The opening of the Singapore outpost of Elephant Grounds was probably the piece of news that had been spreading around the local F&B scene in the last week — a brand that hails from Hong Kong, the Singapore location of Elephant Grounds is located at Guoco Midtown, taking over the former premises of MASHI NO MASHI that has since made its move to Telok Ayer; this would also be the shop unit that is located right across from Umai Artisanal Udon Bar. Elephant Grounds features both outdoor al-fresco and indoor seating here; being pretty much a cafe at heart, the weekend menu is split into sections such as Rise & Shine, Healthy Boost, Carb Loading, Signatures, Donburis, Sharing, Pancake Club and Sweet; Elephant Grounds also offers a line-up of bakes and danishes which are being stocked up and displayed at the counter where the espresso bar is. Known for the specialty coffee, the beverage menu consists of categories such as Black, White, EG Exclusive, Brew Bar, Not Coffee, Ice / Hot Tea, Cold Press Juices and Smoothies.

Visiting Elephant Grounds for lunch on a weekend, we decided to go for the Torched Salmon Donburi which is described to also come with elements such as corn, pickled cucumber, mixed greens, Onsen egg and Kewpie mayonnaise. This is a fairly simple Donburi dish that we felt was actually pretty well-executed — coming with slices of salmon which are blowtorched, there is something about the torched salmon which carries a consistency similar to that of what one would expect of Aburi Salmon; a melt in the mouth texture whilst the fish carried its distinct flavour with a slight smokiness along with it. The Donburi also featured Japanese short-grain rice; the rice being well-executed with a slight stickiness whilst also being drenched with a little bit of a sweet-savoury sauce to provide ample texture without being overwhelming. Mixing the other elements such as the runny Onsen egg, Kewpie mayonnaise, corn and mixed greens gives everything within the bowl a creamy and silkier texture; the nibs of corn providing a hint of sweetness and some bite, while the mixed greens adds a crisp texture to the Donburi. The pickled cucumbers add a refreshing crunch with a slight tang to reset the tastebuds.