Kinobe – Affordable Donburi in Amoy Street Food Centre

I was running some errands in the CBD one afternoon, and decided to make a rush for Amoy Street Food Centre for a late lunch at any of my favourite stalls. It’s been a while since I last visited the place and I could really use some good food.

To my dismay, many of my favourite hawkers gave a meek smile, signalling to me that they were done for the day.

I looked around and spotted a new kid on the block, Kinobe. Run by a duo of young hawkers, Genji and Benjamin, Kinobe only has 2 items on the menu –  Gyu/Beef Don ($6) and  Buta/Pork Don ($5). Meat and rice sounded great, especially when I was famished.

Unfortunately, they have run out of pork at the time of my visit, so both my partner and I ordered the Beef Don ($6).

Our bowls looked sumptuous. They were topped with slices of beef and, of course, a really sexy onsen egg. Before I dug in, I shook my bowl so that the egg will jiggle — perfect for instastory!

I coated the beef slices with a good amount of egg yolk, and boy do they taste heavenly. I raised my bowl, so that the distance between the bowl to my mouth is reduced, and gobbled up mouthfuls of rice hurriedly. Just what I needed to satisfy my hunger!

Underneath the beef lay wedges of sweet onions. That, along with the sprinkling of spring onions, kept the dish from being too jelak.

The rice had a great texture. The grains were firm, and not mushy at all.

While the sprinkling of chilli flakes might look a little intimidating, it was not at all spicy.

I chatted with the owner, Genji, as I was finishing my bowl. The owners are actually unsure if the three-month-old Kinobe is going to survive in Amoy Street Food Centre. After all, it is home to many well-established stalls that have almost a legendary status. The young hawkers are still trying to fine tune their food according to feedback.

So next time when you’re in the area, and want to have some yummy and really affordable donburi, head to Kinobe. More importantly, let them know how they can improve. It’s always heartening to see someone constantly trying to improve.

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Kinobe. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!