Neighbourhood Supper Club is a new private diner
Image credit: @browngirlvegan_
If you’ve spent any time looking for vegan and vegetarian food in Singapore, chances are you’ve come across Ramya Ramesh’s Instagram account, @browngirlvegan_. She’s built a name for herself hunting down plant-based eats across the island and sharing cooking recipes. More recently, she’s taken things a step further by starting her own Neighbourhood Supper Club.Â
Image credit: @browngirlvegan_
She invites diners into her actual home for an evening of plant-based cooking, and for $88, you get an eight-course menu plus a few surprise dishes that aren’t even on the printed list. Spots are famously hard to snag too, as sessions are capped at 12 diners, and they tend to sell out within minutes of being announced. We managed to grab a spot, so here’s what the night was actually like.
What is the experience like?
Most private dining experiences come with a certain price tag and a certain pretence to match. Ramya’s Neighbourhood Supper Club has none of that. It’s homely, casual, and genuinely feels like you’ve been invited over for dinner rather than paying for an atas dining experience.
It’s very much a family affair too. Her husband, mum-in-law, and a good friend were all in the kitchen and dining room helping plate and serve dishes throughout the night, while Ramya herself stayed mostly behind the stove, popping out every so often to explain what we were about to eat. Towards the end of the meal, she made her rounds to chat with everyone and hear how we found the food.
Since it’s communal, shared-table seating, we spent most of the night chatting with the five other strangers seated with us. We were swapping stories about our interest in food, what we do outside of work, and generally getting to know each other. Every session’s dynamic will probably differ depending on who turns up, but on our night, there wasn’t a single awkward silence. Everyone came in with an open mind and was happy to keep the conversation going.
Ramya also kept checking in to see if we wanted top-ups or second helpings, and honestly, we couldn’t say no. Her three cats made a cameo appearance too, once they were finally let out of their room—a nice, unplanned bit of charm to cap off the evening.
What does the 8-course menu consist of?
The food itself leans heavily on familiar Singaporean and Asian flavours, all handmade, and served family-style so dishes get passed around the table rather than plated individually. It’s a small touch, but it makes the whole meal feel a lot more intimate and unpretentious.
Appetisers
We started with the Osmanthus Goji Jelly, a vegan konnyaku jelly infused with dried osmanthus and sweet goji berries. Texture-wise, it had a nice plump bite, but the flavour was fairly subtle and not sweet at all. It wasn’t the most memorable dish of the night, but it looked pretty on the table and was an easy snack to pop into the mouth while waiting for the rest of the courses to come out hot.
The Pan Fried ‘Shu Mai’ was a completely different story and easily one of the best dishes of the night. These dumplings, filled with vegan pork mince, mushrooms, and aromatics, were juicy and satisfying enough that we genuinely couldn’t tell we weren’t eating the real thing. The homemade chilli oil drizzled on top sealed the deal, and the group ended up asking for a second plate.
If you’re intrigued by how she makes it, you can find the recipe on her channel to recreate it at home.
Next came the Taiwanese Fried Mushrooms, crispy oyster mushrooms tossed with basil and Taiwanese 5-spice. The crunch and batter-to-mushroom ratio were spot on, but the seasoning could have been stronger. We would have liked a lot more of that five-spice flavour coming through, especially since the whole night was themed around chilli. Still, it was a crowd favourite at our table.
We were also treated to a surprise dish not listed on the menu: an ABC Soup made with a vegan chicken bouillon, carrot, corn, tofu, and white onions, simmered for 24 hours. This one stood out for its depth of flavour and was genuinely comforting. A smart way to sneak some vegetables into the menu too.
Mains
The Cumin Lion’s Mane Mushroom Noodles used Taiwanese knife-cut noodles, imported from Taiwan, tossed in a spicy cumin sauce, with lion’s mane mushrooms sourced locally from Mushroom Buddies. The noodles were cooked al dente, and the dish had a nice kick to it. Definitely filling, though it did feel like it was missing some greens to round it out.
Then there was the Salted ‘Egg Yolk’ Tofu – crispy fried tofu coated in a rich, creamy vegan salted egg yolk sauce. The sauce itself was made from a mix of plant milks, black salt for that eggy flavour, and turmeric to get the colour as close to real egg yolk as possible.Â
Curry leaves and sliced red chillies added fragrance without tipping the dish into overly spicy territory. This one was meant to be eaten with the accompanying Chinese pearl rice.
But the clear winner of the night, hands down, was the Smashed Green Chilli-Eggplant Dip made from toasted goat horn peppers, eggplant, and smashed garlic prepared Hunan style. It’s a vegan take on the famous Hunan dish of smashed chillies with century egg, and it delivered a smoky, wok hei-like flavour that had the whole table in agreement that it was the standout dish of the menu.
Desserts and drinks
Dessert kicked off with another off-menu surprise: a Sweet Mung Bean Soup, made by Ramya’s mum-in-law herself. The dish was a very rustic, home-style dessert that fit right into the evening’s family feel.
To close things out, we had a bowl of Tofu Ice Cream with Youtiao, a nostalgic nod to the classic soy milk and youtiao breakfast combo. It tasted almost like the ice cream version of tau huay, with a really pronounced soy flavour, smooth texture, and crunchy you tiao on top for contrast.
At the beginning of the night, we were served a Winter Melon Slushie with yuzu jam and lemon. It was refreshing and a little unique, on the sweeter side without being sickly, and a good palate cleanser for anyone who needed a break from all the chilli earlier in the meal.
At the request of other patrons, Ramya set into motion a second batch of the slushie towards the end of the night, with many choosing to round off their meal with another glass.
Overall verdict — was it worth the $88?
For the most part, yes, the $88 was worth it. The whole experience felt special, especially if you’re new to supper clubs or home dining in general. Having dinner with strangers can sound intimidating, but the homely setting and small group size made it easy to warm up to the people at our table. Serving everything communal-style instead of individual plates was a smart call too, as it naturally got people talking and sharing.
There’s also something genuinely nice about getting to meet the chef behind the dishes and hear her talk about them, rather than just eating anonymously plated food. Ramya was a generous host who kept the top-ups coming, and it was heartening to see her family and friends pitching in to help bring her vision to life. A few dishes in particular, like that smoky eggplant dip, we’d happily come back just to eat again.
That said, we did feel the dishes could have punched a lot more flavour overall, and we would have loved to see a bit more innovation and creativity in how some of the dishes were adapted for the vegan world. If the goal is to lean plant-forward, a wider variety of vegetables, especially greens, would help, since mushrooms and tofu showed up quite a few times across the menu.
Most of the other diners at our table weren’t vegan themselves, but left more open to trying plant-based food after the meal, and nearly everyone said they’d be keen to come back for a different menu to see what else Ramya has up her sleeve.
What’s next for Neighbourhood Supper Club?
Ramya’s still holding down a day job, so she can’t commit to a fixed schedule for these supper clubs just yet; this remains very much a passion project on the side. Her next session will likely be timed close to Deepavali, with a new theme and menu to match.Â
Given how fast these sell out, if you’re keen to snag a seat, you’ll want to move fast. Join her Telegram group @neighbourhoodsupperclub for updates on upcoming dates. It really is fastest fingers first!
She’s also branching out with her own vegan chilli oil, which you can check out on Instagram at @drizzleontap. Should be launching for the public soon, but as a diner at her supper club, you get a mini bottle to take home!
If you’re crossing the causeway this weekend, check out our guide to the best Korean restaurants in JB! We also have a guide to affordable buffets in Singapore, for those looking to maximise their dollar. Â
Website
Neighbourhood Supper Club is not halal-certified.
This article was written by Aditi Kashyap.
Photos taken by Aditi Kashyap.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.
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