We Caved And Tried SG’s First “Cave” Restaurant—But Is The Food Actually Good?

Cavern Restaurant is a new restaurant at Rainforest Wild Asia

Sometimes I wonder what it must be like for our ancestors to live in caves, paint in caves, and eat in caves. So when presented with the opportunity to dine at Singapore’s first restaurant in a “cave”, the troglodyte in me simply couldn’t resist.

Cavern Restaurant is located within Rainforest Wild Asia, which opens on 12 March 2025. As its name suggests, the eatery has a cave-like space, said to be modelled after Sarawak’s famous Mulu caves.

While it’s not a literal cave sculpted by nature itself, this simulacrum does a great job of capturing the look and feel of a cave. There are plenty of photo opportunities around the restaurant, including a climbable rock formation and an enclosure of scorpions and snakes—yes, really.

This cavernous setting certainly tickled my ape brain. However, it is ultimately a restaurant, so the overall experience hinges on how the food actually tastes.

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Food at Cavern Restaurant

Cavern Restaurant offers what they call “international Western flavours”, which is a pretty vague way of saying the restaurant pulls from various Western cuisines. Looking at their starters, for instance, you’ve got the likes of Pulled Pork Taco ($22++), Spicy Wing ($16++ for four), and Crystal Cave Salad ($22++), a mix of burrata and heirloom beetroot.

The tacos, whose juicy and succulent pulled pork was cooked for over 12 hours, were decent enough, though each taco was pretty small.

But they were still flavourful, as was the salad, where soft, milky burrata and earthy beet slices came together for a rich and satisfying appetiser.

I had some major gripes with the chicken wings. While they were reasonably crispy and juicy on the inside, the seasoning was overly mild—neither savoury nor spicy enough, despite the dish being marketed as “spicy”. The accompanying blue cheese dip lifted some of those flavours, but it had the adverse effect of masking what little piquant notes the dish had.

These issues continued with the first main dish I tried, the Caveman’s Meat Skewer ($38++). Though the skewered tenderloin beef in this skewer was grilled till smoky, it was unfortunately on the blander side, as if again, it wasn’t seasoned enough. And unless they were trying to emulate the doneness of meat that cavemen enjoy, this was a little too well done for my liking.

Shallots, Padron peppers, and button mushroom made up the rest of the skewer, and while those ingredients plus the side of chimichurri sauce improved the overall taste, it was still disappointing to have a beef skewer that costs upwards of 40 bucks falter in the beef department.

I did, however, like the Ironstrike Knuckle ($28++), which arrived impaled with a knife. This is a 500-gram pork knuckle said to be slow-braised for 12 hours in a blend of Chinese spices, dark soy sauce, five-spice powder, cardamom, and bay leaves, with mustard jus smothering it all.

Much of the pork knuckle was fork-tender, and its combination of mustard jus and spice blend really shone through. It was rich in umami and tangy at the same time, with a subtle heat that lingered just enough to keep things interesting.

Cavern Restaurant seems to have a thing for impaling, as the Smouldering Core ($20++) was also plated in the same way.

While the dish looked like a mushroom cloud, it was actually a giant grilled cauliflower slathered in BBQ sauce. I thought it wasn’t too interesting flavour-wise, but the sweet BBQ sauce and smokiness of the grill kept this vegetable exciting enough. And if nothing else, it certainly makes for a great photo—though I’m not sure that justifies its price.

I was a fan of the Rigatoni Alla Vodka ($22++), which easily had the most complex flavour profile of all the dishes we tried here. Notes of tomato, parmesan, pepper, and of course vodka were present in each bite, and the rigatoni was prepared till quite al dente.

As for desserts, Cavern Restaurant’s options include the Balinese Dark Chocolate Tart ($18++), Pandan Bambolini ($6++ per piece), and Durian with Soft-Serve Ice-Cream ($12++). These were quite the indulgent treats, especially the pandan doughnut, which simply oozed with fragrant pandan filling.

Drinks, meanwhile, are aplenty at the restaurant’s bar. We saw a range of unique cocktails, such as the ‘Sng Buey’ Lime Margarita 12% ABV ($18++): smooth Agave spirit, freshly squeezed lime juice, and a splash of lime liqueur for that zesty kick.

Ambience at Cavern Restaurant

I’ve already talked about the cave-like interiors earlier in the article, so this section will focus on more functional aspects. The restaurant can seat up to 150 guests, and sports reasonably comfy furnishing. The overall space is dark and moody, far more than the picture above suggests, so those looking to capture good photos may want to bring a camera that can handle low-light conditions.

Again, Cavern Restaurant is located within Rainforest Wild Asia, which is within the larger Mandai Wildlife WEST. An easy way to get there is to take the Mandai Khatib shuttle bus, which brings you from Khatib MRT Station’s passenger pick-up point at Exit A to Mandai Wildlife WEST.

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The verdict

The space that Cavern Restaurant occupies is unique and breathtaking—that much is certain. However, I did find the food to be a bit of a letdown overall, and that was exacerbated by the high prices. Don’t cave in if you’re expecting top-notch food; but if you’re just there for the vibes, I say go for it.

Check out our TikTok video for our review!

@eatbooksg

Nope, this is not Malaysia. This is Singapore’s FIRST-EVER cave restaurant! Cavern Restaurant is set to open at Mandai Wildlife Reserve on 12 March 2025, so we headed down for a sneak peek. The restaurant, owned by TungLok Group, seats up to 158 diners and features a menu of Western-style dishes. #caverestaurant #cave #sgfoodie #sgfood #buratta

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Elsewhere in the food world, read our Twist & Buckle feature to find out if these Michelin-approved churros from Hong Kong are worth a try! Else, check out our Sakedokoro Eizaburo feature for affordable mega-sized Japanese dons at Fortune Centre.

Address: 20 Mandai Lake Road, #02-32, Rainforest Wild ASIA, Singapore 729825
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 3pm, 4pm to 9pm
Website
Cavern Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.

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Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was a media tasting at Cavern Restaurant.