The hype: Those working in the Marina Bay area will be familiar with roaringly popular lunch spot Nude Seafood at Marina Bay Financial Centre which opened in 2014. The same folks have now opened Nude Grill—think of it as the meat version of Nude Seafood—and adjoining concept Nude Chill just a stone’s throw away at Marina One.
The vibe: Nude Grill and Nude Chill are a conjoined venue where one section of the place is dedicated to sit-down food service (Grill) and the other a drinks and bites spot (Chill). Like Nude Seafood, interiors are modern and inviting, but is noticeably dimmer and sports a darker coat of paint. The open kitchen concept remains, as is their hospitable service.
The food: The constant reference and comparison to Nude Seafood is a tenable one as much of the philosophy that made the first restaurant so successful is also present here, especially in the food. Co-founder Hong Junchen, who actively stays grounded by being part of the wait team, personally makes sure Nude Grill and Chill maintains their food quality while keeping prices stable—and it helps that he is well-connected with suppliers here.
You’ll find a compact but adequate menu. For lunch, there are casual single serving meals like Pork Belly Don ($19), Steak Frites ($23) and Fried Chicken ($18.90), and it’s great that there are plenty of gluten free and vegetarian options too. If you’re here in the mornings, coffees by Papa Palheta and bakes from Tiong Bahru Bakery are also available. Definitely drop by for your lunches, but make sure to come again after work as the dinner menu is when the kitchen truly shines.
The star of the dinner menu is the 45-day dry aged US prime rib Cote De Boeuf ($19/100g), meant for sharing, that comes with a rosti, vegetables and a 90-day housemade black garlic. If that sounds too massive a beast to tame, their Secreto of Iberico Pork ($35) and Oyster Blade Steak ($35) are generous and tantalizing choices. You’ll find the former a plateful of tender iberico pork slices that’ll surprise you with a pairing of potato foam (rather than mash) that’s smoked for added complexity. The latter comprises three medium-sized slices of shoulder blade steak that’s beefy and satisfying, made even more flavorsome thanks to a bed of charred cabbage topped with burnt eggplant puree and dusted in nori powder.
Don’t miss out on the starters too. Get the Foie Gras Parfait ($15) if you like to begin your meals with crusty sourdough breads. But if you only have room for one, make it the Baby Squid ($16.80), a variation of Nude Seafood’s crowd pleaser that has somehow surpassed its predecessor in addictiveness.
The drinks: Calling themselves the home of Brewlander, you can bet the bar proudly serves up the homegrown craft beer, exclusively, in fact. It’s comforting to know then that they have three of Brewlander’s labels available fresh on tap—the Hope ($15) summer ale, the Love ($16) wild IPA, and the Respect ($17) stout—while the others are sold by the bottle.
Try the cocktails too, like the Antibiotics ($20) that’s a take on the old fashioned using hickory-smoked maple syrup rather than sugar, or the refreshing Amber Geisha ($18) made using yuzu sake, tanqueray gin, aperol, fresh grapefruit and lime.
Why you’ll be back: For consistently good sit-down dinners that doesn’t put a dent in your wallet, Nude’s various concepts are a solid choice, and Grill has perhaps taken it up another level. Every one of their mains easily exceeds expectations, so you’ll want to come back and try the other dishes once you got an empty stomach again.
