Naga House

Stumbled on this chain that has really taught me not to judge a book by its cover (a restaurant by its decor lol). Naga Pasta sounded really exquisite on paper but for $16++ it wasn’t near filling. Could barely taste the chili oil and some of the fried shallots were burnt, which added to the earthy/bitter taste that the choice of mushrooms (shiitake?) already brought plenty of.

While I love eggs, I found that the onsen egg here did not value add to the taste. This dish, supposedly a signature, could do with a bigger portion and also a sweeter or spicier seasoning to balance out that earthiness.

The most umami pasta I ever tasted. Its sort of a soy and shallot oil dry style pasta with stir fried mushrooms, and a half boiled egg to bring it all together. I wish the portion was larger though. It costs $14+10% service at lunchtime and $16+10% service at dinner. It used to be $11 for lunch😢

House-fried chicken sando ($14)
Fried chicken thigh, cucumber pickles, shredded cabbage, roasted garlic, butter & brioche with BS sauce

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Lunch Special - $10
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Another lunch time option at CBD. I picked their house-fried chicken sando, which comes with side of sweet potato chips. Thick-cut chicken patty is always welcomed. Sando is drizzled with sauce for extra flavours. Would be great if can choose the type of chips. I also paired the meal with Kombucha (Summer Pear Green Tea) for $7 more. Kombucha’s sourness is a refreshing way to finish the meal
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Naga House
@nagahouse

👍👍

Dropped by the new Naga House at Lorong Telok — the establishment is a concept that can be said as a cafe in the day, and operates as a bar at night. Decked in a industrial-themed interior, Naga House features a pretty raw yet minimalist and fun vibe — think concrete walls and floors, neon lighting, metallic tables and transparent blue acrylic foldable chairs where its furnishing and fittings are of concern. Apart from the indoor dine-in space within the shophouse unit, there is also a small outdoor dining area situated outside the shop — this area features storage boxes that doubles up as tables, while camping chairs make up for the seating at the outdoor dining area. The menu at Naga House features mainly three different items — Sandos, Tamago Kake Gohan, and Pasta; there is also a sharing plate of Flank Steak and sides available on the menu. Beverages include a non-alcoholic menu that is served from 10am to 5pm each day includes specialty coffee, as well as non-coffee options such as Matcha Latte, Houjicha, Sencha and Kombucha. The alcoholic selection are available all-day — these include cocktails, shots, beer and wine.

Going for the Triple Tamago Sando, the Sando features elements such as Roasted Garlic Egg Mayo, Ramen Egg, Omelette, Roasted Garlic Butter & Brioche with Dijon Mayo — it also comes with a side of cassava chips as well. Sinking our teeth into the sandwich, the Triple Tamago Sando is a pretty wholesome affair — the brioche is toasted for a crisp exterior, all that whilst the bread was soft and fluffy within and carries a sweetness of its own. With eggs that are done three-ways, each egg element comes with its own texture that provided a good contrast for the Sando — the Garlic Egg Mayo giving it a creamy consistency, while the Ramen Egg provides a good bounciness. The Roasted Garlic Butter provides a savoury, garlicky note for the Sando that binds everything altogether, whilst the Dijon Mustard provides an earthy touch; the sprinkle of Furikake over the top giving a umami note to the sandwich that makes the Triple Tamago Sando a pretty tasty affair. The cassava chips on the side were crisp; came seasoned with just enough salt for flavour — a side which was decent enough to pair with the Sando itself.

Overall, Naga House does seem to do pretty well in its food — the food served here does seem to be a playful spin on Japanese fare that seems to incorporate their own unique touch; also pretty theme-appropriate considering how the items they serve up do seem good as an all-day brunch offering as well as that of a gastrobar. That being said, Naga House does need to sort out some of its teething issues — the establishment was at maximum capacity when we made our visit during a weekend lunch service; understandably the kitchen was slammed with orders though waiting times for food can be pretty long (our last item to arrive the table, the Triple Tamago Sando took nearly an hour to be served and after we were done with the House-Fried Chicken
with Tamago Kake Gohan). Items were also coming out on a random basis; the Shimichi Truffle Fries which we ordered as a sharing plate came before the Triple Tamago Sando — though also only made its appearance at the table with a considerable wait after the House-Fried Chicken with Tamago Kake Gohan was served. We also felt that the front-of-house staff were overwhelmed — there was a period of time which we were ignored despite standing around outside of, and inside the premises in hopes of having someone to attend to us so that we can take a seat at the outdoor tables; perhaps something which they can look into as they smoothen out their operations. Still, Naga House does seem like a place worthy to check out once they have got their stuff sorted — a spot that serves up pretty decently-priced food and drinks that looks to be a fun spot to spend with some friends or co-workers for a wind-down from a hectic work week!