Ex-Michelin starred restaurant chef, 25, sells Japanese-French rice bowls from S$5.80 in Lavender

Nice.

Karen Lui | December 28, 2021, 11:52 AM

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[UPDATED on Friday, Feb. 11 at 4:00pm: Nice Rice has announced that will be closing from Feb. 28, 2022 until further notice. The stall will be relocating to an undisclosed new location.]

If you're looking for something a bit different than your typical hawker fare in the Lavender area, swing by this new stall that offers Japanese-French rice bowls.

Opened on Dec. 1, Nice Rice is run by Mandel Ban, a former Michelin-starred restaurant chef.

The stall is located in a coffee shop that is a seven-minute walk from Lavender MRT station.

Photo by Nice Rice.

Trained in French cuisine

The 25-year-old previously worked at the now-defunct The Kitchen at Bacchanalia, a French restaurant with one Michelin star.

Photo taken in 2018 by @mandelban on Instagram.

He also worked at the restaurant after it was rebranded to Vianney Massot Restaurant, which also earned a Michelin star before its closure in 2020.

Photo taken in 2019 by @mandelban on Instagram.

Japanese-French rice bowls

The star of Nice Rice is the pilaf rice, which is rice that has been sautéed with onion before adding stock and being cooked in an oven until the liquid is absorbed.

At Nice Rice, the pilaf rice is made with French butter.

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A post shared by NICE RICE (@nicerice.sg)

In addition, each rice bowl also includes the following:

  • Roasted eggplant glazed in soy reduction
  • Garlic confit cooked in French butter and herbs
  • Sliced leeks

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A post shared by NICE RICE (@nicerice.sg)

Available in five variations, the rice bowls are priced from S$5.80 for a Bird Bowl to S$10.80 for a Cow Bowl.

The Bird Bowl features a char grilled chicken thigh glazed with spicy soy based sauce.

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A post shared by NICE RICE (@nicerice.sg)

The Cow Bowl contains roasted rump cap steak glazed with umami truffle soy based sauce and topped with an onsen egg.

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A post shared by NICE RICE (@nicerice.sg)

They also serve sides, including their best-selling Onion Rings (S$4) served with homemade garlic aioli dip.

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A post shared by NICE RICE (@nicerice.sg)

You can also top up your bowl with some Ikura for S$4.

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A post shared by NICE RICE (@nicerice.sg)

Check out the full menu here:

Image by Nice Rice.

While diners were divided on the portion size, Google reviews have been positive so far, with most singing praises for the Cow Bowl.

One particular reviewer noted that they were almost sold out at around 7pm.

Another also said it can be difficult to get seats at the coffee shop.

Nice Rice

Address: 802 French Road Blk 802 #01-69 Singapore 200802

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday:

  • 11am to 3pm
  • 5pm to 8pm or until sold out

Closed on Sundays.

Top images by Nice Rice and @baekeefoodtrails on Instagram.

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