The Peranakan Restaurant Tasting Session 2018
442 Orchard Road
#02-01 Claymore Connect
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm
https://www.facebook.com/ThePeranakanSG/
This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from Chubby Botak Koala, Purple Taste, Her Pen And Fork, Jelly Love Fats, Little Tiny Sun, msginginly, and Epicurious Caniggia.
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| Apom Bokwa With Pisang Pengat (SGD $12) |
All-You-Can-Eat Nyonya Popiah & Mee Siam
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 10
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 8
Value for Money: 9
Budget about SGD $28++ per person.
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Having visited The Peranakan Restaurant (in 2016, in 2017) multiple times over the last few years, I've always been impressed with their consistent, high quality standards. This visit, we were fortunate to sample the All-You-Can-Eat Nyonya Popiah & Mee Siam buffet, which is now available every weekend, from 2:30pm - 5:30pm, making for a nice high tea.
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| The Peranakan Restaurant Seating |
Ambience at The Peranakan Restaurant remains as beautiful as ever, but they've expanded and converted parts of the floor space into a showcase of Peranakan culture. Service at The Peranakan Restaurant is still good, staff are friendly and efficient, even managing to accord personalised attention during peak periods. Food at The Peranakan Restaurant retains the traditional classic flavours of Baba-Nyonya cuisine, being delicious and hearty in portion. New dishes are constantly being introduced too. Prices remain as wallet-friendly as before, budget about SGD $28++ per person for a decent meal here.
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| Tok Panjang Layout |
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| Table Setting |
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| Bowl Of Marbles |
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The All-You-Can-Eat DIY Popiah & Mee Siam (SGD $28++ per pax) is available every Saturday and Sunday, only from 2:30pm till 5:30pm. It makes for an enjoyable communal dining experience, as you'll get the opportunity to experiment with flavours and roll your own popiah. Pretty suitable for a high tea!
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| All-You-Can-Eat DIY Popiah & Mee Siam, Table Layout (SGD $28++ per pax) |
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| All-You-Can-Eat DIY Popiah & Mee Siam, Table Layout |
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| Us |
The Lemongrass Tea is available in hot or cold versions - I sampled the hot one. This has strong herbal earthy flavours, with a finish of bitter sweet notes, yet is refreshing and calming all at once.
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| Lemongrass Tea |
The Mee Siam is completely delicious, among the better versions I've eaten. What makes this stand out is the thick, savoury sweet sour gravy, that is more bold and intense in flavour than other versions, yet doesn't feel heavy. Really addictive, I would come back just for this. Highly recommended!
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| Mee Siam |
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| Mee Siam |
The DIY Popiah is a fun experience, allowing you to wrap your own popiah. Start with a single sheet of the thin popiah wrapper; dress lightly with sticky sweet sauce, lettuce, and garlic paste; garnish with the popiah filling (stewed turnip, pork belly, shrimp), diced eggs, bean sprouts, deshelled prawns / shrimp, and chili. For best results, keep the amount of filling as flat as possible. Fold in the sides of the popiah wrapper, then roll quickly and tightly. Chef recommends not cutting, but eating it whole instead. Lovely array of textures; juicy crunchy tender soft; with a layered savoury sweet eggy vegetal flavours. Good!
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| Popiah Filling |
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| Popiah Wrapper |
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| DIY Popiah |
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| DIY Popiah |
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The Laksa Goreng (SGD $??) is not a stand-alone ala-carte dish, rather, it's served as part of a high tea set meal. The version here is among the better renditions I've tried, slight smoky aroma with a good herbal savoury spicy flavour from the mix of thick rice vermicelli noodles, fish cake, prawns / shrimp, laksa leaf, and chili. I like it.
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| Laksa Goreng (SGD $??) |
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| Laksa Goreng |
Chef allowed us to sample a dish he's currently experimenting with, the off-menu Buah Keluak Fried Rice (SGD $??). This was our favourite dish by far; with smoky wok hei / breath of the wok, the earthy herbal nutty flavours of the buah keluak / pangium edule seeds, and the savoury notes from the fried rice. On the side, slices of juicy cucumber dressed in a mild chili provide a vegetal sweet spicy contrast, refreshing the palate. Hope Chef includes this on the menu soon!
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| Buah Keluak Fried Rice (SGD $??) |
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| Buah Keluak Fried Rice |
The Chendol Melaka (SGD $6.50) has finely shaved ice topped with pandan / screwpine leaf infused jelly noodles, gula melaka / palm sugar, and dessicated coconut, in a refreshing bowl of coconut milk. Flavours of earthy sweet milky, with a fragrant coconut and palm sugar aroma. Texture is soft, silky, and chewy, so easy to eat. Good!
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| Chendol Melaka (SGD $6.50) |
Loved the Apom Bokwa With Pisang Pengat (SGD $12), done in the traditional classic Peranakan style. Essentially, this dessert consists of pancakes made from rice flour, coconut water, and butterfly pea flowers, served with a rich gravy of caramelised bananas, gula melaka / palm sugar, pandan / screwpine leaf, water, and salt. Lovely fruity sweet earthy starchy flavours here, so tasty. Highly recommended!
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| Apom Bokwa With Pisang Pengat (SGD $12) |
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| Apom Bokwa With Pisang Pengat |
We've tried the Durian Pengat (SGD $6.50) before, but as a component of other desserts, not as a stand-alone dish. Nonetheless, it's still as good as ever, rich and creamy thick in texture, almost like a paste. Fragrant and fruity sweet flavours, you can really taste the durian within. Good!
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| Durian Pengat (SGD $6.50) |
Always enjoyed my dining experiences at The Peranakan Restaurant (in 2016, in 2017). They've proven to have a consistently high quality in all areas; from ambience, to service, to food. Traditional classic flavours, presented in hearty portions and beautifully plated, keep regulars coming back for more. If you haven't already visited The Peranakan Restaurant, I highly encourage an advance reservation!
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 Reserve a table now @ The Peranakan Restaurant |
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CONVERSATION