Lunch at new KOAL Restaurant by Les Amis @ Shaw Centre (Closed)

KOAL restaurant is a new concept of the Les Amis Group. It takes over the Shaw Centre space previously occupied by Lemak Boys and Indigo Blue Kitchen. We stopped by to try the lunch menu recently.

CharKOAL Grilled Food

What is “KOAL”? It probably has nothing to do with the noisy koel bird that wakes us up at 6 am. I tried to search the KOAL restaurant for clues as to its meaning but all it says is that KOAL grill will take us on a journey to discover the medium of the grill – where meat and fire cross paths. Combining Asian flavours with Western and Eastern grilling techniques to subtle and defined flavours. Judging from the emphasis on the charcoal grill on the signboard, my guess is it is a name derived from the word “coal”. Many meat items and some vegetables on the menu are charKOAL-grilled.

Perhaps in keeping with the theme of grilled meats, the KOAL restaurant has a dark wood decor of a steakhouse. Unfortunately (for us at least), that gave the place a serious and broody atmosphere. We prefer restaurants that are bright and more contemporary. In line with the current COVID distancing rules, most of the tables are suitable for groups of 2 – 4. Only a few round tables are suitable for 5 pax dining and these should therefore be reserved well in advance if that is your intention.

KOAL Restaurant Menu and Wines

Here are pictures of the KOAL lunch menu which features mainly rice bowl sets. They are ‘3-course’ lunches that range from $22 for a grilled chicken leg set to $42 for the US ribeye set. There are multiple choices for starter and dessert. We selected the grass-fed ribeye set and the salmon fillet set ($30++ each). The KOAL a la carte menu is more extensive and there are more grilled meat and seafood choices. A link is provided below. I have also included here a screen shot of part of the wine menu. The prices of some wines at KOAL grill seem to be quite affordable.

Our KOAL Rice Bowl Lunch

Our first impressions of the food served were very positive. These were the most beautiful rice bowls we have seen in recent months. Definitely instagram-worthy. For our ribeye set, we chose the cauliflower soup which we thought we might regret as it sounds so plain. But the soup turned out to be very pretty and tasty as well, thanks to the many embellishments placed on top. The rice bowl itself was also very good, except for one thing. The beef had lots of sinewy bits. Almost 1/3 of it was not edible. We will probably not order this in the future. The grilled chicken leg might be a better and cheaper option that avoids any issue with the beef.

As for the salmon set, we have no complaints – every thing was good. A better choice than the ribeye, we thought. The beef and tofu appetiser was light and clean in flavour which was mostly the tofu and felt very Japanese.

Desserts

There were two choices of dessert and so we picked one of each. The Freshly Fried Donut (picture below) came with a choice of filling: cheesecake mousse & raspberry coulis or nutella & banana mousse. We picked the latter and were happy with our choice. It has been a long time since we had a donut and the sugary snack was well appreciated.

The other dessert of Hojicha and Whiskey Tiramisu is described as ‘a twist on classic tiramisu, earthy hojicha, japanese whiskey, pistachios”. We can’t taste all those ingredients, but it was certainly a good tiramisu with nutty overtones. Lunch at KOAL restaurant in Shaw Centre turned out positive overall. Nice food and ambience, although we felt that prices were high for a rice bowl lunch. The pricing is quite close to that of other restaurants in the neighbourhood, such as sister restaurant Bistro du Vin downstairs which has set lunches starting from $40 which includes coffee.

Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs

KOAL Grill
1 Scotts Road
#03-09/10/11 Shaw Centre
Singapore 228208

Tel: +65 8129 4500

Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Mondays)
Lunch | 11:30AM – 2:30 PM (Last Order: 2PM)
Dinner | 6PM – 10PM (Last Order: 9PM)

Nearby MRT Station: Orchard

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog