Yara Restaurant is a new restaurant along Evans Road (the road which leads to the Singapore Botanic Gardens Nassim Gate). It is in the little building that used to house a roti prata shop. The exterior is painted bright brick red and the interior is cosy. It is a nice quiet place to have lunch in this part of Bukit Timah.
New Restaurant at Initial Sama Serviced Residences
The restaurant is part of a complex of restored heritage buildings that is now The Initial Sama Serviced Residences. I believe these buildings used to be part of Eusoff College, the university hall of residence or hostel for students of the former University of Singapore, Bukit Timah campus.
Parking for diners are available at the service apartment area as well as across the road at the College Of Physical Education Sports Complex. Do note that these are open air parking and wet weather might make the access a bit more complicated.
The interior decor is simple and tastefully done. It reminded us of another new restaurant that we visited recently – Chip Bee Bistro at Holland Village. We were there for lunch recently and it was a quiet day.
Yara Restaurant Menu
Being a sister restaurant of Fat Belly Steakhouse at Serene Centre, it was no surprise that grilled meat and seafood are featured in the Yara Restaurant Menu. It is a short menu. For our quick lunch that day we decided on two items from the Rice & Noodles section of the menu – Koshihikari rice porridge with added poached chicken breast ($14 + $4) and steak and egg bowl ($24).
Being used to rice bowls that tend to be served very quickly, the food at Yara Restaurant took longer than we expected. But it did not bother us as the environment was comfortable and pleasant to while away the time. Also it appeared that the food items were being made from scratch (rather than being pre-cooked items simply assembled in a bowl).
Rice Bowls at Evans Road
We were happy to see them when they arrived. The porridge made with Japanese rice (picture below) was topped with shredded poached chicken, garlic, ginger, scallion, onsen egg and savoury granola. It did not stay good looking for long. The best way to eat this was to mix up all the ingredients. It became a delicious mess. We enjoyed the balance of flavours and textures of this dish.
The steak and egg bowl contained koshihikari rice. Topped with grilled angus flat iron, onsen egg, pickles and ginger scallion sauce. It looked like a dish for a well balanced meal with most of the relevant food groups included. The beef was cooked to medium as we requested and had a good flavour. But some slices of the steak felt rather tough. Perhaps that can be the case for a flat iron steak. Not bad, but the porridge was better.
Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 
Yara Restaurant
The Initial Sama Serviced Residences
26 Evans Rd
Singapore 259367
Opening hours: Thu-Tue 11am-3pm, 5pm-10pm