hearts and tummies of many, including mine. Opened in January 2020 by the owners behind Chop Chop , Canteen Bistro serves up yummy plates of omurice at affordable rates.

All former engineers, the three good friends decided to go into the F&B trade to share their love for good food with the masses. Sticking to how omurice is traditionally prepared, no butter, cream or cheese are added to the eggs.

I watched in amazement as the chef mixed the eggs smoothly with clean flicks of the wrist. After giving the pan a swift jiggle to check for doneness, he swiped the eggy hot mess out effortlessly and settled it on a nice warm bed of flavoured rice.

Food at Canteen Bistro The lunch menu only consists of five omurice dishes, which come with a soup of the day. Food portions were generous, and each heaping portion of rice was nicely encapsulated by nice silky egg and surrounded by plenty of meat.

It’s hard to say no to fried chicken, so we started off with the Crispy Chicken Omurice with Cream Sauce ($8) . I was glad that it was not as rich as compared to the other cream sauces I’ve tasted in the past.

The Crispy Fish Omurice Set With Marinara Sauce ($8) was the only item on the lunch menu that was labelled with a thumbs-up sign, so I knew we had to get it. A strong fishy taste ain’t my cup of tea, and I was glad that the fish tasted pleasantly salty without being overly fishy.

The meat was moist and tender, and even though I’m not the biggest fan of fish, this was a satisfying dish. The marinara sauce provided a nice sweetness to the traditionally light-tasting fish meat.

I’m glad to say that the Beef Stroganoff Omurice With Demi-Glace Sauce ($11) thoroughly impressed me. Going to I was pleasantly surprised that Canteen Bistro uses ribeye, which, the great degree of marbling for each slice.

Like butter on a hot pan, the tender beef gradually melted in my mouth, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The demi-glace sauce provided a rich, meaty taste to the beef and rice, and notably deepened the savour profile of every bite.

Ambience at Canteen Bistro This spacious restaurant is situated in the basement of SMU’s School of Information Systems, but it is open to the public. Sadly, the omurice sets are only available for lunch, the dinner menu is not as affordable.