Since 2021, Hello Arigato has been serving Japanese-inspired sandos that keep diners coming back for more. With six outlets across Singapore, each offering its own outlet-exclusive dishes, the homegrown café has refreshed its menu to bring together some of its most-loved creations from across the neighbourhoods, alongside updated recipes and new additions. The refreshed menu features signature sandos, beloved pasta dishes, savoury sides, and favourites from its matcha and coffee line-up, now available across all locations.
Arigato Fried Chicken 5/5
We visited the Tiong Bahru outlet, which has recently introduced a dinner menu featuring Japanese-inspired tapas and alcoholic beverages, offering diners a chance to wind down over casual bites and drinks. We started with the Arigato Fried Chicken, featuring deboned chicken wings stuffed with juicy tsukune filling. The batter was crunchy and well seasoned, while the chicken stayed juicy and succulent with every bite.
Tomato & Watermelon Salad 3/5
The Tomato & Watermelon Salad ($16) featured dashi-marinated mixed tomatoes and compressed watermelon, served with stracciatella cheese and golden raisin purée, and finished with extra virgin olive oil. The combination of compressed watermelon and creamy stracciatella was refreshing, though I found the dashi-marinated tomatoes slightly unusual.
Big Fish Sando 4.5/5
Moving on to the brand's signature sandos, the Big Fish Sando ($22), previously exclusive to the Joo Chiat and Cross Street outlets, has become one of Hello Arigato's best-selling offerings. It was easy to see why. The halibut fish katsu was moist and flaky, complemented by Japanese tartar sauce, tobiko mayo, American cheddar, pickled onions and shredded cabbage, all sandwiched between soft Japanese milk bread. The combination of textures and sauces made this a satisfying bite.
Porkatsu Sando 3/5
The Porkatsu Sando ($24) features 12-hour sous vide Kurobuta pork collar katsu with a special tonkatsu sauce. The sauce gave the sando an addictive umami flavour, though the pork was a tad dry at the edges.
Wild Kinoko Pasta 4/5
From the pasta selection, the Wild Kinoko Pasta ($18) is a vegetarian-friendly option featuring spaghetti tossed in shoyu butter sauce with assorted mushrooms. I appreciated the savoury shoyu butter base, which offered a welcome alternative to the cream-based mushroom pastas commonly found elsewhere. Crispy kale and mushrooms added extra textural contrast.
Kurobuta Ragu Pasta 4/5
Another pasta worth trying is the Kurobuta Ragu Pasta ($22), updated with ribbons of mafalda pasta in place of rigatoni. The chewy pasta ribbons worked well with the rich, slow-cooked pork ragù, enriched with confit garlic and stracciatella cheese. Basil coulis added freshness, balancing the sauce's richness.
Yuzu Highball, Ginger & Lemon Highball
For alcoholic beverages, the highballs are particularly affordable during happy hour, and we tried the Yuzu ($10) and Ginger Lemon ($10) versions. Both made refreshing accompaniments to the food.
Coconut Orh Nee Cloud, Matcha Orh Nee Cloud
We also tried 2 Tiong Bahru-exclusive drinks: Coconut Orh Nee Cloud ($5.50), an aromatic concoction of 100% natural coconut water topped with Taro Cold Foam. We equally enjoyed the Matcha Orh Nee Cloud ($8.50), featuring Matcha Latte topped with Taro Cold Foam.
The Tiong Bahru outlet's dinner menu adds another dimension to the cafe experience, with Japanese-inspired bites and wallet-friendly happy hour highballs, making it a great option for a casual evening out.
Note: This is an invited tasting.
Hello Arigato
58 Seng Poh Road
#01-15
Singapore 160058
Tel: +65 8027 2558
Website
Nearest MRT: Havelock (TE Line)
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 9am – 4pm, 530pm – 9pm
Sat-Sun: 8am – 4pm, 530pm – 9pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Havelock MRT station. Take Exit 1 or 2. Walk down Zion Road to Tiong Bahru Road. At the traffic junction of Zion Road and Tiong Bahru Road, cross the road and turn right onto Seng Poh Road. Walk down Seng Poh Road. Walk to the destination. Journey time is about 6 minutes. [Map]
