If you are a minimalist, you would have at least frequented a MUJI store to shop for everyday home items like clear acrylic boxes or their cotton casual wear. To me, MUJI is like a haven for minimalists. I love the simplicity of their products from skincare, fashion, household items to furniture. If you aspire to follow Marie Kondo’s tidying concept, this is the place where you can get all the items you need to organise your everyday items.
My first Cafè&Meal MUJI Experience
A couple of days ago, I visited Cafè&Meal MUJI, which is a cafeteria within MUJI outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre, for dinner. I’ve been wanting to check out this cafe so I was excited to order my first meal there. What makes their cafe truly outstanding is their use of high-quality ingredients to prepare a nutritious meal. Their dishes are seasoned with natural ingredients and cooked simply with ingredients imported from Japan. No artificial seasonings or ingredients are used in their food.
Ordering Your Food
Before lining up for your food, make sure you reserve yourself a table by placing a ‘reserve’ card sign on your table. The good thing is that you do not have to ‘chope’ or reserve your table with a packet of tissue paper or umbrella.
After reserving a table, we made our way to the counter. The cafe was quite packed on a weekday evening so I guess business was good. We queued at the counter to order our food and I was bombarded by their row of posters which featured their menu of food items, meal combos and promotions. There’s so much information to process before you could choose what you want to eat. Thus, I suggest that you study their menu first before queuing up.
What to order?
You can either choose from their set menu or customise your own meal. They have a breakfast set (which is available from 10 am to 11.30 am only) as well as 2,3 or 4 Deli set. Their ‘deli’ refers to the side dishes which you can eat with rice or bread. It’s simple to our local Chinese mixed rice concept where you can choose 2 or more side dishes to go with rice.
I ordered a 2 Deli set which costs $12.80. This set includes 1 hot deli, 1 cold deli, a bowl of soup, a bowl of rice and another side. It is quite expensive for a set meal that costs over $10. But they used premium ingredients imported from Japan so I guess that explains why it costs more. But their food tastes really good.
Dinner Deals
You get a dollar off when you order a drink to complete your meal. They do have dinner deals which allow you to upgrade your drink to a glass of wine or beer for $5 only.
Hot Deli
Their hot deli prefers to the main protein dishes like beef, pork, chicken or tofu. It is great that they have a vegan option too. I had their Sakura chicken and it was delicious. It tasted very much like popcorn chicken.
Cold Deli
Their cold deli dishes comprises mainly of salad which has a chockful of greens in it. My friend recommended their Black Fungus Hijiki Salad so I ordered that along with the Sakura chicken.
Desserts
They also have a selection of pretty-looking desserts ranging from cold puddings, cakes. Price ranges from $4.90 for a roasted tea pudding to $10.90 for a date pudding that comes with a scoop of ice cream.
My 2 Deli Set Meal
After choosing 1 hot deli and 1 cold deli, I get to choose my carbs. I chose their 16-grain rice which is a healthy mix of Japanese rice with multi-grains. As for my choice of soup, I chose their cumin carrot soup. Lastly, for the other side dish, I had their onsen egg.
Overall, it is a well-balanced meal comprising of healthy carbs, protein, vitamins and minerals. No wonder Japanese people have a slim built and have a longer lifespan.
Thank goodness for this reserved sign! We can order our food without having to worry if there is a table for us or not. We should have such signs in hawker centres and food court too.
My verdict: It’s a really wholesome dinner!
I really enjoyed my 2 Deli set meal which is very filling indeed. The Sakura chicken was delicious. Their chickens are reared in eco-friendly farms and therefore its meat is lower in fat and cholesterol.
The Hijiki salad was really appetizing too. Hijiki is a type of wild seaweed which has a great source of dietary fibre and minerals like iron, magnesium and calcium.
I especially love the 16-grain rice where each grain of rice has this glossy sheen to it. This is high-quality Japanese rice which has a firm and chewy texture.
The cumin carrot soup is equally tasty as well. No wonder it’s one of the more popular dining places at Raffles City Shopping Centre. I would definitely love to go back again for another healthy and nutritious meal.
Café&Meal MUJI
252 North Bridge Rd
#02-20/22 Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103
