Cavern Restaurant @ Rainforest Wild ASIA - Singapore's First and Only Restaurant in a Cave

Tucked away within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve's new Rainforest Wild ASIA, Cavern Restaurant is the latest concept by the TungLok Group. Designed to resemble the Mulu Caves of Sarawak, one of Southeast Asia's largest and most intricate cave systems, the restaurant offers a unique dining setting surrounded by rugged rock formations and lush greenery. Its location near the entrance of this new attraction makes it a convenient and immersive stop for visitors looking to relax and enjoy a meal in an environment that feels like a natural extension of the rainforest.

Crystal Cave Salad 4/5

The Crystal Cave Salad ($22) is a vibrant and refreshing start to the meal. A creamy Spanish burrata sits at the heart of the dish, paired beautifully with heirloom beetroot in both classic red and golden hues. The truffle honey dressing lends a luxurious touch, while toasted walnuts provide a delightful crunch, elevating the salad's texture and flavour.

Stone Hearth Loaf 3.5/5

Freshly baked in-house, the Stone Hearth Loaf ($12) boasts a crispy crust and a chewy, tangy interior, making it an excellent companion to the meal. The bread's rustic charm shines through, especially when paired with dips or butter.

Emerald Canopy 3.5/5

For a lighter, crisp alternative, the Emerald Canopy ($12) features romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy green goddess dressing, punctuated with the peppery bite of fresh radish. It's simple yet refreshing.

Spicy Wing 3.5/5

The Spicy Wing ($16 for 4pcs) isn't particularly fiery despite its name. However, the blue cheese dip served alongside — its pungent creaminess balances out any lingering heat, though its strong flavour might not appeal to everyone.

Pulled Pork Taco 3.8/5

The Pulled Pork Taco ($22 for 3pcs) impresses with its succulent, slow-cooked pork infused with deep, smoky flavours. The buttery avocado and smoky paprika aioli add layers of creaminess and spice, all encased within a soft, pillowy taco shell. Every bite is a harmonious blend of textures and flavours, making it one of the best offerings on the menu.

Smouldering Core 3.8/5

A much-improved version from its original, the Smouldering Core ($20) features charred cauliflower, halved and grilled to perfection. The barbecue sauce glaze on the exterior adds a smoky richness, while the garlic aioli and pickles inside provide a creamy, tangy contrast. It's visually stunning and finished with microgreens and edible flowers, giving it an elegant touch.

Rigatoni Alla Vodka 3.5/5

The Rigatoni Alla Vodka ($22) delivers al dente pasta bathed in a tangy tomato-based sauce topped with micro greens and parmesan cheese. While the flavours are pleasant, I wished for a more generous amount of sauce to better coat each piece of rigatoni.

Caveman's Meat Skewer 3/5

A dish for meat lovers, the Caveman's Meat Skewer ($38) features 200g of beef tenderloin, button mushrooms, shallots, and peppers, paired with chimichurri sauce. While well-cooked, the dish feels ordinary, lacking a standout element to truly impress.

Ironstrike Knuckle 3.5/5

More satisfying than the skewer, the Ironstrike Knuckle ($28) is braised to fork-tender perfection, allowing the meat to fall apart effortlessly. Served with a mustard jus, the bold, tangy sauce enhances the richness of the pork, making it a comforting and well-executed dish.

Pandan Bambolini 3/5

For dessert, we indulged in the Pandan Bambolini ($6 per piece) — a fried doughnut filled with kaya. The kaya itself is outstanding, bursting with fragrant pandan and coconut flavours, but the execution was inconsistent. Some pieces had barely any filling, leaving the dough too dry to enjoy fully. When balanced correctly, however, it's an aromatic and indulgent end to the meal.

It’s important to set the right expectations at Cavern Restaurant. It isn’t about fine dining but rather a place designed to cater to the large volume of visitors, families, and tourists exploring the attraction. The menu is curated to be approachable and crowd-friendly, ensuring a quick and satisfying meal for guests of all ages.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Cavern Restaurant
Rainforest Wild ASIA
20 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729825
Tel: +65 60220229
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Nearest MRT: Springleaf (TE Line), Choa Chu Kang (NS Line), Khatib (NS Line)

1) Alight at Springleaf MRT station. Take Exit 3. Walk to bus stop opposite Thong Soon Road (Stop ID 56091). Take bus number 138. Alight 12 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 25 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Choa Chu Kang MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange (Stop ID 44009). Take bus number 927. Alight 16 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 30 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Khatib MRT station. Take the Mandai Khatib Shuttle Bus (not free). Journey time about 30 minutes. [Map]

Orchid Live Seafood @ HomeTeamNS Khatib - Offers Indulgent Live Lobster Porridge And 1-For-1 Boston Lobster

Situated within Home Team NS Khatib is Orchid Live Seafood, known for offering a range of live Teochew-style seafood at family-friendly prices. With fresh seafood in large full-view tanks in the restaurant, diners can be sure that they are getting the freshest ingredients as the prized catches come straight from the tanks. They have four different types of lobsters, with the Southern Australian Lobster as the most prized lobster breed.

Live Lobster Porridge 4.5/5

Our first course is their Signature Live Lobster Porridge, cooked Teochew style with a watery but rich porridge base and rice still in grain form. Diners can take their pick from the four types of lobsters. For an indulgent experience, we had the most premium Southern Australian Lobster ($288). It comes in glorious red colour, with a firm, succulent meat texture and rich flavours.

Live Boston Lobster in Cream Cheese 4/5

We had the Live Boston Lobster in Cream Cheese starting from $78 per lobster. Superbly cheesy with some sweetness, the best way to have the dish is to use the lobster meat to sweep up the rich cheese sauce. Other styles of cooking include Garlic Steamed or Chilli.

Signature Steven Chicken 4.2/5

Another of our favourite dishes is the Signature Steven Chicken ($16 for 8 pcs | $24 for 12pcs | $30 for 16pcs). The deep-fried chicken is fried in a homemade marinade of marmite and honey sauce, resulting in a crispy exterior and a sweet and savoury flavour combination that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Seasoned Baby Squid 4.2/5

The Seasoned Baby Squid ($23) comes served in a sweet and spicy Thai sauce, red onions and cucumber strips. The baby squids were fried to a thin crisp on the exterior while retaining a tender bite. It also comes in another option - served with a trio sauce of wasabi mayo, sweet sauce and sriracha mayo sauce.

Udder's Ice Cream 4/5

Lastly, we ended the meal on a sweet note with Udder's Ice Cream, available in either dark chocolate or chendol flavours. The chendol ice cream is fragrant and sweet. However, I prefer the former for its rich chocolate bittersweetness and creamy texture.

As part of their August specials, Orchid Live Seafood is offering 1 For 1 Boston Lobster, 20% off per piece of Braised New Zealand Black Gold Abalone, and 50% off the Southern Australian Lobster (UP $288, now $144).

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Orchid Live Seafood
HomeTeamNS Khatib
2 Yishun Walk
#03-01
Singapore 767944
Tel: +65 67560311
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Website
Nearest MRT: Khatib (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 230pm, 5pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Khatib MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk straight down Yishun Avenue 2. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

618 Sim Carrot Cake @ Yishun Ring Road - The Stall Sells White Carrot Only With Generous Chye Poh

What is the good food in Yishun? Most of us will probably mention 928 Yishun Laksa or 925 Yishun Hainanese Chicken Rice. Another popular hawker stall in Yishun is 618 Sim Carrot Cake. Coincidentally, it has numeric number on its stall name too. By the way, the stall only fries white carrot cake. It does not sell the black version.

The first thing I notice is the heap of sweet chye poh (preserved radish) on the plate of White Carrot Cake ($3.50/ $4.50). It is not unusual to add chye poh to fried carrot cake, but it is usually fried with the steamed radish cake.

I am not going to complain about the generous serving of chye poh as it accentuated the flavour profile and gave it a delightful texture bite, contrasting the softness of the radish fried cake.

If you realize the fried carrot cake is cut into small cubes and held together by a generous amount of eggs, almost like an omelette. One side is fried to crispy, while the other allows the enjoyment of the egg's fragrant and carrot cake's softness. It is like having two ways of enjoying the plate of fried cake.

681 Sim Carrot Cake indeed serves an excellent plate of white carrot cake. However, my friend told me to have the carrot cake with prawn option as it tastes even better with the crustacean's flavour infused into the fried carrot cake. I will do so on my next visit.


618 Sim Carrot Cake
Blk 618 Yishun Ring Road
Singapore 760618
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Nearest MRT: Khatib

Opening Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun: 630am - 130pm
(Closed on Tue)

Direction:
1) Alight at Khatib MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Yishun Ave 2. Walk to traffic junction Yishun Ave 2 and Yishun Ring Road. Cross the road and cut through the housing estate. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Pak Mandor Nasi Lemak @ Yishun Street 61 - Cheap & Good Nasi Lemak In Yishun

So it is no more a secret there is a hidden gem selling Nasi Lemak in Yishun. Residents in Yishun should be familiar with Pak Mandor Nasi Lemak at Yishun Street 61. Not only is the nasi lemak popular in the neighbourhood, it is also delicious and value for money.

Hidden inside an unassuming coffeeshop at block 645, I ordered a plate of Nasi Lemak for only three dollars. For three dollars, you get to pick 4 items. I chose the egg, ikan bilis, fish cake and chicken wing to go along with the green coloured rice. The rice which has been infused with pandan and coconut milk, is fragrant and fluffy.

Besides the fragrant rice, the chicken wing and chilli sauce stood out too. The deep-fried chicken though slightly on the dry side, is very crispy. You can hear the crackling sound aloud when you bite into it. The chilli sauce also complements the nasi lemak. It has the right balance, not too sweet or spicy.

By the way, I heard that the stall usually sold out by 12pm. So do be there early if you do not want to be disappointed.


Pak Mandor Nasi Lemak
Blk 645 Yishun Street 61
Singapore 760645
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Nearest MRT: Yishun (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun: 6am to 2pm
(Closed on Fri)

Direction:
1) Alight at Yishun MRT station. Take Exit E or C. Walk to Yishun Bus Interchange. Take bus 812. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Pin Si (品食) Restaurant @ Yishun SAFRA Country Club

This year my family went to Pin Si Restaurant at Yishun SAFRA Country Club to celebrate my mum's birthday cum Mother's Day celebration. Besides the restaurant at Yishun SAFRA Country Club, Pin Si Kitchen has another restaurant at Ang Mo Kio Hub. They are also into catering business and they are one of the pioneers to have a fleet of mobile kitchen.

The restaurant located at level 2 of the Yishun SAFRA Country Club is quite spacious and has a relaxing atmosphere. The waiters/waitresses were very attentive too.

The Deep Fried Beancurd with Pork Floss was our favourite among the dishes we ordered. It was shaped into a huge oval shape and deep fried. Crispy on the outside and smooth in the inside.

Deep Fried Beancurd with Pork Floss 4.5/5

The Peking Duck Skin with Crepe was only so so. The duck skin lacked the fragrant and crisp. The duck skin also lost its texture in the thick crepe. The remaining duck meat was used to fry noodles and it was pretty good.

Peking Duck Skin with Crepe 3.5/5

Noodle with Duck Meat 4/5

The Salted Egg Prawn was fresh and nice. It had a coating of salted egg which was nicely cooked, neither too dry or moist. The Steam Grouper Fish was fresh and firm. The vegetable was also nicely cooked and done.

Salted Egg Prawn 4.2/5

Steamed Red Grouper Fish 4.2/5

Vegetable with 3 Eggs 4/5

To get here, take bus number 858 from Khatib MRT station and alight 2 bus stops later. Walk about 400m to Yishun SAFRA Country Club.


Pin Si (品食) Restaurant
Yishun SAFRA Country Club
60 Yishun Ave 4
#02-V1
Nearest MRT: Khatib (NS Line)

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