If you’re travelling to Singapore soon, these five restaurants are where you can chomp on some fiery Michelin-star meals in the company of dinosaurs at the newly opened Jurassic Nest Food Hall.
Singapore, dinosaurs and Michelin restaurants—all three put together translate to a never-heard-before combination, don’t they? Well, this fascinating fusion exists in reality, and it is called the Jurassic Nest Food Hall, a first-of-its-kind destination that has newly arrived in the lion city for people who seek equal portions of thrill and fantastic food.
The new Jurassic Nest Food Hall inside Gardens by the Bay is modelled as a cool, urbane forest-themed conservatory, where one can literally dine with dinosaurs. The venue houses multiple restaurants, with most of these rated Michelin stars, all under one roof. While you have an exquisite Michelin-rated meal, expect a flock of more than ten animatronic, life-sized models of dinosaurs to watch you in your gastronomic action. The tallest figurine here is of the Brachiosaurus, along with T-Rex, Oviraptor and various other species that make for exciting photography spots for that coolest Instagram update all the way from Singapore.
The question is which restaurant would be your choice to get a meal with the dinosaurs? We made it easy for you—here’s a close look at the five restaurants at Jurassic Nest Food Hall that you must visit for Michelin-star meals served with a side of adventures.
Hawker Chan, Jurassic Nest Food Hall
Did you know Hawker Chan was once on the Michelin guide, awarded the title of the world’s first Michelin-star hawker? Find the outpost of Hawker Chan at Jurassic Nest Food Hall and indulge in their famed soya sauce chicken rice that chef Chan Hon Meng is best known for, even witnessing long queues at the original outlet at Smith Street near Chinatown before the restaurant opens for business every day. A selection of other chef’s recommended dishes you must try at Hawker Chan are soya chicken noodles, pork rib hor fun and roasted pork rice with some truly luscious side dishes like Thai-style tofu and Nan Ru fried pork.
Tsuta, Jurassic Nest Food Hall
Another Asian culinary star that has people lining up for hours to get their hands on a bowl of their soul-soothing ramen, Tsuta’s outlet at Jurassic Nest is where you should be if the umami flavours of ramen bring you the ultimate comfort. Founded by the late Yuki Onishi in 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, Tsuta in a span of four years travelled a successful distance to Singapore to become Asia’s first Michelin-star ramen shop. Tsuta creates magic with the original flavours of its ingredients, barring any use of artificial additives or MSG. Here’s what you must order when at Tsuta—The Original Truffle Shoyu Soba, Mala minced pork tonkatsu soba, Agemono don and Mala Soboro Meshi rice, every dish that packs in a burst of umami flavours.
Bismillah Biryani, Jurassic Nest Food Hall
What would the world’s only Michelin-crowned biryani taste like? All the answers lead to Bismillah Biryani at Jurassic Nest Food Hall. Originally opened almost two decades ago, Arif Salahuddin, a native of Pakistan, sought a destination in Singapore that could reintroduce the epicureans here with the authentic kind of dum biryani. Lo behold, Bismillah Biryani went on to get the iconic status of Michelin Bib Gourmand (eateries that curate great food at moderate prices). The menu here is rather simple and would save you moments of indecisiveness—think gravy-less chicken and mutton dum biryani that are cooked together for the rice and meat to absorb all the spices and flavours, mutton seekh kebab, mutton chapli, chicken korma, nihari and more.
Took Lae Dee, Jurassic Nest Food Hall
Cheap and good—this is what Took Lae Dee, the crowd-favourite eatery, originally established in 1972 as a 24/7 restaurant in Bangkok translates to. Cooking a full-flavoured meal only on order, their recipes come fired up fresh out of the wok. So when you’re at the Jurassic Nest Food Hall looking for an easy but robust Thai meal to remember, Took Lae Dee is your stop. The Pad Krapow (minced pork with chilly and basil) comes highly suggested and so does the classic Pad Thai seafood. Sip on some Thai milk tea and wrap up your ‘dining with dinosaurs’ episode with a comforting share of mango sticky rice.
Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, Jurassic Nest Food Hall
When you read the name of Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, this restaurant brand indicates at a rich conjunction of two dishes from two different regions of Southeast Asia. Nasi Lemak (fragrant rice cooked in creamy coconut milk) from Malaysia and Ayam Taliwang (spicy grilled chicken) from Indonesia. This ultimate fusion of the two is now the eponymous restaurant’s signature dish, a little spicy, tangy and mouthful, which you can also savour in all its glory at the Jurassic Nest Food Hall.
Address: Jurassic Nest Food Hall, Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore
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