New affordable lunch spot in CBD: Onori draws long queues for its handrolls and matcha

If you’re on the hunt for new and affordable eats in the CBD, Onori is a fresh face worth adding to your lunch rotation. 

Newly opened in October, this bustling spot serves up hearty, open-style handrolls alongside refreshing beverages — perfect for a quick, yet satisfying meal before heading back to the office.

With prices starting from just S$4 per handroll, Onori offers a wide range of fillings to choose from — think torched scallop, chicken karaage and other flavour-packed options. 

You can mix and match to create your own handroll set, too! It makes for a fun and customisable experience for those who love variety.

However, it does get crowded around lunchtime, so be sure to head down early to get your fix. We waited for about 30 minutes, before we were next in line at the self-ordering kiosk.

Onori has a pretty limited dine-in space, if you’re in a hurry, having it to-go might be a better option instead, too.

This spot takes pride in using fresh, premium ingredients such as Akitakomachi rice seasoned with Akazu red vinegar and savoury dashi — so you’re in for a hearty and flavourful treat. 

Handrolls, galore

Onori offers a plethora of handroll choices with different types of protein — chicken, beef, tuna, and more — and allows you to craft your own handroll set by selecting how many rolls you’d like to have. Starting with three rolls (from S$11.90), you’re free to choose from a selection of 12 different flavours. And if you’re famished, get more with the set of four (from S$14.90), or five (from S$17.90).

The last set makes for a great sharing option between friends, too — each roll is tightly packed and loaded with toppings! 

We got the set of five — here is what we tried: 

We kicked things off with the hotate with uni paste (S$2 top-up with a set, or S$6.50 a la carte) The Hokkaido scallop was plump and fresh, and that uni (sea urchin) paste on top added a nice briny punch.

Another top contender for us was the chicken nanban (S$4.50 for a la carte), filled with chicken karaage, nanban (a Japanese sweet & sour sauce) egg, and topped with gribiche sauce. 

We really enjoyed that the fried chicken remained crunchy and had a good bite, despite being coated with the zesty gribiche sauce.

Our favourite pick of the day, though, had to be the unagi kabayaki (S$4.50 for a la carte), with fresh, grilled eel, cucumber, and tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette). 

The eel was fresh and beautifully grilled, and had a slight sweetness and tang from the tare (sauce) that lingered gently, without being cloying — we wish we’d taken the time to savour this slowly! 

Besides that, the creamy and smooth tamagoyaki helped to balance all the umami-heavy flavours in the handroll, making it a well-rounded meal.

Come for handrolls, but stay for the drinks, too

Besides its handrolls, Onori takes pride in its top-grade matcha that uses first-harvest leaves for a smooth, earthy matcha that’s not overly bitter — we were looking forward to seeing what the hype was about.

We went for the iced matcha latte (extra S$4.90 with a set, S$5.90 a la carte), and it hit the spot. The earthiness of the matcha was light, without being too overpowering, and just the right amount of sweetness to cap off the hearty handroll meal.

And at S$4.90, for a matcha latte in the CBD? That’s quite rare to find — especially when it’s this good, too. 

Besides the matcha, we also tried the yuzu jelly (extra S$3.90 with a set, S$4.90 a la carte) first. It had generous bits of jelly and pieces of yuzu — a light, citrusy drink that’s perfect for Singapore’s heat. 

The bits of jelly added a nice chew to each sip, too — almost like a healthier version of bubble tea!

With many new eateries popping up in the CBD area, this is something you might want to check out next with your colleagues — especially if you’re all about good-for-value deals and hearty eats! 

For more eats around the CBD, check out Naakin at Amoy Street, or explore Mamma Mia Focaccia for a quick bite!