Located at the second floor of the mall, Orchard Road continues to invite people to try delicious and authentic Singaporean food. Yes, the name of the place sounds very familiar, it being one of the most popular roads in Singapore. Orchard Road offers a wide array of dishes to satisfy your hungry stomach. Prices here are average, some are cheap, some a bit expensive for the serving size. Nevertheless, everything is worth trying at Orchard Road. It's all about the taste and the authenticity of the dish.
The place doesn't really give that unique Singaporean feel. It has that extravagant-looking ambiance, giving passers-by the impression that the food is a bit expensive. The place, however, does not look like the usual-fast-food-resto that people would usually go to, which is actually a good thing for us. They also made their kitchen open for the public to see, a good strategy which is already implemented by food places like the French Baker. By doing so, people who eat at Orchard Road can see how their food is prepared and they are assured that the ingredients used are of utmost quality.
The way you order here is quite different. They have an order slip on which the 'first timer directions' are written. The order slip is actually the menu which shows all the dishes they offer together with the corresponding price. Basically, what you do is you mark the order slip and give it to the cashier. There would be no waiter taking your orders at the table, since you would have to go to the cashier, give your order slip, and pay your order. After that, just wait for your food to be served. There's some good and not-so-good things about the order slip. The good thing is that it would really help in planning what you would like to eat, especially if you're a group. On the other hand, there are no pictures of the food on it. So, if you're a first timer for Singaporean food, you might have to visualize what you're ordering. You could ask, though. But, you would have to wait for your turn at the cashier.
Service could be a bit slow, but don't fret because the food at Orchard Road is worth the wait. They serve food one at a time, so have a little bit of patience. The people who serve the food are very attentive to the needs of the customers, however. They always roam around the restaurant to check if customers need anything.
Here's what we tried:
Teh Tarik (Tea & Condensed Milk), 65 php
Glutton Guy: I really wanted milk tea, and I knew that Orchard Road has that. But, we really had a difficult time knowing what their milk tea was called because the order slip had names like Teh Tarik, Teh-O, Teh Kosong, and Teh-C. We really didn't know which one of those was their milk tea, so we had to ask the cashier first. She told us that Teh Tarik was the milk tea. It didn't disappoint me. Orchard Road's Teh Tarik was delicious. It had that delicious flavor which I liked very much. It had that creaminess from the milk and the flavor was just right. It's perfect with the food we ate. : )
Glutton Girl: Orchard Road's Teh Tarik was just so-so. There really was nothing special for me in that drink. The flavor was usual. I actually like the milk teas of Serenitea, Bubble Tea, and Happy Lemon more. It's still something that you should try, though.
Kaya Toast, 50 php
Glutton Guy: You haven't gone to a Singaporean restaurant without having a taste of their delicious kaya toast. It's just toasted bread with some kaya, which is actually a local Singaporean spread made from eggs, sugar, and coconut milk. The kaya toast of Orchard Road was really good. It's actually perfect for a snack. The toast was really delicious and had that crunch which I really liked. The filling inside wasn't overly sweet, but it was really good. For 50 pesos, however, I find the serving a little small. We finished the whole dish in like, seconds. : )
Glutton Girl: The kaya toast was also another so-so for me. I've tasted a lot of kaya toasts already (and even made one myself, from scratch!), and this was just okay. Just like any other food stall or restaurant here in the Philippines, they scrimped on the kaya (coco jam). I can make a better one to be honest.
Bak Kut Teh, 175 php
Glutton Guy: Presentation-wise, I didn't find the dish very appealing. It just looked like the free soup carinderia's would give away when you dine there. Flavor-wise, however, Orchard Road's Bak Kut Teh really was good. The soup had that herbal flavor which I really liked. The meat was really tender and was very easy to eat. It was like tenderized for a long time in the soup it was in. It's really a delicious soup dish. : )
Glutton Girl: This dish made me reminisce my trip to Malaysia. The family of my Malaysian friend brought me to a local stall in Petaling Jaya and made me try Bak Kut Teh. I liked the herbal taste then and I found that in Orchard Road's Bak Kut Teh. The serving was okay for the price, but I missed the tofu. I remember in Malaysia, my Bak Kut Teh had a lot of tofu in it, which I really loved. I wish Orchard Road would put tofu in their version too.
Seafood Crispy Noodles, 195 php
Glutton Guy: I'm a big fan of crispy noodles. When I see one on a menu of a restaurant I am dining at, I would always order one. Orchard Road's crispy noodles was just okay for me. The noodles were crispy and the seafood gave that additional flavor to the dish. But, the sauce really needed a bit more seasoning. When we were eating it I felt it was a bit bland. Plus, the noodles were really hard to eat, given that the noodles were in long strands. I would say Causeway and Mann Hann serve better versions of the noodles. But, I would still recommend this one. : )
Glutton Girl: This was good! It's the typical crispy noodle dish you get in every Chinese restaurant. No one does this wrong, I think. If they do, and they're a Chinese restaurant, then they're screwed. I wish it had more shrimps though and a little bit more of the sauce. It would've tasted yummier.
Lemon Fish, Fried Egg & Rice, 145 php
Glutton Guy: I would also usually order fish fillet at Chinese restaurants, and since Orchard Road had the lemon fish, I gave it a go. The dish was just okay, overall. The fish was soft, which was good. The lemon sauce, however, was a bit bland for me. It lacked a bit of the flavor that I was expecting. I wanted a bit more saltiness and a bit more tanginess from the lemon, and I didn't get both. I didn't see the connection between the egg and the fish, though. But, the egg was good. : )
Glutton Girl: This dish was okay. I only had a few bites of it, since this was Glutton Guy's order and not mine. It was the fish version of lemon chicken, and in my opinion, the lemon sauce would've tasted better with chicken. The fish was a bit flaky.
Hainanese Chicken Rice, 165 php
Glutton Guy: This for me was the most affordable dish we ordered. This is because for 165 pesos, it already has cup of Hainanese rice. The chicken was tender, but you need to dip it in the soy sauce to really give it flavor. The rice was good, though. Well, it's better than plain rice, that's for sure. Portion-wise, though, I wish there was a bit more chicken in the dish. : )
Glutton Girl: This was pretty good for Manila standards. Restaurants here murder Hainanese chicken. I've tasted one in Legaspi Village weekend market and it was blah. This was decent. The portion of serving was little though for the price. But, with the Hainanese rice, I guess it's okay.
A Singapore trip is good, but if you want a Singaporean food trip, then Orchard Road at SM Megamall would be a good start. It gives you close to the original Singaporean cuisine that would give you a hint of how Singapore food would look and taste like. What's even better is that it's more accessible, it being at the heart of the Metro. If you're one of those people who's having trouble with directions, I guess this is one road, or food place, you should not forget. So where's the road to Singaporean Yummy-ness? This way!
This is how we rated Orchard Road:
Food:
Price:
Place:
Service:
(Orchard Road is located at the 2nd level, Bridgeway, SM Megamall, EDSA corner Julia Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong City. It's just in front of the entrance to the Mega Atrium.)
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