Verandah @ Rael's (The Star Vista)

The restaurant: given that they have a few branches, I was rlly surprised by the quality. This is a fantastic place

Food:
The sotong has a lovely tender bite. Sambal wasn't too strong

Overall a well executed restaurant style version

A signature for a good reason. Tender, not stringy, the chili was aromatic and had a little bit of heat.

If you're here you must order this

Tender crunchy bamboo shoots, meatballs were okay. The soup tho, it's clear but there's good prawn umami

One of the best versions you can find at a restaurant at this price, for sure

Honestly didn't expect a chain to have satay anywhere near this good. Crispy outside, extremely well marinated meat that was firm in the right way and had a good bite. Peanut sauce was mild and pleasant

Hard to fault, it's really really good. Maybe could do w a bit more smokiness but the execution was alr superb

There has been quite some interesting additions to the F&B scene of the late when it comes to establishments that see serving up Peranakan cuisine— we had also written about Nana Dolly’s; a Peranakan bistro that had recently opened in the Rochor neighbourhood. Verandah@Rael's might be a name familiar to some; the establishment has been in operations in 111 Somerset for quite some time and is a name that is fairly notable for serving up Peranakan fare as well — one that is a little bit more low-profile against many other similar establishments in the scene, though does seem to have a bit of a following of its own. It seems that these folks had recently expanded their operations — a second outlet had been opened at The Star Vista in early December 2023. This outlet of Verandah@Rael's takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Greendot 绿一点 that used to be located within the mall; that being said, Verandah@Rael's had definitely added a touch of their own to the space with extensive works being done throughout in its interior — this includes the way that they have decked the entire establishment almost in a way of a black-and-white 2D drawing almost similar to that of what Cafe Monochrome is noted to be themed after, all that whilst including a Peranakan touch while at it (their 111 Somerset outlet is also decked in a similar style). The entire decor can be described as both whimsical yet chic; totally a character of its own that symbolises its Peranakan roots without being overly pretentious while at it. Their The Star Vista outlet also boasts of a private dining room as well; all that with bottles of wine being kept within. The menu is mainly similar to that of what their 111 Somerset outlet serves, though their social media accounts do state the availability of new dishes like Tau Yu Bak and Otah as well; the food menu is being segregated into sections — think Appetisers, Light Bites, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Rice, Main Dishes and Desserts. For beverage options, there are alcoholic beverages as well as a list of Signature Drinks, Coffee & Tea, Soft Drinks etc. to choose from.

It is interesting to note that Verandah@Rael's does serve a complimentary portion of its Belinjau Keropok with Sambal Chilli to the table once orders are being placed with their wait staff — the complimentary portion being rather substantially sized, and the Belinjau Keropok being light crisp with an underlying bitterness without feeling limp or greasy; the accompanying Sambal Chilli that is piquant and provides quite a kick of spiciness that tickles the tastebuds even for those whom are acceptable to moderate amounts of spiciness. One of the items that caught our attention from the food menu whilst deciding on which of the Main Dishes that we liked to go for was the Tau Yu Bak — turns out, this is actually one of the new items which was also being introduced in-lieu of the opening of their The Star Vista outlet. Verandah@Rael's have described the Tau Yu Bak to comprise of elements such as braised pork, caramalised soy sauce and spices from the description on its menu. As the Tau Yu Bak arrived the table, we can’t help but to notice his beautifully the Tau Yu Bak is being presented here — the cubes of pork belly swimming in a glistening caramalised soy sauce, with a lone piece of green to provide a colour contest for an aesthetic appeal.

Having the first spoonful of the braised pork along with its sauce, we really liked how there was this particularly deep and earthy note of caramel-ly sweetness that forms the underlying note of the dish — the caramalised soy sauce also being well-absorbed by the pork belly chunks, but not also being overly sweet at the same time. The pork belly chunks were also tender without feeling particularly gelatinous; all that whilst rid of any undesirable porky stench as well. The sauce was so particularly well-done that we found it very flavoursome on its own; absolutely delightful to have with rice that would get us to mop all of that goodness up — definitely a must-try at Verandah@Rael's in its own right. Other dishes that we had tried during our visit to Verandah@Rael's at The Star Vista includes items like the Verandah’s Specialty Sambal Brinjal, as well as the Panna Cotta Pulut Hitam. The former does sound like signature item, considering how it bears the namesake of the dining establishment and is described on the menu to come with elements such as brinjal and their house specialty tangy sambal — the brinjal is cooked to a soft consistency, and while the sambal here was nowhere as spicy as the one that came with the Belinjau Keropok with Sambal Chilli, it does come with a tanginess as promised almost akin to that of the addition of calamansi into it. This gave it a refreshing twist of flavours that provided a bit of contrast for the dish.

Meanwhile, the Panna Cotta Pulut Hitam came with Panna Cotta layered with black glutinous rice and coconut milk above — a smooth and creamy dessert bearing the grainy notes of black glutinous rice and the rich fragrance of coconut milk; a twist to a classic. Prices of the Main Dishes which are mainly meat dishes sized to share are around the range of $18.90++ to $23.90++, while Vegetables are priced from $12.90++ to $14.90++ — a plate of rice would cost between $2++ to $2.90++; this makes Verandah@Rael's a rather mid-priced establishment to dine at. That being said, wait staff were pretty attentive and even apologetic having to seat us near the kitchen door with multiple attempts to seat us at an area that is more comfortable for us (though outdoors). Given how Verandah@Rael's is a place that not only places a lot of effort behind the scenes in their food, but also in making their guests feel welcomed while savouring their heirloom Peranakan recipes, it is little wonder how they have since garnered quite a loyal following ever since they had first established their presence in the local F&B scene since the days when they had started out in 111 Somerset — definitely a spot that works great for family occasions or a pleasant date night affair over some satisfying Peranakan fare.