Lolla Restaurant is an amazing Mediterranean place on Ann Siang Road in the heart of the Singapore City. Thaddeus Yeo, Pang Hian Tee, and Lee Chin Sin have progressed from working together on Guerilla-style dinner clubs and pop-ups to owning two restaurants, one of which is Lolla on Ann Siang, in Singapore’s turbulent culinary scene.
At the helm since Aug’20 is Head Chef Johanne Siy who quietly & firmly orchestrates her incredible crew to serve up dish after dish of umami tastes, popping texture & just stunning plating. And all this is happening right in front of your eyes as you literally sit at the pass, and I LOVE THAT!!!
What I love about being a Singapore Food Blog writer is that I get a lot of recommendations from friends to go to try the food and then write it up, and this Lolla Review is no exception.
My BFF Steve had been 2 nights before and was in fact invited for that dinner by a gorgeous young lady (who shall remain nameless – for now…) as this was one of her favourites. Steve then gave this a massive thumbs up for the food and the open-kitchen viewing as you dine, and because he is my BFF he knows I LOVE that too, bless him.
What made it even more special was that we sat down and Chef Siy announced; “Hey, your mates were here recently and said you would be popping in. In fact, they sat in those very same seats…” Then we find out Chef Siy is a Filipino, making the small worlds colliding event even more personal.
The crew were brilliant #BeProud of that Lolla. Incredible service and inclusion in our dining experience. It was such fun, it was inclusive and it was STUNNING on the food front. It is up there on the $, but hey you are getting what you pay for with wonderful ingredients, so fresh, and all cooked in front of your eyes. I’d pay the premium just to have that food theatre in front of me and they made this Lolla Review easy.
Lolla Restaurant Seating Review
We sat at the bar, literally the pass so we could watch the food theatre of the Chef and crew doing their magic. That’s heavenly for me and the only time phones were coming out from all patrons was to take pictures. of their beautifully prepared and plated food.
There is also a downstairs dining area which has a massive shared table.
My recommendation. Sit at the bar. 100%. Book ahead to ensure you get that locked in.
Lolla Singapore Review now switches up a gear to look at the food we ate today
The Lolla menu really does give them peering status with the best restaurants in Singapore and make it absolutely the best restaurant on Ann Siang and is easily up there with any competitor on Ann Siang Hill or Club Street Singapore.
Chef Siy’s cooking is uncomplicated, with distinct flavours from her experiences in the Nordics and the Philippines. While it is not always Mediterranean (the DNA of the Lolla founders), it does not lean unduly towards the Nordics, and the menu is amazingly balanced when consumed as a whole.
It is just a wonderfully varied dining experience!!! If you are looking for an amazing lunch at an Ann Siang restaurant, look no further than Loll.
Crispy Crab Tart, filled with Spanner Crab, spent Kombu, and topped with Aligue (crab roe).
This is what came 1st & was given with the Chef’s compliments, and is that a WOW dish or what? But, because of my idiotic dislike of fish I could not enjoy this, despite having watched the labour of love of the crew to prepare and assemble this stunning creation.
It’s official I hate myself for my lack of piscatorial consuming capacity.
Morel Mushroom ‘w’ Mushroom Broth – being a food idiot had it’s benefits today though and Chef Siy smiled kindly upon me and gave me something not even on the menu as ‘compensation’ and this was sensational. If this is on the menu when you visit ORDER IT!!! You have to!!!
What are Morel Mushrooms?
Morels are these pricey mushrooms that seem like miniature trolls standing guard on the woodland floor. With a strong stem and a ruffled, conical “head.”
Price: USD $254 per pound dry; $30-$90 per pound fresh.
Dried Morels are worth more per pound than fresh Morels because the dried ones are significantly lighter. They have a robust, one-of-a-kind nutty flavour and that came through in Chef Siy’s dish. Stunning to look at and to eat!!!
House-Marinated Olives – I can hear you saying it. Yeah, whatever, anyone can do olives. But, what they do here is a rather delicious marinade and then stick them under the grill.
What an impact. The flavour changes, it intensifies & pops…
Sea Urchin Pudding – What a beautiful serving this is. The menu is limited on the description so we’re thinking. it is a pudding made from seaweed with the beautiful Uni popped on top.
Cinco Jotas Jamon Iberico de Bellota – Paper-thin but punching flavour out with every little mouthful. Incredible Jamon, best I have eaten.
Grilled Octopus – It seems that Spago retains the Filipino vote for best Pulpo in Singapore still. Sorry Lolla, you did not topple the Kings.
I tried a little of the smoked mash potato and that was just off-the-charts delish. Wifey really liked the flavour, just the texture was a little chewy…
Duck-Fat Potatoes – WOOF!!!
These were great. So crispy and with that added duck-fat flavouring & some parmesan shavings so umami. My issue was that I was fast approaching food coma haha and these were so moreish, but I also had my Quail on the way… Oh man!!!
Koji-Cured Quail, Egg Yolk Confit, Black Truffles – WOOF!!!
I drifted off piste for this one. Well, off the main menu to the Seasonal Menu. I really wanted to try this and was in a quandary of this or the Iberico Secreto.
This was a belter. That egg yolk confit is sitting in a pool of Filipino Adobo, give that a little mix up and use as a dipping sauce for the superiorly delicate Quail meat which has been roasted and charred & then throw some fresh black truffle – KABOOM!!!
Yeap, me like a LOT!!!
We even squeezed in Lolla Dessert
Smoked Chocolate Ice-Cream – Double-WOOF!!!
I saw this on the specials board and had to try it. Apparently it is a partnership with an ice-cream maker, and what a match made in heaven this is with Lolla as we were gifted another dish and when we did the 1+1 dessert, Angels truly start singing.
The smoke taste is subtle, the chocolate a high-content cocoa, so then add that to Lolla Burnt Cheesecake and goodness gracious me….
Burnt Cheesecake – Do NOT let the name put you off.
This will likely be the best cheesecake you’ll ever consume in your life. It has a smoked cheese in there which just gives a unique flavour. Then add some of that smoked chocolate ice-cream and KAPOW. BEST CHEESECAKE I HAVE EVER HAD!!!
Lolla Singapore Specials
The specials are up on the board like the Smoked Chocolate Ice-Cream, but they also have a completely separate SEASONAL MENU.
This is packed with seasonal goodies, and I was lucky enough to eat a couple of those from this, The Winter Seasonal Menu. Like the Quail and a brand new one not even on the menu yet which was stunning with a Morel Mushroom ‘w’ Broth.
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