Popular cafe Hello Arigato opens in Everton Park with whisky BBQ katsu sando, salted egg tater tots, kaya butter donuts & more

by Christabel Tan

Seasoned cafe hoppers, you’re in luck — Hello Arigato is now in Everton Park.

Photo: @helloarigato.official/instagram

The charming hipster enclave is home to several other bakeries and sandwich spots, but Hello Arigato aims to stand out with its signature speciality sandos and savoury bites, alongside an exclusive array of fresh bakes, coffee, and matcha.

This is the popular Japanese-inspired cafe’s third outlet after all, so they definitely know what they’re doing.

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Singaporeans’ love for donuts know no bounds, which explains why the cafe’s first-ever Arigato Donut Bar, featuring a rotating menu of freshly made sweet and savoury Japanese milk donuts, has been selling out like crazy ever since their opening.

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Each donut is breaded in panko (breadcrumbs) before being fried, akin to that of a Japanese croquette, which yields an extra crispy coating and soft, pillowy insides.

Donuts with sweet fillings are also finished with nothing more than a light-handed sprinkling of sugar, to prevent them from getting too cloying and messy to eat.

hello arigato everton park
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Out of all the donuts we tried, I was really into the Kaya Butter (S$5.50), which broke apart to reveal a glorious molten kaya filling painstakingly made with coconut milk and hand-extracted pandan juice.

Despite not having much of a sweet tooth, the reason why I enjoyed this so much was due to the addition of whipped salted butter, which nicely balanced out the kaya, all while adding a certain complexity to the mix.

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Both my tea-loving colleague and I also thoroughly enjoyed the Houjicha Hour (S$5.50), stuffed with bittersweet ceremonial houjicha cream, as well as the sweet and tangy Mango Passionfruit (S$5), a “low-key favourite” of customers — according to the staff.

Other sweet flavours include Black Goma (S$5.50), Ondeh Ondeh (S$6), and even the intriguing Kinako Soy (S$5), which I absolutely need to get my hands on.

hello arigato everton park
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As for the savoury options, we were only left with the nostalgic-tasting Ham & Cheese Bomb (S$6.50), comprising tiny squares of honey-baked ham in a creamy and cheesy bechamel. It reminded me a lot of the old-school ham and cheese buns I used to eat as a kid.

Come as early as 9.30am if you want to try the popular Kani Cream (S$6.50), featuring blue swimmer crab, crab sticks, sweet corn, and bechamel.

Don’t say we didn’t warn ya, but the donuts here can sell out in two hours or less!

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But if all donuts are sold out by the time you arrive, take your pick from the bakes on display, including the likes of Japanese shokupan, cookies with molten fillings — I had my eye on the Matcha Mochi Azuki (S$6.50) and Espresso Magic (S$6.50) — and cube-shaped pound cakes like the Matcha Yuzu (S$7).

hello arigato everton park
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Moving on to the sensational line-up of sandos, all of which use Japanese milk bread, I was most drawn to the outlet-exclusive Whisky BBQ Katsu Sando (S$18), consisting of freshly breaded and fried chicken katsu with melted cheddar, apple slaw, and a Suntory Whiskey BBQ sauce.

The combi of smoky, meaty, and umami, with a refreshing tang from the crunchy slaw, was right up my alley.

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My colleague preferred the Kong Bah Sando (S$18), another outlet-exclusive, which pairs thick, tender, and fatty slices of sous-vide braised pork belly with takana zuke (pickled mustard greens) and slaw. It’s not as jelak as you might think, as long as you enjoy all the elements together (do not deconstruct it).

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We also got to try the Spam & Egg Sando (S$16), which heaved with a slice of seriously thiccc spam katsu sandwiched alongside creamy omelette, melted cheddar, and spiced tomato jam. A reliable classic, for sure!

hello arigato everton park
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But that’s not all. There are two other outlet-exclusive dishes, both of which you must, must try. I couldn’t stop munching on the extremely addictive Salted Egg Tater Tots (S$12), which arrived drizzled in a homemade salted egg yolk sauce, and topped with curry leaves and crunchy cereal.

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Also not to be missed is the Cauliflower Fritters (S$10) — tempura-fried cauliflower florets with a Japanese garlic soy glaze, sour cream, toasted sesame, togarashi, and scallions.

They’d make excellent bar bites, which is great news knowing how Hello Arigato Everton Park will soon release a highly-anticipated alcohol menu!

hello arigato everton park
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Drinks-wise, there are plenty of refreshing beverages to sip on, ranging from the Iced Dirty Matcha (S$8) to the trendy Honeycomb Latte (from S$6.50). Plans to release an even more extensive matcha menu are in the works, so I’m really excited about that.

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Do note that the cafe is still in its soft launch phase, and dine-in seats are pretty limited, so do try to head down during off-peak hours if you can!

All things considered, I can’t wait to try the other donut flavours (and eat the BBQ katsu sando once again) — you too should get ready to say hello, Hello Arigato.

Hello Arigato (Everton Park)
Facebook | Instagram | Website
???? 4 Everton Park #01-42 Singapore 080004
???? 8.30am–4pm, 6pm–8.30pm (Tue to Sun), Closed on Mon

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Photos by Christabel Tan

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