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Grandma's
We've not quite seen Peranakan food set up shop in a retail mall setting and take off, but it does seem like this creation from the Akashi Group (the London Fat Duck people) would be here to stay. Although not quite your Guan Hoe Soon, which is truly a Nonya institution in Singapore, Grandma's still serves up a decent blend of Peranakan dishes together with Singaporean and Malaysian delights.
currently with 4 outlets in Singapore, we recently visited the one at the revamped Suntec City to check them out. the name of the restaurant gives it a very homely feel, although we felt that a more accurate impression you should carry before visiting, should be one of Malaccan or Penang street fare. there is a good variety of Nonya selections, some local delights and desserts on the menu, which indications for their signature dishes. 
there is nothing much Peranakan about this Hokkien Mee, but this is one of Grandma's most popular dishes. we were first drawn to Malaysian styled Hokkien Mee when we were in Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur and this interpretation of it while not as rich in terms of wok-hei, is still pretty flavourful and a refreshing change from the ones we typically see in food centres. this served as a good carb accompaniment to the other Nonya dishes we ordered. 
the dish above is called Babi Pongteh or rather braised pork belly in soya bean paste with dark soy sauce. the pork was soft and juicy, while the gravy was thick and had a rich flavour. goes very well with white rice. other Peranakan dishes that we went for included the Nonya Chap Chye and Otah Otah. not too bad really, giving you some confidence to go for their home catering service if you're going to have a gathering or house party. 
In all, Grandma's was a decent experience. some purists have taken to the web to say they don't represent the cuisine well, but then again, not many has taken the step out to let you have the Nonya option in the comfort of a mall anyway. For us, the seafood was fresh, the sambal chilli such as in the Sambal Udang above had that spicy kick, and the Chendol was nostalgic relief, good enough for us. We hope to see a couple more Grandma's sprout out near our homes, and we'd probably visit again on a lazy day that we're not cooking in. 
Grandma's (Suntec City) 3 Temasek Boulevard #B1-108, Suntec City Singapore 098585 Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 10 pm just the way Grandma used to cook it.. 7Kickstart Museum Cafe
The Singapore Art Museum is having somewhat of a renaissance of late, as more families are now stopping by to immerse themselves in some of the themed exhibitions such as edible art or children's art. In the museum also houses one hipster cafe that is positioned with a twist, serving local fusion brunch food.
7Kickstart Museum Cafe is decorated somewhat like a vintage classroom, with long tables for group discussions, chalk-boards and self-service drinking water that you can fill using science lab beakers. The food itself is pretty much creative, from many local-influenced western food, a range of waffles, to their signature ice-dripped coffees. Having quite a following, a second outlet is now opened at the Singapore Management University. 
one good example of their fusion dishes would be the specialty Liu-Sha French toast. Practically a thick slice of toast with salted-egg yolk and custard flowing out of its centre. with the craze for all things salted-egg these days, we found this particular one not too over-powering and well blended with its drizzle of condensed milk over it, to give it a sweeter taste. Other similar fusion dishes would include the Orh Nee waffles and its assam-infused nonya curry grilled dory (only on weekdays). 
we went for the weekend brunch and tried their other breakfast classics, such as the Royale Classic Benedict which is essentially a salmon eggs Benedict with a sweeter apple-yuzu hollandaise sauce. we also tried the Portobello with eggs which was made up of 2 sunny-side-ups laid over portobello mushrooms and served with hash browns. this is one of the few vegetarian options that is available at this cafe, which makes it a plus for group meetings with people of varied dietary needs. 
and then special mention for their coffees. the cafe is famous for their ice-dripped coffees, with 7 different blends of cold-brews to kickstart your day. we went for something of slightly higher coffee intensity in the form of the Brazilian Yellow Bourbon ice-drip coffee that left us a little high on caffeine. I think their coffees are an acquired taste, as you'd read several mixed reviews online. if you ask us, straight-up, their iced chocolate drinks came out top, even the kids loved it. In all, this is a quiet place, good for discussions and has a solid range of artisanal dishes to choose from. 
7Kickstart Museum Cafe 71 Bras Basah Road #01-03 Singapore Art Museum Singapore 189555 Opening Hours Mondays & Tuesdays: 8 am to 8 pm Wednesdays to Fridays: 8 am to 10 pm Saturdays: 10 am to 8 pm Sundays: 10 am to 6 pm The first cafe in the country to serve ice-dripped coffee? Pu Tien
The Pu Tien restaurant chain is already somewhat like an institution back here with 10 outlets spread across the island. made famous from its original Kitchener Road outlet serving its brand of Xing Hua dishes, the restaurant has expanded quite rapidly in recent years. as its name suggests, Xing Hua dishes originated from the province of Pu Tian, China and is known for its unique style of savoury dishes..
if you ask regulars who patronise this restaurant chain, the most distinctive thing that many will recall is their signature chilli. definitely spicy with some kick, the sauce has a unique sweet and sour taste as well. in fact, it is so good that Pu Tien sells their chilli sauce by the bottle at their stores. certainly a must to accompany their food. 
another specialty that can be eaten as a meal on its own is the Pu Tien Lor Mee. probably not quite what you'd find at the hawker centres but rather a mix of seafood noodle in a very thick and aromatic pork broth. this is by far one of the better noodle soups we've tasted. 
a notable trait of the Xing Hua cuisine would be their unique range of pork dishes. from the whole pig-trotters to the little pig-trotter jelly cubes, they are all common dishes that regulars would order. We went for the sliced pork-belly with garlic this time around, a perfect dish to go with the chilli or eat on its own. 
we also ordered our regular favourites of the braised home-made beancurd and the Pu Tien oyster omelette, dishes that typically complete our Pu Tien fix. this time, we also tried the Claypot chicken in fermented red rice-wine. a little disappointing as the chicken pieces had alot of bones and lesser meat, although the red rice-wine gravy went well with our rice. i'm not sure what came over us to order the Pu Tien rice cakes for dessert, they are literally expensive kueh tu-tu, they are very good actually, just not expecting to eat that in a restaurant. In all, every Pu Tien outing always brings out the warmth of home-cooked food, the dishes are generally tasty and brings good value for the whole family. 
Pu Tien (Raffles City) 252 North Bridge Road, #02-18 Raffles City Shopping Centre Singapore 179103 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 5.30 pm to 10 pm Weekends & Public Holidays: 11.30 am to 4.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 10 pm Tasty, Simple & Heart-Warming Comfort Food.. Naughty Nuri's
when we think of a chill-out bar with some good ribs, drumlets and drinks, an Indonesian styled concept rarely comes to mind. so when we heard that an Indonesian bar from Bali known for its "wicked ribs and killer martinis" are in town, we had to give it a try. Naughty Nuri's would sound a pretty cheeky name for an Indon bar and grill, but that was just one of the many small surprises we had for this place.
Naughty Nuri's is one of the many new-to-Singapore food concepts that opened at Capitol Piazza. It originated from Ubud, Bali and apparently has a very strong following there. Since its opening in Singapore, the bar enjoys pretty good weekday crowd, and reservations are certainly a must for Fridays and weekends. perhaps its Asian taste coupled with its blend of drinks gives it a unique appeal amongst the likes of Dazzling Cafe, Angelina and the nearby Tap Craft Beer Bar. 
while waiting for our food to arrive, we started off with a round of drinks. a local blend no less, with a bucket of Indonesian Bintang beer. it's pretty similar to local brews off the APB tap, and pretty smooth on the palette. if you'd like something stronger to kick start your night, the Nuri's Signature Martini would be one thing to try. our waiter joked that it'd be somewhat like a south-east Asian Baileys. 
as we came in a group, we went for their set dinner called Indo Pig Out which had pretty much abit of their popular dishes. in particular, their pork ribs (yes, pork..) are their specialty and the set dinner comes with a half-rack for sharing. the meat is very juicy and grilled to a level where you could lick it off the bones. the marinate sauce gives it a unique Asian flavour and the kechap manis sauce on the side to go with the ribs are superb. 
other bar food that came with the set included Indonesian Buffalo drumlets, fried tofu and Nasi Goreng with an assortment of sides amongst others. would like to specially mention that the Nasi Goreng can be also served with Maggi Goreng if you so prefer, and that's a popular choice as it turned out as good as probably a packet of instant IndoMee. another distinctive dish is the one above which they call Lemak Chilli Party. it's essentially chicken in lemongrass and coconut curry that will give your Nasi Padang stall a run for its money. If you like Indonesian food with your fix of Ayam Penyet or Nasi Padang, and at the same time would like a cold beer, Naughty Nuri's the place for you. 
Naughty Nuri's 15 Stamford Road, Capitol Piazza #01-84 Singapore 178884 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 11 pm Saturdays & Sundays: 11.30 am to 11 pm Synonymous with communal dining with friends and family.. Anti:Dote
it had been like a birthday wish to have tea here one day, so you could probably imagine the feeling when some friends suggested Anti:Dote for our next high-tea outing. stepping into the lounge bar at Fairmont Hotel, i was like a child in a candy shop going trigger happy at everything instagram worthy. they say colours stimulate your palette; at Anti:Dote, they surely epitomizes this.
as the tea outing was planned on a Saturday afternoon, we took the advice of several food reviews and made a reservation well in advance. fortunately we did, as there are only 2 seating times for the afternoon tea and limited tables for each seating. the dining period for each seating is also relatively short at 2 hours, and the staff may start to move you along if you took up the first seating. the tea sets come in 2 selections, the Oriental Tea or the Anti:Dote Tea - where the difference mainly lies in the starter. while the Oriental version comes with a selection of dim sum, the Anti:Dote Tea starter was a more unique serving of organic egg. 
the organic egg starter not only comes in a presentable tray of pebbles, the inside of the decorative plastic eggshell is filled with scrambled eggs, salmon roe, caviar and a small serving of sea urchin. not only very exotic ingredients, but this unique first dish sets the tone of the lounge's style - beautiful presentation. 
the main course comes in a pretty drawer set, filled with a range of sweet and savoury items. the sweet selection sits at the top of the drawer with dishes that create a cornucopia of colours. everyone had a whale of a time taking photos of the various desserts of which we thoroughly enjoyed the traditional Paris brest, the vanilla chiboust, the strawberry cake and the chocolate praline best. Personally i have a sweet tooth for macaroons, so that tops my list followed by the strawberries wrapped in melted chocolate. 
the inner drawers are filled with the savoury sandwiches and hot scones, with the last drawer being the different jams that can go with the scones. a couple of Anti:Dote cookies accompany the jams at the base. of the 3 jams, my personal preference is the yellow lemon curd which makes a good spread for the scones. of the sandwiches, the ones that stood out for me were the cheese and Ikura roe wrapped with smoked salmon, the Iberico ham truffled tart as well as the duck confit/foie gras terrine. the portions are just right for sharing and the small size of the scones help to leave stomach room for more desserts. Of course, we must not forget to mention the wide selection of teas. one slight draw-back is that unlike other high-tea restaurants where they entertain a change of tea selection over the course of the serving, Anti:Dote mandates all patrons to stick to one selection. the range of white and red teas offered here comes from TWG. i ordered a white tea called Holiday in Paris which serves as the best prelude to my upcoming trip. as the water simmered, the aroma of Yin Zhen and sweet vanilla can be tasted. Overall, we truly enjoyed our experience and for myself, checked-off my bucket list of finally going for this colourful high-tea.. 
Anti:Dote 2 Stamford Rd Fairmont Singapore, Level 1 Singapore 189560 Opening Hours (Afternoon Tea) Mondays to Thursdays: 3 pm to 5 pm Fridays to Sundays: 12 pm to 2 pm (first seating); 3 pm to 5 pm (second seating) Anti:Dote bar transforms into a wine lounge at night Curious Palette
Prinsep Street is having some kind of a renaissance lately with quite a few interesting dining concepts forming a little cluster there. after walking down the entire stretch, we settled for the corner-most unit to satisfy our curious palettes at an interesting looking cafe that came with a chalk-board written signage.
We later found out that Curious Palette is brought to us by the same people behind the successful Strangers' Reunion cafe at Neil Road. From the desserts to the mains, it was notable that quite abit of emphasis was placed on the presentation of the food. many dishes we observed from the patrons were pretty and certainly Instagram worthy.. and i guess on top of food quality, this aspect of a cafe is probably the way forward for any aspiring place that needs a social media push. 
let's also be quick to say that the food quality is pretty good too. we tried this Chicken confit (a good change from many places serving duck) that was not only elaborately designed, the meat was tender on the inside with a crispy layer of skin. the chicken leg comes with a small serving of risotto to complete the meal. not too heavy and just right for you to leave some space for dessert. 
we already said that the people who did Strangers' Reunion were behind this, so it's definitely no surprise that the coffee here would be good too. to add on to the drinks selection, there's a good mix of coffees, teas and some special craft beers and ciders to make this a neat chill-out joint. We were here for dinner, so while some could still afford a flat white at this time of the day, I opted for a Rose Cider to end a hard day's work. 
and then comes the main event, the signature hotcakes! Not those that comes with a happy meal but this pretty mixed berries Ricotta Hotcake made up of strawberries, blueberries, vanilla bean ice-cream and some maple syrup. the dish is served warm with a crispy crust that goes very well with all the toppings. the cupcake-like sponge base is very soft but it got abit tiring after awhile, maybe quite a mouthful of a serving for 2 persons. In all, we felt that alot of thought went into the creation of every dish here, Curious Palette certainly impresses and would be a great option for a nice little date. 
Curious Palette 64 Prinsep Street Singapore 188667 Opening Hours Sundays to Thursdays: 9 am to 10 pm (closed on Tuesdays) Fridays & Saturdays: 9 am to 12 am back making magic at another place.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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