Did someone say Michelin-rated? Dinosaur-themed food hall opens at Gardens by the Bay

This is not a drill, dinosaurs have invaded our land.

18 of them, to be specific, and these giant reptiles have taken up home at Jurassic Nest, Singapore's first dinosaur-themed food hall.

That's right, it's time to dine with the dinos.

If that isn't impressive enough of a proposition, how about some Michelin-rated food?

More than 50 per cent of the food stalls at Jurassic Nest are Michelin-rated, featuring brands like Hawker Chan and Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang.

As you munch on these critically-acclaimed dishes, watch the hyper-realistic animatronic dinosaurs come to life.

Accompanied by proprietary soundtracks, the daily programmed shows are not to be missed while you're here.

Expect to hear the T-Rex roaring away or the five-metre tall Brachiosaurus 'munching' on some leaves as you tuck into your meal.

At the end of the day, Jurassic Nest is a food hall so the food has got to be on point.

We got the opportunity to head down to Gardens by the Bay to sample what's on offer and soak in the full Jurassic Nest experience.

Right off the bat, there's no denying that the food court (at an aesthetic level) is impressive.

Walking through the doors for the first time gets you amped up for your meal. The forest-like setting just adds to the whole experience.

But when it comes to the variety of food, there might be a tinge of disappointment.

There were just five food stalls open — Hawker Chan, Tsuta, Bismillah Biryani, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang and Took Lae Dee.

Quality over quantity? Potentially so.

After a taster from a few different stalls, Bismillah Biryani's dishes shone through.

On the day, the Muslim-owned brand prepared lamb dum biryani and chicken haleem, a greenish meat stew.

Don't let the viscous nature of the chicken haleem fool you, it was smooth and each spoonful packed a punch. 

The shredded chicken added a nice bit of texture to the dish as well. 

Biryani can be rather hit or miss, in the sense that it either blows your mind with the complexity of flavours or simply have you shrug your shoulders at the dull and subdued nature of the dish.

Thankfully, Bismillah Biryani's rendition was the former. We appreciated how tender the meat was as well, it literally slid off our plastic utensils!

As for 'bad' dishes, nothing we tried at Jurassic Nest was a straight-out no-no.

The prawn pad thai from Took Lae Dee, while not outstanding, was decent enough. The same goes for the famous soya chicken rice from Hawker Chan.

If your tolerance level for spice isn't the greatest, you might want to take it easy at the Michelin-recommended Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang.

While addictively tasty, the marinade could be a tad too fiery for some. The rice was a slight disappointment though, with the coconut aroma not exactly coming through.

All in all, Jurassic Nest is a winner when it comes to finding some good food while out at Gardens by the Bay.

And if you've yet to try some Michelin-rated food, why not add to the experience by having some friendly dinosaurs join in the fun? 

Address: Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953

Opening hours: The food hall opens daily, from 11am to 930pm.

ALSO READ: 'Understand the tradition first': Chef Damian D'Silva shares his take on 'modernising' heritage dishes

amierul@asiaone.com

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