I recently tried out a new Singaporean restaurant at Megamall’s second floor named after a famous street in Singapore, the Orchard Road.

What enticed me to check it out were their interiors, which really looked nice, and their prices, which are quite reasonable. The resto opened early this year and is owned by Singaporean TV celebrity Vivien Tan-Vaca and her Filipino husband, Dudo Vaca.

Their décor looks like a mix of Asian and western themes. Modern wooden booths line up the front part of the restaurant while traditional wooden chairs occupy the back part. Dividing these are colorful glass blocks on wood dividers. The restaurant can seat a maximum of 250 persons.

Another interesting thing is their kitchen, which is open for all to see. You can clearly observe how your food is being prepared, which is a good thing. I was also impressed by their restrooms, it was really clean and aptly designed for their theme.

Dishes range from Php50.00 quick snacks to Php199.00 meals. They serve Dimsums, Congees, Satay & Teriyakis, regular and stir-fried noodles, Malaysian Curries, chicken rice meals, Mini Woks, Kopi and Teh's, and hot and cold desserts.

Ordering is a different experience from what we are usually accustomed to. First off, the staff invites you to take a peek into their open kitchen; they then give you a slip where you will mark your order, after which you would then present it to the cashier for payment.

We ordered their bestseller, Hainanese Chicken Rice for Php145.00. It is basically a quarter of steamed chicken on white Hainanese rice and ginger dip. The chicken though tastes a bit too plain for me even with the dip. I’m not sure if it is just my street-savvy palate or it’s really supposed to taste that way.

Next up was their Satay Chicken (Php110.00), serving size was okay at four sticks. Really good and strong barbecued flavor. The spicy peanut butter dip compliments it quite well.

I love wantons, and I definitely need to try theirs. Their five-piece Deep Fried Wantons (Php65.00) served on a lettuce leaf, tastes okay, no great shakes though.

I haven’t been to Singapore and I actually don’t know if the dishes being served at the Orchard Road are faithful to the original ones being served there, but it is actually not bad for a first visit. Considering the price, ambience and the curiosity of it; I would definitely want to go back at this diner and try out their other servings.

Orchard Road 
2nd Level, Bldg. A, SM Megamall
Edsa cor. Julia Vargas Ave.
Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
  
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