Orchard food places that are more than just the big names
Meeting up with my friends at Orchard for a meal would usually mean eating at Genki Sushi. But as the food writer among my group of friends, I’d been tasked to suggest new spots to visit. If you always stick to the same few restaurants in Orchard too, check out these low-key Orchard food places that deserve more attention!
1. Som Tam
Som Tam is a modern Thai-fusion restaurant that offers dishes you’ve probably never heard of. Durian lovers would be stoked to find out this place serves up Black Chicken Curry with Musan King Durian ($26.80++). The black curry is coloured by squid ink and on top of it is a dollop of Mao Shan Wang paste. Pieces of roti prata are placed neatly at the side for you to dip them into the curry. This combination brings out a novel and unique taste, where the durian surprisingly complements the different types of spices used in the curry.
Check out our full review of Som Tam!
Address: 181 Orchard Road, #08-13, Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Opening hours: Mon-Thur 11:30am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am to 10pm
Tel: 6238 6872
Website
2. The Hungry Caveman
The Hungry Caveman is a relatively new restaurant that specialises in Chinese skewers. A special feature of this place is their automated grills on every table. Once you put your skewer on it, the grill will automatically rotate it while you relax and chat with your friends. The Hungry Caveman’s menu offers a large variety, ranging from meat and veggie skewers to cooked dishes. A few we recommend would be AUS Grain Fed Beef Skewer ($2.60+), Grilled Milk Man Tou ($1.60+), Bacon Wrapped with Enoki Mushroom Skewer ($2.80+), and Caveman’s Healthy Soup ($7.50+).
Check out our full review of The Hungry Caveman!
Address: 181 Orchard Road, #06-25, Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 6634 8871
Website
3. Da Shi Jia
Seafood white bee hoon is a dish most of us have heard of or tried at least once in our life. Da Shi Jia has changed the game by adding big prawns into white bee hoon that is simmered in prawn stock. At $16.80, you can get yourself a plate of their Wok-Fried Big Prawn White Bee Hoon. Expect three fleshy and springy big prawns drenched in a flavour-packed gravy that comes with strong wok hei. One more good thing is that you’re able to request for a small dish of pork lard to give your white bee hoon an extra oomph.
Check out our full review of Da Shi Jia!
9 Seafood White Bee Hoon Spots From $4.50 For When Sembawang Is Too Far Away
Address: 89 Killiney Road, Singapore 239534
Opening hours: Daily 10:30am to 10pm
Tel: 6372 1085
Website
4. Hans Im Gluck
Hans Im Gluck is here to join the list of international restaurants that are opening, or have opened, in Singapore this year. Hailing all the way from Germany, this burger grill and bar has 49 outlets back in its home country! Bearing the same name as the restaurant itself, the Hans Im Gluck ($17++) is one of their most popular burgers. A juicy grass-fed beef patty, slices of Parma ham, a mountain of rocket leaves, and Parmesan cheese shavings are sandwiched between two multigrain buns. If you’ve got a vegan friend, you’d be glad to know that they have a range of vegan burgers as well!
Check out our full review of Hans Im Gluck!
10 Famous International Restaurants Opening In Singapore In 2018 And 2019
Address: 362 Orchard Road, International Building, Singapore 238887
Opening hours: Sun-Thur 11am to 12am, Fri-Sat 11am to 1am
Tel: 9750 1488
Website
5. My Favourite Cafe
While I often pop by 313 Somerset and ION Orchard, I seldom do so for Lucky Plaza. But that is not the case now with the discovery of My Favourite Cafe. At just $4.90, you can get yourself a bowl of yong tau foo with noodles. One thoughtful gesture by the chefs is that they’ll put your deep-fried ingredients in a separate bowl to prevent it from turning soggy in the soup. Like most yong tau foo stalls, My Favourite Cafe offers both soup and dry versions. The fried meatballs and braised mushrooms are must-haves here!
Check out our full review of My Favourite Cafe!
Address: 304 Orchard Road, #06-046, Lucky Plaza, Singapore 238863
Opening hours: Daily 8:30am to 6pm
Tel: 6734 6935
6. RedRing Treasures
Head straight to RedRing Treasures for some delicious fried food. Our favourites here are the Chicken Cutlet Noodle Set ($6.30) and Salted Egg Squid Cutlet Set ($8.50). Sitting at the sides of a pile of springy egg noodles are boiled vegetables and, of course, chopped pieces of freshly fried cutlets.
Check out our full review of RedRing Treasures!
Address: 435 Orchard Road, Stall 6, Wisma Atria Food Republic, Singapore 238877
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm
Tel: 9489 6057
Website
7. I Want My Noodle
Another low-key but good restaurant to check out in town is I Want My Noodle, which serves up Indonesian bak mee. Some of their interesting dishes are My Lor Bah Noodle ($12.90) and My Truffle Oil Noodle ($9.90). The former comes with a gigantic slab of Japanese-style braised pork belly, while the latter releases a strong truffle aroma as the springy noodles soak up the generous amount of truffle oil.
Check out our full review of I Want My Noodle!
Address: 1 Scotts Road, 03-14/15, Shaw Centre, Singapore 228208|
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9pm
Tel: 6235 2331
Website
8. The Rice Table
The Rice Table is an Indonesian restaurant that offers a sumptuous buffet at just $18.95 nett! There are 14 dishes offered, and they’re all served to your table in small portions. Some dishes you’ll definitely order over and over again are Tahu Telor, Sate Ayam (chicken satay), and Daging Rendang (beef rendang). The dishes are placed on a hot metal surface to keep them warm so don’t fret over them turning cold as you take your time to savour your food.
Check out our full review of The Rice Table!
Address: 360 Orchard Road, #02-09/10, International Building, Singapore 238869
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Tel: 6835 3782
Website
9. Roost
Roost brings a twist to our national dish with their deep-fried chicken rice balls and chicken rice sushi. Their Chicken Sushi ($4.90++ for four pieces) involves a slice of soya sauce chicken placed atop garlicky chicken rice, before being glazed with teriyaki sauce and garnished with fried shallots and spring onions. The Crispy Chicken Rice Balls ($4.90++ for four pieces) are made up of a mixture of mashed rice and chicken stuffing.
Check out our full review of Roost!
Address: 176 Orchard Road, #B1-17/18/19, The Centrepoint, Singapore 238843
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9pm
Tel: 6909 0411
Website
10. Nantsuttei
Although I’m a huge fan of ramen, I don’t eat it frequently as the prices at most popular ramen shops can easily go over my budget. When the cravings hit, however, Japanese ramen restaurant Nantsuttei is the one that saves the day with their affordable Nantsutteri Ramen ($10.80++). The broth at Nantsuttei is slightly darker and bears a strong garlic flavour. Even at such an affordable price, you can expect a decent portion of ramen with chashu.
Check out our full review of Nantsuttei!
10 Cheap Ramen Places To Get Your Ramen Fix At Less Than $10.50
Address: 181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central, #07-12/13, Singapore 238896
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10:30pm
Tel: 6337 7166
Website
Now you know what’s there to eat at Orchard
If your friends ever pass you the baton to choose a place for dinner at town, you know what to do! For more grub in the area, check out our list of Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut food places.
