Lola's @ Holland V

Today we (the younger sis and ) went to Lola's @ Holland V for lunch. We did a morning from the newly opened park connector from Hillview to the Bukit Timah train station before ending up at Holland V.

We did not manage to make a reservation before going, but managed to get a table when we got there. It was full when we got there, but we only waited for about 15 minutes before being seated.

We ordered the Nacho Cheese Tater Tots (Tater Tots, Nacho Cheese Sauce & Cajun Spice; $11), Honey Paprika Crispy Wings (Battered Chicken Wing, Paprika & Honey; $11), and Pulled Pork & Avocado Eggs Benedict (6-hr Smoked Chipotle Pulled Pork, Smashed Avocado, Poached Egg, Light Sourdough, Hollandaise Sauce; $16). For dessert, we got the Black Sesame Tart (Black Sesame White Chocolate Ganache, Japanese Matcha Cookie; $7). For drinks, I ordered the Specialty Black Cold Brew ($6) and she got the Iced Latte ($6).

The food - Mostly great. This is the third time we had tater tots in 3 weeks, and I have to say, this is the best of the lot. The nacho cheese sauce with bacon bits just brought the dish to another level. The Honey Paprika Crispy Wings were also a hit for us. There were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The sweetness from the honey was a good juxtaposition to the heat from the paprika. The Pulled Pork & Avocado Eggs Benedict was a little bit of a letdown. The colour of the smashed avocado was a weird green. The pulled pork was a little dried.

The dish I liked the best was the dessert - Black Sesame Tart. When they served it, we were surprised by the colour as we had expected it to be black due to the black sesame. The green was from the matcha cookie. The ganache was creamy and tasted like my favourite Chinese dessert black sesame soup (芝麻糊).

The drinks - I chose the cold brew as I wanted to try something new, different from my usual brew. I was surprised at how good it tasted on its own. I usually like my coffee with milk as I find black coffee is too acidic. This brew was not. There were some fruity notes. I'm glad I gave it a try

The service - Service was good. They were efficient and attentive. The place was crowded, but it wasn't difficult to get the attention of the staff.

Overall, I give this 4.5 Aunty Karens. The food was mostly great. The place was small and cosy. Service was above average. I would like to return to try other dishes.