There’s plenty of private dining experiences in Singapore, but have you ever tried one helmed by a 20-year old? Nathan Cooks is one of the newest private dining experiences in Singapore, helmed by 20-year old Nathan—probably the youngest-ever private dining chef you’ll come across. Despite being just 20 years old, Nathan has already garnered quite a bit of culinary experience under his belt. He did a short stint at culinary school when he was 16 years old, before going straight to Melbourne to get some hands-on restaurant experience for a year. He’s worked in the kitchen of some of Melbourne’s renowned CBD restaurants, including Society.
@shout.sg Private dining by the youngest chef in Singapore! This 20-year old chef hosts a unique omakase-style private fine dining experience from $90 nett per person; and you won’t know the menu until you sit down! Nathan Cooks Address: elok Blangah Parcview, Telok Blangah Street 31, Telok Blangah Dr, 93B, Singapore 102093 (exact address upon booking confirmation)
♬ Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 1st movement(996517) – East Valley Music
Nathan serves a unique omakase-style private dining menu, and you won’t know what you’re having until you’re seated. What this means is that each group of guests will get a specially curated series of dishes according to their dining preferences and/or dietary restrictions. The 5-course Chef’s Experience will start from $90 nett per person, with an option to add-on $30 for a 4 glasses of alcoholic drink pairings. Guests will be informed of the per person pricing of their meal before confirmation, but otherwise the dishes themselves will be a surprise until they arrive.
House Parker Rolls
The 5-course menu consists of a Bread Service, Appetizers, 2 Mains and a Dessert. For our bread course, we were served some freshly-baked House Parker Rolls that were still toasty from the oven. The sweet pull-apart bread buns were perfectly fluffy, and paired well with the umami picked olive butter spread—homemade, of course.
Prawn Rosti
Tomato Tart
Pork & Cherry Cracker
Next came a trio of snacks served on a platter: Prawn Rosti, Tomato Tart and Pork & Cherry Cracker. Out of the three, the Prawn Rosti was by far our favourite. The rosti base was nicely executed, crispy outside and fluffy inside. The Pork & Cherry Cracker is actually inspired by IKEA’s iconic Swedish meatballs, and we can definitely see the influence. Think classic mini meatballs with cherry jam, but with a slight Asian twist served with keropok instead. The Tomato Tart was not only refreshing to taste, but actually quite technical too, topped with tomato caviar pearls that Nathan makes himself.
Market Fish
The first main was a Market Fish, and we were served a pan-seared sea bass during our visit. The fish itself was seared perfectly while still being fork-tender, but what really elevates the dish is the creamy sauce that’s made with reduced buttermilk, white wine and capers before being topped with tomato oil and more tomato caviar pearls.
Wagyu Tri Tip
Our last main dish was the Wagyu Tri Tip, a beautifully medium-rare bottom sirloin cut served with a side of grilled mushrooms, spinach puree, balsamic shallots and lamb jus. The wagyu has more bite as it’s a leaner cut and not as marbled, but is still pretty tender to the cut. The side of balsamic shallots was a little raw for our liking, but otherwise no complaints for this dish.
Flavours of Banana
To finish, we had Flavours of Banana for dessert, where nearly every part of the banana was cleverly utilized. The actual banana itself was removed from the skin and made into a banana custard, before being added back to the peels and torched with sugar for a crispy top before serving with banana sorbet. The banana peels were also dehydrated and made into a banana skin powder that’s dusted atop with toasted breadcrumbs. While we applaud the complexity and thought behind the banana dessert, we would’ve preferred a more refreshing dessert to round off the meal.
All in all, we were quite impressed by our experience at Nathan Cooks—from the execution and cooking techniques displayed throughout the menu, it’s pretty clear that Nathan is one talented chef. Initially, we had our doubts about whether Nathan was able to deliver a fine-dining restaurant standard dining experience at his young age, but as soon as we saw him in action, our skepticism quickly dissipated. It’s evident from the way Nathan carries himself in the kitchen—his familiarity in handling his tools, sharp knife techniques and eloquence while detailing his processes—that he’s highly confident and comfortable with his skills in the kitchen. You can definitely see his fine-dining experience reflected through his advanced cooking techniques and meticulous plating, and we foresee that he can only improve more from here.
We also liked the vibe of the space: from the intimate omakase-style bar counter and vintage-inspired dishware used, all of which really elevated the dining experience. For the $90 nett price point, we’d say you’re getting a pretty decent and satisfying semi-fine dining-style course meal. If you’re open to your meal being a surprise, this unique omakase-style private dining concept might be right up your alley. Private dining experiences at Nathan Cooks are available from Fridays to Sundays for a minimum of 2 persons and maximum of 4 persons only. You can enquire and book your slot via Instagram DMs here. Do note that Nathan Cooks will be updating his starting price to $105 nett per person for a 5-Course experience starting from November 2025 onwards, so you might want to book your table soon.
Nathan Cooks
Address: Telok Blangah Parcview, Telok Blangah Street 31, Telok Blangah Dr, 93B, Singapore 102093 (exact address upon booking confirmation)
Opening Hours: Friday-Sunday
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