Peranakan food can be somewhat of an acquired taste. The Malay-Chinese fusion cuisine features hearty dishes with robust seasonings that may not be immediate crowd pleasers.
But after you’ve tried it a few times, there’s a good chance that the complex and addictive flavours will grow on you and turn you into a lifelong fan.
We love Peranakan food. And, in our opinion, there’s no better place to enjoy it than at The Peranakan. In the past, that’s where we’d go whenever the craving hit.
When we have a meal with friends visiting from overseas, or when friends in Singapore ask us for restaurant recommendations, it was almost always on our shortlist.
Especially since it was conveniently located on Orchard Road, albeit at the quieter and comparatively more remote end, closer to Tanglin.
Claymore Connect @Orchard Road
The Peranakan occupied an expansive (and no doubt expensive) space on the second floor of the Claymore Connect shopping mall.
Dining there always felt like we were eating inside a museum. A huge collection of Peranakan furniture, decoration and fashion was always on display, providing an immersive experience.
What kept us going back, time and time again, was, of course, the sangat sedap food.
All the greatest hits could be found on their extensive menu. For first timers to the cuisine, there was even a Tok Panjang set meal featuring tasting portions of classic Peranakan dishes.
But since we knew exactly what we wanted, we usually ordered individual dishes. Most times, we didn’t even have to look at the menu, and simply ordered from memory.
My favourite there was the Nasi Ulam, something not commonly found in Peranakan restaurants in Singapore. Given that numerous herbs had to be individually chopped, its preparation was tedious and time consuming.
Combined with a secret blend of spices, the end result was a wonderfully aromatic and exotic tasting rice dish. It was so good that I would have been perfectly happy having it on its own.
However, I could never resist the temptation of their other, equally tasty, items.
Like the generously stuffed deep-fried Ngoh Hiang, crunchy steamed Ladies Fingers topped with a heaping mound of sambal and the heavily-spiced tender Beef Rendang.
As well as the Chap Chye, with its distinctive fermented soy bean flavour, spicy Sambal Sotong and earthy Chicken Rendang.
At the end of every meal, we’d indulge in sweet desserts like the sinful Durian Pengat, with its delightful drizzle of gula melaka. And the ever popular Chendol, for even more gula melaka.
Because, as we all know, there’s no such thing as too much gula melaka.
These were just a small sample of the many dishes we had across numerous visits over several years.
Until Sunday, the 28th of November in 2021, when The Peranakan formally announced that they were officially closed.
I wouldn’t say that we were devastated, but it did leave behind a big void. We no longer had a familiar and reliable go-to place for Peranakan food.
Since then, we’ve been on the hunt for its replacement, leading us to try different places like Godmama, Straits Chinese and Cherki.
We were quite impressed by the latter two, but they still didn’t match up to The Peranakan.
Then, two years later, on Thursday, the 19th of October in 2023, came a wonderful piece of news.
They had us at “Hello sayang.”
Lengkok Bahru @Bukit Merah
Nestled deep in the HDB heartlands, the location was the polar opposite of swanky Orchard Road. It was still quite accessible, just a mere five minute walk from Redhill MRT station.
The route is slightly uphill and mostly sheltered, with the short hike helping to stir up your appetite.
Once you’re nearby, you can’t miss the façade with its colourful Peranakan motif tiles, two big pink plant pots and a neighbourhood cat that’s perpetually camped out there.
Many of the familiar interior decorations were carried over from the old premises, including their traditional wooden signboard, fancy chandeliers and inverted flower garden.
Even though it took up a much smaller footprint, we had the same feeling of stepping into a museum as we entered the front door.
The same old-school wooden chairs and tables were in use, as were the pretty batik tablecloths. It was a cosy space, with a seating capacity for perhaps 30 or so customers.
Despite its relocation to a residential area, it still managed to impart a magical Alice in Wonderland feel. That is, if Alice was actually a cantik Nyonya girl dressed in a kebaya, visiting from Melaka.
While the menu included many of the usual suspects, it was a significantly condensed version of its former self. It was good to see that the Tok Panjang had survived the transition despite the smaller selection.
To start, we each ordered a pot of hot Pandan Lemongrass, and they were served in pretty little tea cups that wouldn’t look out of place at a fancy high tea.
Bona, our bubbly waitress in her beautiful kebaya placed tiny cylinders in mini saucers in front of us. With a touch of flair, she poured water onto them, which caused them to expand and shoot up vertically.
We’ve encountered these towelettes before in fancy fine dining restaurants, and were tickled that The Peranakan had chosen to add this theatrical touch to their service.
I was happy to see that the Nasi Ulam had made the cut in the truncated menu. Needless to say, it was the first thing that I ordered.
Even though it was still a flavour explosion of herbs and spices, the recipe had obviously changed. The herb selection was different, and I even detected a hint of dried salted fish in the mixture.
It was still good, although I very much preferred the previous version.
The Ladies Fingers also underwent some cosmetic surgery. Instead of the previous sambal topping, it now featured chincalok, or fermented baby shrimp.
Chincalok provided an interesting sour and salty flavour dimension to the relatively bland steamed ladies fingers. But again, I was partial to how it was before. Luckily, there was an ample supply of Chilli Cuka to save the day.
At this point, we were worried that the familiar flavours that we had grown to love had irrevocably changed. So it was with no small amount of concern that we dug into our next dish.
Of all the classic Peranakan dishes, Ayam Buah Keluak is arguably the most iconic.
Its main ingredient contains hydrocyanic acid, and requires laborious and time consuming preparation to make it safe for consumption.
Even after all the soaking and boiling, the edible end result remains an acquired taste. The black and bitter insides of the seed impart a deep and earthy flavour that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
But when done right, Ayam Buah Keluak is truly fantastic.
I’m pleased to report that it was as delicious as what we remembered from the old Claymore Connect days. Actually, it may have been even better that what we had before. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, so perhaps there was some of that.
We finished every piece of chicken, scooped up every little morsel of buah keluak and mopped up every last drop of the gravy. Leaving behind a completely empty plate as a gesture of our appreciation for the talented Chef Yong.
For dessert, The Wife couldn’t resist ordering the Apom Bok Kwa Pisang. I wanted a Chendol, but it wasn’t available that day. Good thing it wasn’t, because the apom was more than enough for two.
Soft and fluffy with striking indigo streaks, the traditional pancakes were a great vehicle to soak up the rich and indulgent sauce. Fresh cut bananas and a drizzle of gula melaka further accentuated its texture and flavour.
There was one regret that day though. We were hoping to order their Bakwan Kepiting Soup, but it was already sold out. A new batch was in progress, but would take another four hours to complete.
Well, there’s always next time.
And next time didn’t take long. Because the nagging thought of missing out on the soup was an itch that needed to be scratched. And it needed to be scratched quickly.
Round Two
A few weeks later, we made another reservation with Vick, the personable restaurant manager, via WhatsApp (+65 8023 4345). This time, I made sure to pre-book and confirm an order of the Bakwan Kepiting.
Upon taking our first sip of the murky broth, it became immediately clear why it took four hours to brew. The deep and unctuous stock was like something in between Chinese double-boiled chicken soup and Japanese pork tonkotsu. Full of rich umaminess and bursting with flavour.
Equally impressive were the pork and crab meatballs, studded with crunchy bamboo shoots.
Somehow, whenever meat from land and sea creatures are combined, the end result is always delicious. This Peranakan surf-and-turf combo was no exception.
Likewise for the Prawn Ngoh Hiang appetiser, stuffed almost to the edge of bursting. The beancurd skin was filled with minced pork and prawns, and deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown. Perfect when dipped in sweet sauce and topped with a blob of chilli cuka.
Next came another home run — their Beef Rendang.
You could say that this common dish is not exclusively Peranakan, since it’s offered at numerous Malay nasi padang stalls and restaurants. But the rempah used at The Peranakan resulted in something way more complex and multi-dimensional.
Coupled with the tender and collagen-rich chunks of beef, it’s easily one of the best rendangs we’ve ever tasted. It may sound like I’m exaggerating, but the only way for you to be sure is to try it out yourself.
To soak up all the wonderful gravy, we ordered a portion of rice, dyed blue from an infusion of blue pea flower. Nyonya Chap Chye provided the necessary amount of fibre, essential for good digestion.
By the end of our dinner that day, any doubts we had about the restaurant’s comeback had vanished.
Our favourite Peranakan eatery was back, and reclaimed its spot on our shortlist of highly recommended restaurants in Singapore.
We know we’ll be back again soon, but we still couldn’t resist ordering a takeout portion of the Ayam Buah Keluak for lunch the next day.
Moving forward, that’s going to be our new modus operandi. Stuff our faces first, and then buy even more home.
If you like Peranakan food, you know where to go. If you haven’t tried Peranakan food before, it’s a great place to discover a brand new cuisine.
Even if you don’t like Peranakan food, go there anyway and see if they change your mind.
