New Kid on the Block – Kilo at Pact

Kilo, a restaurant at Kampong Bugis by owners of former Raw Kitchen Bar, teamed up with menswear boutique KIN from Haji Lane and hair salon Kizuki+Lim from Osaka to open Pact. Tucked away on the 2nd floor of Orchard Central, the 3-in-1 space had an industrial look with lots of concrete. Interestingly, the desert has been brought indoor with cactus and sand as part of the interior design at the sparsely furnished place. Paired with concrete tables were chairs in wood, a simple menu (black fonts on white paper) and wooden blocks that were given to customers as their table numbers. Every piece of furniture was either square or rectangle with sharp corners and edges that I had to be careful not to be jabbed by.

While Kilo offers Japanese and Italian inspired dishes, food and drinks on the menu here are more Japanese and Vietnamese. Dropped by on a weekday and ordered its Beef Phõ – the hot beef broth was light but a tad salty and oily, the noodles bland and egg cold. Love the ginger bits in the beef balls made of minced meat, not fats. And the succulent tenderloin slices, neither under nor overcooked. The coriander was refreshing, just as the condiments (beansprouts, lime, sliced red chilli, basil and mint leaves) would have been except that I did not add them. Was halfway through my dinner when water dripped from the ceiling. Luckily, it did not land in my bowl so I changed to another high chair at the long table. Stunned that the staff was aware of the problem but did not alert me earlier.

Update: The restaurant has closed.