PUBLISHED February 21st, 2013 12:28 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 02:35 pm
Judging by the location and setting, you’d be very surprised to discover that in this mall-like retail park at ARC (Alexandra Retail Centre) is an absolute gem of a dining destination….
It has to be said, with the likes of Eco Gourmet Cafe, Tamarind Hill, Hosted on the Patio and Masons, the West side of Singapore is fast becoming quite a hotspot for excellent dining and Onaka is definitely a worthy addition to the list.
I’ve been a long-time follower of Onaka. I even wrote one of my first City Nomads reviews about their first outlet in Rochester Park back in 2011. Well, since then, Chefs Jason and Rosalind have taken their concept of fresh, health-conscious and oh-so delicious cuisine to a new venue and frankly stepped things up a notch!
Unsurprisingly, their $18 3-course set lunch drew in a full lunch crowd. This is seriously gourmet food at a price very rare to find here. However due to the fact that I was on a kamikaze mission to sample most items on the menu, I went a la carte….
Stuffed Tofu ($8) – Soft, silky, sweet and a perfect level of saltiness. A good option for vegetarian and meat-eaters alike.
Watermelon Sashimi ($8) – What a creation! I swear this looks like super-fresh maguro..but as soon as you bite into it, any doubts are dashed. It’s quite tasty but very strange!
The Mango Scallops ($18) – Soft, quality scallops served with a generous rocket salad. I particularly liked the pickled relish which gave a slightly spicy and sour ginger touch to the dish.
Modernist Chicken Curry ($25) – Yes, that is foam that you are seeing in the picture. Don’t worry, this gorgeous lime foam added a very pleasant sour touch the mild curry. Tender chicken, a little veg and some potatoes… Lovely.
Chili Crab with Ketupat ($24) – Oh I do love my chili crab and this is one of the very few places to enjoy the taste without all the mess. The ketupat makes for a fuss-free and tasty way to lap up all the spicy-tomatoey-crabby goodness.
Also served up were the Soba with Mushroom ($16) and Rendang Croquet ($25), whilst by no means bad, they were simply outshone by the other offerings. The Soba is designed as a very simple, wholesome dish and it certainly is. Just a little too light for my tastebuds. As for the Rendang croquettes, I would have liked them to be a little juicer.
Moving on to dessert, if you have a sweet-tooth, you absolutely must try the Avo-Choco Emotion ($12)….just epic.
By the end of lunch, my dining companion and I had demolished 3 starters, 4 main courses and 2 desserts. Needless to say, we were basically wheelbarrow-ed outside due to extreme fullness. Urghhh. It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it. Now to spend a week at the gym to counter all this!
Written by The City Nomad