by | Feb 25, 2026 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Nong Geng Ji — In-Depth Review
农耕记
4.0 / 5.0
In-Depth Review · Orchard Gateway, Singapore

Nong Geng Ji —
A Harvest of Pressure,
Patience & Pineapple

Cuisine Hunan Chinese
Visited Feb 2026
Price Range $$–$$$
Specialty Pressure-Cooked Chicken
Atmosphere & Setting

Stepping into the Farmstead

Nong Geng Ji — literally “agricultural cultivation records” — wears its identity on its sleeve. Located in the basement of Orchard Gateway, the space carves out a surprisingly rustic enclave beneath one of Singapore’s busiest malls. Exposed wood, earthy tones, and farm-inspired décor referencing the Chinese agrarian tradition create an atmosphere that feels simultaneously nostalgic and curated.

The lighting is warm and amber-dappled, lending every dish a natural, appetising glow. Tables are spaced generously for groups, clearly optimised for reunion-style communal dining. The overall sensory register is: unhurried, wholesome, and grounded — a deliberate counterpoint to the gleaming retail corridors above.

🌾

Aesthetic

Farmhouse pastoral meets contemporary Chinese casual. Warm timber, woven textures, and muted terracotta tones dominate the palette.

🔊

Noise Level

Moderate to lively during peak hours. Families and group diners generate a warm hum — convivial without being overwhelming.

💡

Lighting

Warm incandescent tones, indirect and layered. Highly flattering for food photography and intimate group meals alike.

🪑

Seating

Round tables for groups of 4–10. Booth seating available. Ideal configuration for the set menus at 4–6 pax.

🧹

Service

Attentive and staff are willing to assist with pounding dishes tableside. English-proficient. Responsive to spice-level requests.

📍

Location

Orchard Gateway B1-13. Accessible via Somerset MRT. Basement location provides a pleasant removal from street-level bustle.

Dish-by-Dish Analysis

Six Plates, Dissected

Each dish is analysed across flavour profile, textural register, visual palette, and overall delivery — moving beyond the score to explore what each plate truly offers.

Pressure-Cooked Pineapple Chicken 农耕松松鸡
$22.80
★★★★★ 4.2 / 5
The undisputed centrepiece. Despite the “pineapple” moniker, this is not a sweet-and-sour preparation — the name refers to the feed, not the flavour. Organic French chickens from Aqina Farm are raised on a pineapple-enriched diet, which is said to impart enzymes that break down muscle fibre, resulting in a noticeably tender, yielding bite. The pressure-cooking technique achieves the impossible: skin that retains structure while the meat beneath dissolves at the gentlest pressure. The sauce — rich, savory, and deeply umami — carries subtle soy underpinnings with a whisper of natural sweetness. Over white rice, it is transcendent.
Visual Hue Palette
Plate
Primary Texture
Succulent, yielding
Skin Texture
Taut, gelatinous
Sauce Body
Viscous, coating
Flavour Arc
Savory → sweet → umami
Heat Level
None / Mild
Best Paired With
Plain white rice
Pan-Seared Green Chillies with Century Egg 虎皮皮蛋
$10.80
★★★★★ 3.8 / 5
A dish that performs as much as it tastes. Served cold in a stone mortar, it invites diners to pound the ingredients themselves — a gentle nod to Hunan’s rustic culinary roots. The green chillies carry a tiger-skin char on their exterior from pan-searing, lending a heady smokiness that softens the vegetal sharpness. The century egg contributes an ammonia-kissed creaminess, its translucent obsidian hue contrasting with the green. The combined paste is complex but tips into saltiness when eaten without accompaniment — best deployed as a condiment rather than a standalone dish.
Visual Hue Palette
Plate
Primary Texture
Creamy, yielding
Char Quality
Blistered, smoky
Flavour Arc
Smoky → spicy → salt
Heat Level
Mild to moderate
Interactivity
DIY mortar pounding
Best Paired With
Steamed buns or rice
Dry-Fried Green Beans with Preserved Mustard Green 干煸四季豆
$12.80
★★★★★ 4.0 / 5
A study in dry heat’s transformative power. The green beans have been stir-fried at extreme wok temperature until their skins shrivel and blister, creating a papery, crackling exterior that gives way to a dense, almost chewy interior. The preserved mustard greens (梅干菜) introduce fermented complexity — salty, earthy, and funky in the best possible sense. Garlic and dried chilli fragments appear throughout, providing fragrance and intermittent heat. It is a dish built entirely on technique, and the technique here is confident and correct.
Visual Hue Palette
Plate
Primary Texture
Crackling exterior, dense interior
Wok Breath
Strong 镬气 (wok hei)
Flavour Arc
Charred → umami → fermented
Heat Level
Low to mild
Technique
Dry fry, extreme wok temp
Best Paired With
Chicken, steamed rice
Big Shrimp with Vermicelli & Garlic 蒜蓉粉丝大虾
$19.80
★★★★★ 3.8 / 5
Visually impressive — whole king prawns arrayed atop a nest of glass vermicelli. The garlic has been cooked to golden fragrance, its oils fully releasing into the noodle bed, which absorbs the savoury, pungent liquid deeply. The prawns themselves were fresh and plump, with a satisfying snap at the bite. The principal criticism is generous: the oil quantity tips the dish from rich into unctuous, leaving a greasy film that builds across the course of eating. Diners sensitive to heavy oil may find it fatiguing by the second prawn.
Visual Hue Palette
Plate
Prawn Texture
Snappy, fresh, firm
Noodle Texture
Silken, saturated
Flavour Arc
Pungent → savory → oily
Heat Level
None
Oil Register
Heavy — consider sharing
Best Paired With
Light broth or greens
Steamed Fish with Chopped Chilli 剁椒鱼头
$28.80
★★★★★ 4.0 / 5
A Hunan classic in its most elemental form. A sizable fish head, halved and flattened, is blanketed in a generous rubble of fermented chopped chilli (剁椒) and steamed over intense heat. The flesh is expectedly tender — steaming is perhaps the most respectful cooking method for delicate fish — though the head offers significant bony architecture that rewards patient diners. Underneath the chilli, a nest of vermicelli collects all cooking juices. The chilli paste carries substantial fermented funk with a building, persistent heat. Requesting a lower spice level is not merely advised — it is essential for casual heat tolerances. A landmark dish when tempered correctly.
Visual Hue Palette
Plate
Primary Texture
Silken fish, chewy chilli
Ferment Depth
High — pungent, layered
Flavour Arc
Funky → deep savory → heat
Heat Level
High (default); request lower
Bone Factor
Significant — eat slowly
Best Paired With
Plain rice, cooling broth
Lotus Root with Superior Pork Broth 莲藕猪骨汤
$4.80 / pax
★★★★★ 3.8 / 5
The menu’s quiet anchor. Served as a per-pax soup course, this comforting preparation features cross-sections of lotus root simmered low and slow in pork bone broth until yielding but retaining a gentle resistance at the bite. The broth is pale gold and clean — a study in restraint after the preceding parade of bold, assertive flavours. The lotus root, sponge-like in its cellular architecture, draws the broth deep into its channels. It is not the dish you photograph or remember individually, but it is the one that makes the entire meal feel complete. An essential restorative note.
Visual Hue Palette
Bowl
Root Texture
Tender, slight resistance
Broth Body
Light, clear, clean
Flavour Arc
Sweet → mineral → savoury
Heat Level
None
Meal Role
Palate cleanser / closer
Value
Excellent at $4.80 / pax
Home Cooking Guide

Approximate the Pineapple Chicken at Home

While exact replication without Aqina Farm’s pineapple-fed free-range birds is impossible, this method approximates the dish’s key characteristics: extreme tenderness, savoury-sweet sauce, and gelatinous skin. A pressure cooker or Instant Pot is essential.

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • Whole free-range chicken (~1.4kg)1
  • Fresh pineapple juice120ml
  • Light soy sauce3 tbsp
  • Dark soy sauce1 tbsp
  • Shaoxing wine2 tbsp
  • Rock sugar20g
  • Garlic cloves, crushed6
  • Ginger slices6
  • Spring onion stalks3
  • Star anise2
  • Cinnamon stick½
  • Chicken stock200ml
  • Sesame oil (finishing)1 tsp

Method

  1. Marinate the whole chicken in pineapple juice, light soy, Shaoxing wine, and half the garlic for a minimum of 2 hours — overnight preferred. The bromelain enzymes in pineapple juice pre-tenderise the muscle fibres.
  2. Brown the chicken on all sides in a hot pan with neutral oil before transferring to the pressure cooker. This Maillard step is non-negotiable for depth of colour and flavour.
  3. Add remaining aromatics: ginger, spring onion, star anise, cinnamon, dark soy, rock sugar, and stock. Seal the pressure cooker.
  4. Cook at high pressure for 22–25 minutes. Allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes before opening.
  5. Remove chicken carefully — it will be extremely tender. Reduce the cooking liquid on high heat until glossy and sauce-like (approximately 5–7 minutes).
  6. Finish with sesame oil, strain sauce over chicken. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
Getting the Food to You

Delivery, Takeaway & Set Menu Options

Nong Geng Ji serves diners both in-restaurant and via multiple ordering channels. Below is a guide to available options at the Orchard Gateway outlet.

🏠

Dine-In

Full menu available. Reservations recommended for groups of 4+, especially on weekends and public holidays.

Recommended for Set Menus
🛵

GrabFood

Available via GrabFood app. Search “Nong Geng Ji Orchard”. Select items may vary from full dine-in menu.

Most Popular Delivery Channel
🛍️

Foodpanda

Listed on Foodpanda. Check for current promotions and delivery fee waivers. Estimated 30–50 min delivery.

Check Promos
🥡

Self Collect / Takeaway

Call ahead: +65 6908 0153 to arrange takeaway orders. Ideal for the Pineapple Chicken which travels well when properly sealed.

Call Ahead Advised
🎉

Set Menu (Dine-In)

Pineapple Chicken Set Menu: $108 for 4 pax, $168 for 6 pax. Includes festive specials plus restaurant signatures. Seasonal availability.

Best Value for Groups
📦

Catering / Bulk Orders

Contact the restaurant directly for large-group or event catering enquiries. The set menu format adapts well to reunion and festive dining formats.

Contact Restaurant
Address

277 Orchard Road, Orchard Gateway #B1-13, Singapore 238858

Phone

+65 6908 0153

Nearest MRT

Somerset (NS23)

Opening Hours

Daily · 11:30am – 10:00pm
Verify with restaurant

Final Verdict

The Harvest, Assessed

Nong Geng Ji delivers what it promises: rustic Hunan cooking, elevated through quality sourcing and consistent technique, served in a setting that makes group dining feel considered rather than transactional. The Pineapple Chicken is a genuine showpiece — a dish whose backstory (pineapple-fed chickens, pressure-cooking discipline, Aqina Farm provenance) translates visibly and tastably into the bowl.

The weaknesses are minor and correctable: the shrimp vermicelli benefits from restraint with oil, and the century egg chilli needs rice or bread to truly shine. At these price points for Singapore, the value proposition is solid, particularly the lotus root broth at $4.80 per pax, which remains one of the better-value comfort dishes in the Orchard corridor.

“A restaurant that understands that the most impressive thing a farm-to-table kitchen can do is get out of the ingredient’s way — and know precisely when not to.”
4.0 / 5.0  ·  Recommended