An oasis of peace in the Orchard

Hi...I'm back! After weeks of crazy activities, I can finally blog about something which means I have a day off. Phew, a hectic start to a very interesting posting.







This time I choose to blog about a beautiful place in the middle of Orchard...smack in the centre of the O road (mid point) at the rooftop of Orchard Central, there is this Vietnamese place called Nuoc.







Nuoc is one of those upmarket Vietnamese joints that people take their dates on, to impress some clients or just to chill out. Ambience is absolutely superb and tranquil, although I bet it'll look very different at night as you gaze across the skyline.









We were the first people to arrive, thus it appeared really exclusive initially. However, groups of diners trickled in as we began eating. Being situated at the rooftop, it's not in the middle of pedestrian traffic, thus it takes very discerning diners to search and locate this place.










My favourite dish is the appetizer, which is the deep fried vietnamese chicken spring rolls. The spring rolls has this amazingly thin and crispy skin and this dish was accompanied with some fresh and fragrant fish sauce. I'm very picky when it comes to fried food as I often get bad throat from eating food fried in poor-quality recycled oil, but not a trace of that from the spring rolls offered here. Quite a good start, eh?









My next favourite dish is this tantalizing scrumptious chicken that was sauteed with lotsa lemongrass, ginger and onions. M said that this is her favourite dish. I think it went very well with the perfectly cooked fluffy white rice.








The vegetable stew, on the other hand, it's a hit and miss thing. It can be considered a hit because it's so healthy and simple, but a miss because the dish doesn't justify the price. Hardly any skills needed, although the portion is relatively big.










We ended the meal with a yam, coconut milk and glutinous rice dessert that really makes you feel like dozing off straight away. It's so high-carb and high loaded in simple sugar that I could only take 2 spoonfuls. I've never liked any desserts so I shall not comment on it.







What's the major plus point? Ambience and location. I love the garden and the decor. The service is superb and the people helping us were very attentive and prompt. As for the food, I think the standard of food is upper average and the cost, well, it's Orchard Road, I guess this is what I expected (which is on the high-ish range). I think I will come again, but not on a regular basis...just to experience this place at night. In the meantime, I think the bosses should expand on the menu and offer a bigger selection.