When we first stepped foot into habitat by honestbee, we were blown away. Those loooong supermarket queues at the checkout cashiers? Not a problem here: they’ve got automated checkouts with robots to handle it all. We were equally impressed by their shelves of groceries – they’ve got more than 20,000 items in a 60,000 square feet space!
But convenient grocery shopping aside, we’ve also recently discovered that habitat by honestbee serves up freshly-cooked food and drinks from more than 15 F&B concepts. From Hokkaido milk soft serves to wagyu beef rendang, here’s what we tried at habitat by honestbee:
Fluffy pancakes: much coveted, but ridiculously difficult to hunt down. You think you’ve ordered a stack of cloud-like pancakes but alas, the common phrase holds true – they come as flat as a pancake.
But that’s not the case at Poofy.
Maple syrup on the side.
The name already says it all. All pancakes here come puffed up, light and airy as can be – purely made from Japanese flour and quality ingredients. It’s no surprise that aptly-named Poofy Pancakes ($14) is the bestseller here, with generous layers of vanilla chantilly cream and fresh berries.
If you’re health-conscious, Poofy has a collab with Tokyo pancake joint Riz Labo Kitchen so you can choose organic and gluten-free pancakes. All ingredients come straight from Japan, with the likes of organic rice flour from Niigata and brown sugar from Okinawa’s Anami Island.
Their Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve ($7.50 with cone) is also worth a try, if not for the rich creaminess then the earl grey waffle cone – this comes with a subtle scent of bergamot. Poofy has a whopping number of toppings, with some that are flown straight from Hokkaido and Kyoto, including Matcha castella cake, Azuki red bean, and even traditional Japanese sweet rice cracker balls.
Image credit: habitat by honestbee
This festive season, try their Grand Marnier Pancake ($16.80) which is fully Mandarin orange-centric, with mandarin orange chantilly cream, mandarin sauce, and candied orange.
Nasi Lemak is one of those dishes we all grew up with – stepping into MOSS, of course we recognised the wafting scent of coconut-infused rice. The Nasi Lemak Set B ($9.80) here comes with a crispy chicken wing and organic sunny side up, along with a generous scattering of ikan bilis, peanuts, and achar. There’s also a dollop of homemade sambal chilli on the side.
You can choose for more substantial sets too, like Set A ($15) which comes with a side of wagyu beef cheek rendang or Set C ($12.80) which has grilled chicken bakar.
Granted, home cooking doesn’t usually come with wagyu cheek.
It’s almost as if your grandma took full control of the kitchen here, with old-school favourites like Wagyu Cheek Rendang ($8.80), Chicken Bakar ($6.50), and Ayam Kapitan ($5).
It comes in this adorably compact box.
A hearty platter of fish and chips is one of the more satisfying meals to end the day. When tucking into golden-brown fish and salted chips, it’s comfort food at its best. Over at Fish, they’ve got 5 types to choose from: Barramundi, Dory, Haddock, Pollock, and Snapper.
Word is going around that this might be Singapore’s best fish & chips, thanks to the Tiger beer batter and homemade tartar sauce.
You’ll be licking up the batter crumbs.
Image credit: habitat by honestbee
We tried the Barramundi and it was lightly crisp on the outside but gloriously tender on the inside. If you’re not a big eater, it’s a good idea to share since the portions are massive. It starts from $13.50 for the Dory and Barramundi.
Image credit: habitat by honestbee
For Chinese New Year, they’re offering specials like 黑金 (hei jin) Beer Battered Black and Gold Wolffish ($18.80) – a massive slab of charcoal beer-battered wolffish that comes with savoury cajun fries.
The signature Mr. Bubbles comes with a dash of gula melaka that’s made purely from scratch.
This bubble tea joint Mr Bubbles offers up a refreshing respite after shopping up a storm. All drinks here come freshly brewed and use fresh milk – no powdered milk or milk packets here.
They’ve got handmade drinks like Earl Grey Milk Tea (from $4), where you can add toppings like Aloe Vera, Chia Seeds, Pearls, and Lemon Aiyu. All toppings are priced at $1.
For a healthier rendition, you can also opt for one of their Calpis Craft drinks which comes in flavours like Grapefruit, NZ Apple, and Passionfruit – all start from $5.50 for a regular-sized drink.
Their Freshly-made Kombucha (from $5) is also a healthy option – kombucha, as a fermented drink comes with plenty of healthy bacteria. It’s slightly fizzy with a subtle taste of fresh fruits, ranging from flavours like Lemon Ginger & Honey to Orange Cinnamon.
For Chinese New Year, they’ve introduced festive drinks like Passion Aiyu ($4) and Pink Grapefruit Soda ($4) for a refreshing burst of citrus flavours.
The carnivore in us firmly believe that Campfire is a godsend. If not for the skewered meats – they’re all grilled on the Josper to perfection – then most definitely for the premium cuts like Tajima Wagyu and Black Angus.
While you can choose your own meat from the butcher, that’s just 10m or so away, we opted for the Australian Rosedale Ruby Flap Steak ($18/180g).
This Josper grill joint uses binchotan and applewood to smoke their meats, so you can be sure that the meat comes with a smokey, slightly charred flavour. Even the side we ordered, Roasted Chat Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives ($6), came infused with smoke.
Other sides you can choose from include Grilled Peruvian White Asparagus ($10), Charred Cabbage with Anchovy Aioli ($7), and Seasonal Wild Mushrooms with Pine Nuts ($8).
Set lunches start from $12.90, with meals like Barramundi that comes with a tangy cucumber fennel salad and Rosemary and Garlic Chicken Steak that’s drizzled over with red wine jus. Both are perfect for a lighter lunch, so you don’t get food comatose after.
They’re also offering up a Roasted Suckling Piglet ($268) for Chinese New Year, which comes with rosemary potatoes, roasted seasonal vegetables, and star anise jus.
Supermarkets aren’t our typical lunch joints – most of them only deal out packed sandwiches and microwavable pizzas. But habitat by honestbee? Their F&B concepts don’t just offer up cooked food – they’re also quality food with droolworthy cuts of meat and vibrantly-coloured veggies and fruits.
From Japanese souffle pancakes to British fish & chips, there’s no shortage of good food hidden behind these supermarket aisles. Whether you’re browsing for groceries with a Hokkaido milk soft serve in hand or ducking in to grab a quick bubble tea fix, habitat by honestbee is now our new favourite joint to try new foods.
There’s a free shuttle bus service on weekends, with pickup and drop-off points at Labrador Park MRT and Redhill MRT.
Address: 34 Boon Leat Terrace, #01-01, Singapore 119866
Opening hours: Mon to Thu: 10AM-10PM, Fri to Sat: 10AM-12AM, Sun: 10AM-10PM
Follow their Instagram page for latest updates.
This post was brought to you by habitat by honestbee.
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