Review: Ela got us ela-ted and we’re coming back for more

It’s the end of the year and for those of us in Singapore, it might mean cloudy skies and torrential rainfall. But since I’m not able to fly to the sunny, picturesque (albeit cold) islands of Greece on a whim, my next, most realistic option is to head out for some Greek food instead, to pretend I’m on vacation. 

When I got word of a newish Greek restaurant, Ela, that had just opened its doors at Jalan Sultan, the concept and its series of good reviews got me curious and excited.

So did Ela at Jalan Sultan really live up to the hype? 

The backstory

After a successful first run at HomeTeamNS Bukit Batok, where Ela first opened in 2021, The Black Hole Group — behind familiar names such as Tipo and Working Title cafe — decided to expand the brand by making it more easily accessible. With that, Ela at Jalan Sultan opened in August this year. 

Ela translates to “come” or “come now” in Greek. The restaurant positions itself as a hidden gem of sorts, where diners can come and enjoy authentic Greek dishes in a friendly, warm setting, at wallet-friendly prices. 

As an indication, prices start from S$6 for a pita bread and go up to S$75 for an all-inclusive Seabreeze platter comprising snapper, calamari, mussels, and prawns, topped with fries and salad. 

There’s a good range of options offered all-day from a breakfast menu (available daily from 9am to 12pm) to wraps, grilled meats, seafood, and beverages. 

One thing to note is that Ela, as a Muslim-friendly establishment, does not serve alcoholic beverages, although there’s a small selection of mocktails available on the menu. 

Our verdict

I’ll cut to the chase — Ela at Jalan Sultan is wholly deserving of its rave reviews. The food was well-executed and its prices extremely reasonable. 

To top it off, my companions and I really enjoyed the warm atmosphere, enhanced by a lovely jazz playlist. The Black Hole folks really nailed the concept they were going for down pat, though a Greek-inspired playlist would have been the proverbial cherry on top of the cake.

The space feels cosy and quaint, but is still spacious enough to seat a good number of diners, so groups wouldn’t have an issue dining here. Ela’s staff were also friendly and attentive throughout our meal and this, combined with the other factors, truly made for a very enjoyable dining experience for my dining party and I. 

Good Greek cuisine that doesn’t burst the bank is hard to come by in Singapore and this just means Ela will be one Greek spot I’ll keep coming back to, without a doubt. 

What it’s good for

We opted for the basics to start the meal — a creamy dip and some pita bread. While we were initially tempted to try the refreshing, quintessential tzatziki (S$9), we ultimately decided to go for the more unique melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant dip served with dehydrated olives, S$9) instead. 

The dip was tangy, savoury and especially delicious when paired with the light and fluffy pita bread (S$6). We really loved that the pita bread was topped with bits of garlic, sea salt and oregano, amping up the savoury aspect of the dish. 

Our only minor gripe? That the portions were smaller than anticipated — a recurrent theme throughout most of our meal. 

Given that the dishes we ordered were generally rather hearty, I opted for a rigani soda (S$10), a concoction of falernum syrup, passion fruit, lemon, ginger beer, and syrup. Since it was a soda drink, I expected it to come in a tall glass, but it came in a short one instead, which left me feeling somewhat (pun entirely intended) shortchanged.

Taste-wise, there isn’t much to nitpick — it was refreshing and just the right amount of sweet. 

The next highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the Farmhouse platter (S$60), a sharing set served with chicken gyro, beef kofta, lamb kofta, and charcoal-grilled half chicken, as well as some fries, salad, and a garlic aioli dip. We didn’t get to try the charcoal-grilled half chicken on the day of our visit as it was unavailable, so the restaurant loaded on additional chicken gyro instead.

Every meat on the platter was grilled to perfection, especially the beef kofta. It was so well-seasoned and tender that our knives went straight through the meat. We were very impressed by this, particularly since we’ve previously had grilled wagyu patties at reputable restaurants that didn’t even match up to this in terms of execution.

The lamb and chicken were also juicy, tender, and not in the least bit dry (a common occurrence for grilled meats), and paired really well with the provided fries and freshly made salad.

What it could improve on

We ordered the calamari (S$18) appetiser for a more well-rounded meal. The calamari was fresh and springy and we really loved how the batter was really light and adequately crispy without being overly oily. The accompanying tartar sauce also tasted like it was made from scratch and was a good complement to the calamari. 

If we were judging it purely on taste, it would have passed on that front. But we were mildly disappointed by the seemingly-careless presentation of the dish, coupled with its small portion size, especially since it was priced at S$18. 

It wasn’t a bad dish, but out of all the dishes we had that evening, this was the least value-for-money. 

Still, the food was largely affordable and delicious, so the less-than-ideal portion size wasn’t a dealbreaker for us. It might also be worth mentioning that my dining party and I had gone to Ela particularly hungry that day, so that could have played a part in our expectations of the food and its portion sizes.

To sum up my overall experience at Ela — in the words of a popular robot — I’ll (definitely) be back. 

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Largely yes, although it’s likely to get busy over the weekends, given its central location and current popularity. Tables were comfortably spaced, with good ambient lighting.

Is a reservation necessary? Walk-ins are still possible, although if you’re coming in a group (of four or more) over the weekends then a reservation through its website is recommended.

How to get there? It’s a six-minute walk from Nicoll Highway MRT station, and is located near the iconic Sultan Mosque. 

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review. 

Still hungry? Check out our review of a new neighbourhood bar Side Door and what we thought of this interestingly-named cafe Kwaa Song Bakeshop. 

Ela restaurant is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.

You can book a ride to Ela at Jalan Sultan. 

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine-in service for awesome deals.