Ollella is one of the brands which we have been following for quite a while — the brand has indeed grown quite a fair bit for the past number of years, with their last location being at Cluny Court alongside their sister brand named Swish Rolls before they had moved out of the space earlier this year. Was pretty stoked to have found out that they had since made the move to a new shop unit that is now located in the heart of the Central Business District — Ollella had since found a spot located within the air-conditioned area of Far East Square; its neighbour being KORIO which is perhaps best known for their artisanal doughnuts and sammies. Much like most of the shop units located in that part of Far East Square, Ollella’s spacecraft can be described as a hole-in-the-wall; that being said, they had attempted to go for a Balinese-themed space despite the limited space that they have — think a pastel pink-tiled counter space matched against concrete-esque walls and floors, as well as furniture and fittings that features wooden and rattan elements that brings those vibes. There is a small dine-in space within the shop space with three dining tables that seats two to three pax each; that being said, there are another three dining tables situated outside of the shop space to accommodate for more dine-in patrons during the weekday lunch peak hours. Much like Ollella during its days at Cluny Court, Ollella still serves hot food alongside a line-up of Kuehs at their new location in Far East Square — there are new Kueh offerings such as the White Kueh Dadar and the Lemper Rendang Ayam being offered at the Far East Square location. Beverages available at Ollella includes local-style Kopi and Teh, as well as drinks like Lemon Tea, Honey Lemon and Milo.

For their Far East Square outlet, the hot food menu is kept simple and scaled down from what it was when they were operating at Race Course Road and Cluny Court — patrons can either opt for the Nasi Lemak Kosong, or go for the Nasi Lemak Sambal Hijau Ayam Berempah which is essentially the only other Nasi Lemak item which comes paired with proteins and sides. Ollella describes its Nasi Lemak Sambal Hijau Ayam Berempah to come with elements such as coconut rice, spiced-marinated chicken cutlet cubes, Padang-style green chilli, fried anchovies and sunny side-up. Considering how Ollella is operating as a quick-service diner, all orders are served in disposable ware. Digging into the coconut rice first, this is actually the first time that we are giving Ollella’s Nasi Lemak a go after reading so much about it online — we loved how the rice here was light and fragrant; there was an evident coconut-y fragrance that lingers around the tastebud with every spoonful. The spiced-marinated chicken cutlet cubes may not be quite as sexy as the Ayam Berempah Leg which other establishments such as The Coconut Club, Wild Coco and Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak, the flavours from the use of lemongrass and turmeric in its preparation process is still particularly evident — the chicken cubes were also still juicy and easy to chew apart. The Padang-style green chili also hit the spot just like how we would expect from an Indonesian establishment — one could definitely taste the freshness of the green chillies used; itself almost being a relish with onions mixed in for an extra crunch and zing, whilst also mixed with the Ikan Bilis for an added texture. The level of spiciness can be described as one that would do well for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness — gives a good kick to tickle the tastebuds without being uncomfortably fiery as well. Overall, not the all trendy Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah that most establishments tries to serve these days, but still one that is especially tasty for what it is.

For those whom are unaware, Ollella’s journey in the F&B scene has been one that have seen quite a bit of transition along the way — Ollella was initially a brand that was more focused on their choux-related offerings during their initial days when they are located at Petain Road; they had since slowly evolved into an establishment that is better affiliated with Indonesian fare somewhere along the way with their Makan House by Ollella concept at Race Course Road being the start of how the brand became known for their Nasi Lemak offerings. It seems that they do know where their strengths are, and they do seem to be actively refining their offerings to position themselves well within the area which they are operating out of. Apart from the Nasi Lemak Sambal Hijau Ayam Berempah, Ollella’s other hot food offering at the Far East Square location would be the Lontong Sayur — something which we had skipped during our visit to their Far East Square location but was something that blew us away when we have had it during the initial opening of Makan House by Ollella at Race Course Road; simply one of the best Lontongs that we have had despite us being folks who do not usually appreciate such dishes. Other new items that we had tried at Ollella Far East Square includes the White Kueh Dadar and the Lemper Rendang Ayam; both of which are very well-executed Kuehs with the former being a typical Kueh Dadar that is filled with a white-coloured filling that includes elements like grated coconut and honey rock sugar and wintermelon. Meanwhile, the latter sees chicken, herbs, lime leaves, coconut milk, chilli and anchovies encased within glutinous rice that is everything sweet, Lemak and with a hint of curry spices that is just so compatible with one another. Prices of the hot food range between $5.80 to $7.80 ala-carte; quite reasonable for the area it is situated in. Would like to congratulate these folks on the opening of their new location, and wishing them all the best in what is to come!