The Naked Finn is a gorgeous restaurant, reminiscent of glass house, nestled in the quiet grounds of Gillman Barracks. The name itself is really interesting and Ken Loon, the owner, explains that "Naked was coined by my wife, based on how she perceives my philosophy of unadulterated simplicity. Finn is the name of the lead from the 1998 movie version of Great Expectations. Francesco Clemente was commissioned for the paintings and drawings in the film and I love the sketchbook of sea life that Finn 'drew'..."  (source: http://www.nakedfinn.com/about-us.html) 

More than 90% of their products are actually hand made in house, which makes it all the more impressive and I was really eager to try the food. 

Food: 4/5

Price: $$/$$$

Service: 4/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Tip: Explore interesting contemporary artworks in the galleries situated in Gillman Barracks after a meal here. Gillman Barracks is still relatively quiet and gives a really foresty feel. However, do not visit on Mondays as most of the galleries are closed. 

The staff at the restaurant were really helpful and were excitedly recommending the food on the menu to us as it was our first visit.

Hae Mee Tng (a.k.a prawn noodles soup) - $25 

Serving their own rendition of the local hawker favourite pawn noodles soup, The Naked Finn experimented with 9 different types of prawns before selecting a combination of 3 species for the stock. Whole prawns are fried in olive oil and then blended and left to simmer with pork stock for 7 hours. No MSG or sugar are added to this dish. 

I'm going to be blunt and say that I much prefer the prawn noodles from the hawker stalls, especially for the price. Don't get me wrong, the Hae Mee Tng here is good, but I don't think it's exceptional or vastly different from those in the hawker stalls. The giant prawns and pork belly roll are great but, this dish is $25. I get why it is this expensive, given the effort in creating the stock and the quality ingredients used. But still.. call me old at heart but I would not pay $25 for this.

But despite my really blunt feedback, not all is lost as The Naked Finn impressed me with one of the best lobster rolls I've ever had!

Lobster Roll - $35 (american lobster)/ $42 (european lobster)

Okay, I did not realise my camera's focal point was a little wonky here, but you are staring at 90g of grilled lobster meat with unsalted butter and crème fraîche (you can choose house-made mayonnaise). This glorious bun is served with locally-farmed mesclun salad and shoestring truffle fries.

Where do I start? This lobster roll is simply heavenly- from the crispy (but not too oily) buttered bun, to the delicious and fresh chunks of lobster meat and the excellent crème fraîche which gels everything into one hell of a buttery experience. I haven't had a better lobster roll in Singapore than this, and I've tried many.

Grilled baby Indian squid (Uroteuthis duvauceli) with sea salt & olive oil - $8 

Now this is a simple but delicious side. Who knew that grilled squid could taste this good with only  2 ingredients for seasoning. A large part of it is definitely because the squid is super fresh. The squid has a slightly smoky flavour as it is grilled. I highly recommend this side dish to start!

Overall, The Naked Finn serves up really good food (the best lobster roll in SG hello!), and is a really perfect place to just relax and chill. 

Note: This visit was in 2016 during lunch hours. They have a different and more extensive menu for dinner. For more info, visit: http://www.nakedfinn.com/menu.html

The Naked Finn

Address: 39 Malan Road, Gillman Barracks, 109442

Lunch: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

(Last order : 2:30pm)

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Dinner

Tuesday - Thursday : 6:00pm - 10:00pm

(Last order : 9:00pm)

Friday - Saturday : 6:00pm - 10:30pm

(Last order : 9:30pm)

Closed on Sundays & Mondays