Showing posts with label peranakan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peranakan. Show all posts
8-Hands for Candlenut's 8 years
Labels:
dempsey,
family friendly,
peranakan,
restaurants,
special occasion,
will return
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Nestled away in the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, Candlenut's redefines elegant dining and brings Peranakan cuisine to a while new gastronomic level. By infusing Straits-Chinese food with contemporary flavours, Candlenuts earned its well-deserved recognition as the world's first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant.
To make its 8th anniversary celebration, with the theme "8 years 8 Hands", Chef Malcom Lee invited three of his chef friends, Willin Low of Wild Rocket, Wayne Liew of KEK Seafood and Andrei Soen of Park Bench Deli to share their creations at the lavish eight-hands cocktail party.
The Clifford Pier: presents a month-long Baba-licious Peranakan spread
Labels:
fullerton bay hotel,
fullertonhotel,
hidden finds,
hotel,
large groups,
must go,
peranakan,
will return
·
We tucked into a Peranakan spread, whilst basking in the gorgeous natural light flooding into the picturesque Clifford pier - a historical landmark once recognized as a prominent landing point for Singapore's forefathers; and all was good.
And when I say good, I meant divine, a force of nature on the palate heightened by the placid, calm nature of our surroundings.
For the month of August, Guest Chef Philip Chia makes his debut at The Clifford Pier, churning out babalicious treats such as Bakwan Kepiting, Nyonya Chap Chye and staples like Ayam Buah Keluak. Available as ala-carte options at both lunch and dinner time, expect to be transported in time with food that nails the head on its heritage influences.
Katong Kitchen: Peranakan Halal-certified Buffet
Labels:
buffet dinner,
buffets,
East Coast/ Joo Chiat,
halal,
hidden finds,
katong,
peranakan
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With a wealth of dining options in the east, it's hard to concur on a destination, especially in the influence of strong foodie friends. Fortunately, attending to both the needs of the diners in search of quality as well as quantity is the impressive halal-certified spread at Katong Kitchen, located on the 4th level of Village Hotel Katong.
From the superb regale to the decor, Katong Kitchen exudes similar nostalgic vibes from its wooden flooring to the marbled coffee table tops. Delighting its guests with a well formulated line up of both International and Peranakan inspired local cuisine since 2013.
A quick glance of the room will reveal all stations in full view; despite its seemingly modest confinement, the detail is in the fabric. Each hot-hold revealing something mysteriously darkened and aromatic.
Peramakan @ the Keppel Club: Family Birthday Dinners
Labels:
birthdays,
circle line,
family,
family friendly,
hidden finds,
keppelclub,
peranakan,
telok blangah
·
Nothing is more motivational than having a fire lite under your ass.
I kid you not, and this was the circumstance I faced when thrown into the deep end with some vigorous finger-pointing action over a family whatsapp conversation. Yes, so I had to organise the twin's (my mum and auntie's) 55th birthday celebration. Confounded with a variety of food intolerances ,whims and fancies from a large group of finicky diners; I looked to the cause of Peranakan cooking for a solution.
Nonya cooking as defined by Wikipedia is the 'result of blending Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices and cooking techniques used by Malay/Indonesian community'. For instance, Malay dishes such as assam fish and beef rendang have been reinterpreted to suit the Chinese palates and more often than not are more subtle in spices and possessing more of a tangy edge.
As I had taken the liberty to select the dishes before the event day (please take my advice and follow suite for a more efficient dinner service), dishes starting filling the turn table slowly but surely, like some Chinese wedding banquet sequence gone haywire.Thanks to the ravenous appetites of my surrounding company, we soon got cracking on the intimidating stockpile of food.
The Ayam Buah Keluak appealed to me, regardless of its black ominous stare. For those clueless ones, Buak Keluak is a black nut originating from Indonesia, for this dish, these tough nuts are cracked, prepped with age old traditional methods to get rid of its toxins then then fleshy parts of the nut are removed, mixed into a delicious paste with minced pork and then stuffed back in the the shell. These, together with chicken are then stewed with a copious amounts of spices till tender. I found delight in Peramakan's version, the lavish amount of aromatic filling, highly addictive when mixed in with plain rice.
The Nonya Chap Chye ($10) is not jaw dropping but scrumptious nonetheless, the cabbage achieving an ethereally soft texture carrying the full fledged flavor of the tau cheow (fermented soybeans). A light addition of dried shrimp introducing more umami to the dish.
Food here ranges from average to very good, but what is amazing is how reasonable the prices are.
One dish we did not care for was the Otak Otak Makanan Laut ($18), a mackerel based otah with prawns in spicy paste. It had an almost turgid bite to the finished product, the innards not moist nor fragrant as you would with most generic versions.
Turn your attention instead to the Babi Pongtay and Penang Nyonya Pork Ribs, the former stealing the limelight with its ode to the pork belly, swathed in a sweet and savoury sauce, this was sinfully rich enough with a good refreshing sharpness thanks to a good lashing of vinegar. The latter, a tad more popular amongst the health conscious folks around the table seeing that the dish was big of flavor without featuring such a 'waist-line detrimental' cut of meat.
Perfectly decent is the Beef Rendang, shin beef is used here and it is braised low and slow in a coconut based broth till fork tender. Being more accustomed to the Malay Nasi Padang store versions, I preferred my gravy more thick and textured from the use of desiccated coconut and hence found Peramakan's version a little pedestrian.
If there is still room for dessert (you'll be dammed if you insist you don't!), jump in on the Durian Chendol ($6), the mind blowing experience that comes from devouring the dreamy durian paste with the rich coconut milk and addictive savoury sweetness of the gula melaka syrup, like a random jolt of inexplicable bliss. Not to be missed! Other desserts like the Bubor Cha Cha and the Sago Gula Melaka paled in comparison to the mastery of engagement that the former offered to its tasters. Smitten, we were.
The Peramakan located at Keppel Club has my strong approval for proposed family birthday dinner venues. Armed with helpful staff who are non-intrusive, the joint sees a good healthy business even on a lethargic Monday. The fact of the matter is, you get good food in healthy servings that won't cost you an arm and a leg. What's there not to like?
Peramakan
Level 3 Keppel Club
10 Bukit Chermin Road
Singapore 109918
website: http://www.peramakan.com/
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