This restaurant serves Australian cuisine cooked over wood from Blue Mountains in a custom-built wood-fired grill and oven

Kaarla Restaurant and Bar held a ceremonial launch in July as it joins dining concepts such as Bee’s Knees Urban café, Latin-European bistro Sol & Luna, and modern Japanese restaurant Oumi at 1-Arden, CapitaSpring.

1-Arden Food Forest
1-Arden Food Forest

With access to the 1-Arden Food Forest, a sustainable rooftop farm offering in-house grown produce, Kaarla is able to take advantage of the freshest ingredients in the Coastal Australian cuisine it serves.

Sharon Winsor and John-Paul Fiechtner
Left: Sharon Winsor | Right: John-Paul Fiechtner

At the ceremonial launch, the restaurant presented a one-night only four-hands dinner featuring Sharon Winsor and Kaarla’s Australian Resident Chef, John-Paul Fiechtner.

Sharon is an inspirational Ngemba Weilwan woman born in Gunnedah in Northwest New South Wales and is best known as a cultural advisor, world-class educator, and entrepreneur from Indigiearth, Australia.

She is also an indigenous chef who connects people with Aboriginal heritage by telling stories through unique Australian indigenous ingredients.

The six-course meal focused on responsibly sourced, seasonal native Australian produce and is inspired by the indigenous use of fire, as well as the six aboriginal seasons.

In case you’re wondering, these seasons are essential to Aboriginal Australians as they are guided by changes in the weather and when animal and plant resources are in abundance; indicating times to use the land for food, shelter, and general well-being.

kangaroo kaarla
Salt Cured and Smoked Kangaroo with Condiments

Of the courses, I particularly enjoyed the Salt Cured and Smoked Kangaroo with Condiments.

While lean, the kangaroo meat was presented such that it wasn’t dry, but had a good bite to it. The seasoning was nuanced, which helped bring out the bold flavour of the meat. The smokiness of the meat also made the course shine so it was easy to go for a bite after another, while getting satisfaction from every bite.

Besides that, the smoky taste of the meat reminded me of what makes Kaarla unique.

Kaarla Custom Wood-fired Oven
Custom-built wood-fired grill and oven at Kaarla

For the uninitiated, the use of fire is at the heart of Kaarla’s coastal Australian cuisine. (Kaarla also means “where the home fires burn”.)

This is done by burning sustainably sourced native Iron Bark wood from Blue Mountains in New South Wales to cook in a custom-built wood-fired grill and oven.

Kaarla Restaurant and Bar_1

While the four-hands dinner is no longer available, it has given me a good sample to what Kaarla has to offer, and I’ll urge you to visit and experience authentic Australian cuisine and hospitality for yourself.

view from kaarla lounge (1)
View from Kaarla Lounge

Besides good food and service, you can also look forward to a gorgeous sky-high view and a wine list that features a broad selection of iconic Australian wines including natural and bio-dynamic labels as well as a comprehensive variety of old-world wines. Mixologists at the Kaarla bar are known to create unique “garden-to-glass” concoctions that are worth trying.

Kaarla Restaurant and Bar is located at 88 Market St, #51-02, CapitaSpring, Singapore 048948. Make your reservations online.