Left a friend to make the decision on where to eat dinner at Ngee Ann City, and we found ourselves sitting inside the Ma Maison outlet there in a rather cosy corner — always quite intrigue by the decor of their older outlets which always reminds me of an old-school Tudor house; rustic, and full of wooden elements that is especially cosy and even slightly romantic even.

Took a little while for me to decide on the item to order here, but found myself going for the Napolitan Spaghetti after contemplating between having a hamburg or a pasta. Some may find the composition of the pasta a tad cheap considering the elements included — think items such as mushroom, onion, ham, beef sausage and egg, but I would think that it fits suitably well as a slightly upmarket home-style comfort food good to be paired with a glass of red wine on the side. Coming with a pair of tongs on the side, it is recommended for one to actually use the tongs to toss up all the elements together, including the egg — leaving it on the hot plate for a prolonged period may see the egg becoming a tad too dry. But otherwise, this is that sort of thing I wouldn’t mind having as an option here — al-dente spaghetti tossed with ample tomato sauce for a slight tangy note; appreciated the fact that they had used more premium ham here that comes in a significantly thicker cut than the usual, which gives a meatier bite considering how its diced. Pretty amused by the presentation of the beef hotdogs are here — no doubt provides for a much needed saltish-ness against the tangy tomato sauce but that “mini octopus” aesthetic is a rather interesting approach I would not have expected from them.

Ma Maison’s food may not be quite as mind-blowing as some other spots in Orchard, but they do make for a good fallback option for a safe dining option with a decent dining environment if that Tudor house interior suits your fancy — think something of an old-school Japanese steakhouse that is great especially for dates or just for dinner on a night’s out.