First Bowl, formerly known as DELIBOWL, was founded in 2017 in Singapore with the aim of bringing home-style Chinese cooking into everyday life. Inspired by family kitchens, the founders wanted freshly cooked dishes and perfectly steamed rice to be easy to enjoy any day of the week, under the tagline "Taste of Home Every Day."
Rice is central to the concept: First Bowl steams its rice fresh in small pots using premium Japanese rice, chosen for its soft, fragrant grains, and offers unlimited rice refills with every meal. The menu blends Singapore-style Chinese flavours with a creative twist, spanning stir-fried meats, vegetables, cold salads, soups, and desserts.
First Bowl (and its Delibowl Express counters) operates across more than a dozen locations in Singapore, including Compass One, Lentor Modern, AMK Hub, Hillion Mall, Pasir Ris Mall, Funan Mall, Paya Lebar Square, Marina Bay Link Mall, The Seletar Mall, Tampines Mall, Marina One, NEX, and Sengkang Grand Mall. Halal certification varies by outlet, with several locations Halal Certified and others pending or not yet certified.
First Bowl began life in 2017 as DELIBOWL, founded in Singapore with a simple idea: in the rush of modern living, a steaming bowl of white rice is one of the most honest and comforting gifts you can give yourself. Inspired by family kitchens, the founders set out to make freshly cooked, home-style Chinese dishes with perfectly steamed rice easy to enjoy any day of the week — a philosophy captured in the brand's tagline, "Taste of Home Every Day."
Rice isn't an afterthought at First Bowl — it's the foundation. The rice is freshly steamed in small pots to ensure the right texture and aroma in every serving, using premium Japanese rice chosen for its soft, fragrant grains. To make sure every bowl feels complete, First Bowl offers unlimited rice refills with every meal.
The menu blends Singapore-style Chinese flavours with a creative twist, running from Hunan Style Beef and Honey Chicken through to Mapo Tofu, Butter Chicken, and Sesame Oil Chicken with Taro, many available in both small and large portions. Other mains include Fragrant Hot Pot Chicken, Spicy Popcorn Chicken, Saliva Chicken (served cold), Double-cooked Marinated Beef Slice, Stewed Beef Brisket with Tomato, Sour Soup Fish, and Grilled Prawns with Vermicelli and Minced Garlic.
Vegetable dishes include Stir Fried Cabbage, Stir-fried Long Bean Strips, Stir-fried Naibai, Fried Potato Eggplant and Long Bean, and Sichuan Style Fried Eggplant, while lighter options come in the form of Cold Mixed Cucumber, Tofu Salad, and Fu Zhu Salad. Soups and steamed dishes round things out with Steamed Egg with Dried Scallops and Shrimp, Hot and Sour Veggie Soup, and Stewed Fresh Chicken Soup, followed by desserts like Brown Sugar Milk Pudding and Mung Bean Sweet Soup.
First Bowl and its Delibowl Express counters now operate across more than a dozen Singapore locations, including Compass One, Lentor Modern, AMK Hub, Hillion Mall, Pasir Ris Mall, Funan Mall, Paya Lebar Square, Marina Bay Link Mall, The Seletar Mall, Tampines Mall, Marina One, NEX, and Sengkang Grand Mall. Hours vary by outlet — most run from 11am, though Pasir Ris Mall and The Seletar Mall open earlier at 7:30am, and the Marina Bay Link Mall and Marina One locations close on weekends.
Halal certification also varies by outlet: Funan Mall, Paya Lebar Square, Marina Bay Link Mall, The Seletar Mall, Delibowl Express at Tampines Mall, and Delibowl Express at Marina One are all Halal Certified, while Compass One is pending certification, and AMK Hub, Hillion Mall, Pasir Ris Mall, Delibowl Express at NEX, and Delibowl Express at Sengkang Grand Mall are not yet Halal Certified.
Orders can be placed online through Delibowl's Oddle ordering page, and First Bowl maintains a social presence on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Xiaohongshu (@firstbowlsg / FirstBowl) for updates on new dishes and outlets.