New Restaurant: Just Once Cereal Bar

By Natallia Slimani, May 16, 2016

Which food from home do you miss the most? For Justin Lee, it’s the bowl of crunchy cereal he used to enjoy every morning back in Singapore.

After spending years reminiscing colorful cereal boxes upon his move to Shenzhen, Lee has finally done the unthinkable – he recently opened the first cereal bar in town.

Cozily nested in Once More Bakery, a 10-minute stroll from Taoyuan Metro Station, Just Once Cereal Bar looks and feels surreal. Entering the snug shop opposite a display of assorted breads and desserts is something like walking straight into Sunday morning.

Wall-to-wall shelves are lined with boxes of beloved childhood crisps, puffs and pebbles – so many in fact that we spend a good 10 minutes savoring the shout-outs to our personal favorites. From the fun Lucky Charms all the way to exotic Korean and Japanese varieties, Just Once seems to have found a secret gateway to imported goodness — and it’s not Hong Kong.

Lee says many of the cereals on display are sent to him by friends from all over the world. And before you ask, nope – you can’t buy them by the box here.

Cereal is not the only item Lee goes to great lengths to procure. Since local milk brands fail to meet his high nostalgic standards, Lee imports cereal’s best companion from one of Hong Kong’s oldest dairies — Kowloon Dairy.

First-time visitors to Lee’s cereal bar may find themselves overwhelmed with choices – that is, until they discover they don’t need to pick just one. A very affordable RMB28 buys you a bowl of any combination of cereal. That’s right – you can mix and match as many boxes as you like and top your creation with raisins, nuts, sprinkles and any of the other fun embellishments on offer.

With Tom & Jerry cartoons playing nonstop on a tiny corner TV, you can pretty much see your childhood Sundays resurrected in real time. It’s like reliving those carefree mornings snuggled on the couch in footed pajamas, eyes glued to the screen with nothing but toys and box top collections on your mind.

Of course, you might think there’s a flaw in this scheme. After all, how can Lee possibly have enough customers if he only targets the breakfast crowd?

The surprising and equally pleasing answer is that Just Once is open from 7.30am to 11pm. Why? Well, as it turns out, spending the day eating cereal when you’re too lazy to cook (or as a delicious afternoon snack) is a pretty popular ‘secret’ pastime. In fact, every member of our review team admitted to doing just that.