[SG] Smoothie King | perfect hideout for the calories conscious!

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Whenever I walked past Smoothie King, the underlying question I have is "What is so special about this smoothie chain and is it worth my calories?" After some hesitation, we finally decided to give it a shot after work while in the vicinity of Marina Bay Link Mall.

We later realised that Smoothie King has an interesting history with its first original nutritional smoothie being created in the late 1960s. Founded by Steve Kuhnau then, his inspiration came from, ironically, his suffering from food allergies and low blood sugar. He started mixing real fruits, various nutrients and proteins in a blender at home to combat his illness and his health improved dramatically as a result. This reinforced his conviction and made him a true believer in health and nutrition and he started his first health store in 1973 and began selling vitamins and smoothies.

Jeju Green Tea Smoothie (205 calories) - S$5.30/-

The smoothies were offered in three different sizes (Small, Regular and Large) and prices were S$5.30, S$6.30 and S$7.30 respectively. What we particularly like about their menu is that the calories for each and every drink or food item had its calories counted for the ease and convenience of the health conscious folks. While the drink stated that it packed 205 calories, it is listed for the small size.

On the taste itself, the Jeju Green Tea smoothie was categorised under the 'Refreshing' section which is intended to assist in improving overall health. Originated from the Jeju Island from South Korea, this particularly tender green tea is beautifully blended with traditional green leaves and colourful tropical fruit which gave it dual subtleties of flowers and fruit. Together with green tea powder and turbinado (cane sugar), it tasted rich and creamy without the guilt. My only complaint was that the green tea powder overwhelmed the beautiful fruity flavours of the Jeju green tea.

You know that special effort was placed into each drink and it boils down to the intricate details of replacing white refined sugar with turbinado sugar which is a healthier alternative. It is also lower in calories since it tends to hold more moisture.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Acai Adventure (166 calories) - S$5.50/-

I was particularly attracted by the Acai Adventure which was under the 'Slim & Lite' category which in general are smoothies low in fat and have special ingredients that promote weight loss. The benefits of acai berry are plenty and apart from its capability to boost weight loss, it is more known for its high antioxidant content that help defends the body against life's stressors. As free radicals are harmful by-products produced by the body, eating a diet rich in antioxidants will aid by slowing down one's ageing and disease process by neutralising free radicals which reduces the risk of diseases such as cancer.

While the list of health benefits attributable to acai berry is extensive, this smoothie blended with blueberries and vanilla protein powder was rich but it tasted slightly artificial or rather synthetic for my liking.

P.S: Do note that the size of the smoothies seen in the picture above is a Regular. You could also choose to add extra premium ingredients such as vanilla protein for that extra edge when it comes to muscle-building.

Verdict: 7.0/10

Fresh honey mustard chicken breast wrap (382 calories) - S$5.90/-


The wrap was fresh and made to order but it was too soggy and made dining quite a messy affair. While we enjoy a succulent and juicy meal, it might have been too much on this occasion. As expected, the wrap tasted clean and the dressing to go with the salad and chicken breast chunks was light but flavourful.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Spicy chicken breast soft taco wrap (166 calories) - S$5.90/-


While this feels like one of the cleanest meals possible and proven by its low calories count, it is debatable if it would be a filling meal. The bits of chicken breast were mediocre and while we enjoyed the spiciness of the chilli sauce, much left to be said about the overall soft taco.

Even on a diet, I found myself struggling to feel full after the taco though having it together with the rich smoothie helps. On the plus side, the waiting staffs were more than willing to share the benefits of each ingredient at length with us and were patient as we took our time to decide our beverages.

Verdict: 7.0/10

Personally, I would return for the smoothies but for the meals, I might find better value elsewhere though I like the fact that the tedious work of counting calories for the meal had been done. 

Smoothie King
Marina Bay Link Mall
#B2-11
8A, Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018984
Tel: (+65) 6834 3542

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