Noa by Olivia: a Taste of the Mediterranean in Tanjong Pagar

Noa by Olivia is a new restaurant by The Olivia Group, the folks behind the popular Olivia Spanish restaurant at Keong Saik Road. This new restaurant offers more than Spanish cuisine. It is described as “an extraordinary restaurant inspired by the bountiful wonders of the Mediterranean basin”.

New Mediterranean Restaurant in Tanjong Pagar

The new Noa by Olivia restaurant is located on the ground floor of The Mondrian Singapore Duxton Hotel. It has direct street side access from Neil Road. There is a small open air carpark directly across the road. Alternative parking spots include those at the Mondrian Hotel or slightly further at the Craig Road multi-storey carpark.

The restaurant is fairly large and has quite a bling factor. Not quite as opulent as Bacha Coffee Cafe but just as impressive. The decor at Noa by Olivia makes a good impression. Its architectural features are said to create “a distinct atmosphere that encapsulates the culture, history, and artistic essence of the Mediterranean”. It is certainly a beautiful place for an executive lunch or a romantic dinner.

Noa by Olivia Menu

Here are pictures of Noa by Olivia’s restaurant menu and the Executive Lunch Menu that costs $49.90++. The items on this menu looked interesting to us and so we decided to try it.

Executive Lunch at Noa Restaurant by Olivia

Lunch started nicely with a small amuse bouche. They brought back memories of similar looking items that we tried at a Bodegas 1900, a restaurant in Barcelona some years ago. Going back to our post on Bodegas 1900, these were their famous liquid olives. Each teaspoon blob was made to look like an olive using molecular gastronomy.  

Appetisers

Our choices for appetisers were Falafel (picture above) and Noa Bomba (picture below). The falafel was a vegetable dish made with chick peas and (I believe) deep-fried. They tasted very good with the creamy sauce. Even better were the Noa Bomba. These meatballs that look like large eye balls were also deep-fried. The herbs used in the seasoning and embedded in the meat complemented the meat very well.

Main Courses

For main course we had the Catch of the Day and Barbecue Blue Shrimps Seafood Rice (picture below). The catch of the day was a deep-sea fish, but I can’t remember exactly what they told us (possibly turbot). The fish was fine but quite plain in taste. We thought it was not of the high standard as the rest of the food served that day. Best dish of the day was the seafood rice. Everything about it was very good – quality of the prawn and rice as well as the flavouring and texture of the rice.

Desserts

With only two dessert choices available, we picked one of each – Ice-Cream Sandwich and Chocolate Rose. Both were good but being fans of most things chocolate, we will just pick that on a future visit.

Lunch at new Mediterranean restaurant Noa by Olivia was a very enjoyable affair. Sometimes set lunches can be disappointing, but this one was not. The tastes and portion sizes were generally very good. Service was friendly and professional. Will certainly make a return visit.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Overall Rating: TOPs 

Noa by Olivia
83 Neil Road #01-01/02/03, 
Singapore 089813

Tuesday – Friday
Kitchen: 12 pm – 2.30 pm | 6 pm – 10:30 pm
Bar: 12 pm – 1 am

Saturday
Kitchen: 12 pm – 2.30 pm | 6 pm – 11:00 pm
Bar: 12 pm – 2 am

Sunday- Monday
closed