Koal @ Scotts

Shaw Centre has a lot of good eating places owned by Les Amis group and the place is constantly changing as dining concepts come and go.

KOAL is a casual Asian grill restaurant under the Les Amis Group that serves smoky, charred grilled food. Helmed by Head Chef Jun Xiang, previously from Indigo Blue Kitchen (which occupied the same space), Koal combines sian flavours with both Western and Eastern grilling techniques using the Konro grill, their balance creates subtle but defined flavours.

The interior of Koal is accentuated with red LED lights from day to night, along with natural light during the day. Go for the window tables if you can as it offers the most dining privacy. There are also Instagram-worthy feature walls pinned with neon signages such as “Meat Up & Chill Out” and “Make the Cut”.

Charred Broccoli

Florets of Broccoli, Charred With Soy Pickled Onions, Sesame Dressing, Bonito Flakes

Grilled broccoli with bonito flakes and salty burnt sprigs of spring onions. Sesame dressing that tasted like the ones from Kewpie, another idea for BBQ at home.

Steak with Potatoes

Grass-fed ribeye (200gm), Triple Fried Potatoes, Red Wine Onion Jus. Served with Yuzu Caesar Salad.

Go for the lunch special steak with potatoes where you get succulent slices of beef. I enjoyed the beef with a tinge of the salt by the side. For its price, I find that the quality was very good. The triple fried potato was delicious and you can even eat it on its own as a snack. The caesar salad was not bad but not outstanding.

Grilled Chicken Leg with Potatoes

Grilled Chicken Leg, Triple Fried Potatoes, Red Wine Onion Jus. Served with Yuzu Caesar Salad.

Same formula as the steak set, but the ribeye was replaced but half a spring chicken that was grilled with the charcoal grill. It would be better if they had taken out the backbone of the chicken.

Crunchy Charred Cabbage

Crunchy Charred Cabbage, Kawa Ebi (Deep-fried Little River Prawns), and Ikura Dressed With Miso Vinegar.

The cabbage was charred with the charcoal grill and had that alluring smoky taste. The ikura (salmon roe) and deep fried kawa ebi (river shrimp) gave the saltiness and crunch. Not much of dressing for this salad, but it was good enough like this.

Hojicha and Whisky Tiramisu

Twist on Classic Tiramisu, Earthy Hojicha, Japanese Whisky, Pistachios

The lunch set came with a slice of their hojicha and whisky tiramisu. It would be perfect if they used makgeolli instead of whisky as I prefer a sweet liquor for my tiramisu.

Great value for lunch, and the place was not crowded when we were there on a Friday afternoon. It could be because it was school holidays and everyone was away, so Orchard Road was rather empty. Perhaps they should take a look the fengshui of the place. But if this goes on for Koal, I don’t think the concept will last long, and that would be a pity.

KOAL
1 Scotts Road #03-09/10/11 Shaw Centre Singapore 228208
Tel: +65 8129 4500

Visited Dec 2023

@koal.grill #grilllife #grilling #sgeats