Baba Peranakan : comfort food

Edwin Tan, 61, the owner, used to be working as a chef in the hotel industry for about 20 years before starting this stall a decade ago. He started cooking at the tender age of 12, using the recipes by his mother and his grandmother for Nonya dishes. He is serving tasty and comforting Nonya fare at this stall that tucked away at the corner of this popular food centre. I was there about 11 am but there was already a queue. Most of them are regular customers and I am one of them. Some of my usual choices are Ayam Goreng, Sayur Lemak, and Onion Omelette. These dishes are usually cooked in a small portion to ensure its freshness. 

The Ayam Goreng ($3) came in a piece of perfectly deep-fried chicken drumstick and it is my usual favorite. The chicken is well-seasoned with chilli, curry powder, ginger, and shallots for 5 hours before cooking. The Onion Omelette consists of egg, onion, spring onion and chilli for a good portion at just $1. Sayur Lemak is a vegetable curry, the main ingredients are cabbage and slices of fried taupok. It was then cooked well to the desired tenderness and served in the light but tasty gravy. Another comforting dish that I will order is the canned Sardine in tomato sauce, a homely dish that my late Grandpa used to cook for me.

BABA PERANAKAN

335 Smith Street #02-225 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 1.30 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Rumah Baba Fred : homey Nonya dishes

This Peranakan cafe is located along Changi Road run by a passionate husband and wife team. It is quite small with limited seating capacity indoor and outdoor. It is cozy and welcoming, just like eating at a friend's house. 

I ordered a bundle of Nonya Kueh Chang on their Facebook and went to collect it on a Saturday. I waited in front of their counter, behind another customer. Baba Fred was serving that customer and his wife greeted me. She asked, "Collecting your chang?" I nodded then said, "I am having lunch too." She placed a piece of banana leaf on a plate then scooped some rice on it. I pointed to the Beef Rendang and the Curry Vegetable followed by a piece of Ngor Hiang. I also ordered a glass of Lemon Grass to go along. She said, "You go take a seat first, I will heat up the Ngor Hiang and bring it to you together with the Lemon Grass drink." I went to take a seat outside the shop. She brought the Ngor Hiang over first. She said, "If you could not finish the Ngor Hiang, I can pack them for you to take away." Baba Fred sent the Lemon Grass drink later. He asked, "You are collecting your chang too? It is under what name?" I mentioned it. His wife came over later with the Lemon Grass drink and also a bag of Nonya Kueh Chang. She counted them to make sure it is 10 pieces. She also presented a receipt that stated the amount to pay for the lunch. 

There were another 2 customers seated at the table beside me. The wife walked past with their orders. She smiled and said, "You managed to finish the Ngor Hiang." I replied, "It tasted different from others." She said, "We freshly made them with quite a few ingredients." I said, "It is very nice." These classic Nonya dishes were so comforting. 

Their Nonya Kueh Chang is only available upon advance order. It has already fully booked for the month of August. It is still prepared in the traditional method, the rice is first steamed then putting it with the filling to be wrapped in those bamboo leaves then steamed again. The intense blue color in the rice is derived from the Blue Pea. Each piece consists of a generous amount of filling, it is soft and moist. It is, in my humble opinion, better than those that I used to order from Kim Choo Kueh Chang.

RUMAN BABA FRED

116 Changi Road #01-01 WIS@Changi SINGAPORE 419718

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm (Saturday & Sunday)

Chong Wen Ge Cafe at Telok Ayer Street

This cafe is located in Chong Wen Ge building owned by Singapore Hokkien Huey Kuan right next to Thian Hock Keng Temple that was once a Chinese school founded by Tan Kim Seng in 1949. There is also a Peranakan Tiles Gallery next to the cafe and a Music Box Museum upstairs owned by a Japanese. The cafe is named after the school to pay tribute to its past opened in May 2016. The menu focuses on Peranakan dishes like Nonya Laksa, Mee Siam and different types of Nonya Kueh.

The cafe was still quite crowded at 2 pm. I ordered at the counter and decided to have the Nonya Laksa ($11.80) and Iced Coffee ($2.50). I was given a buzzer after paying. I also wanted some of those Nonya kueh on display and I said, "I want to order some of those." The bespectacled auntie at the counter, said, "It is self-service." I stood in front of the display counter, wondering whether should I lift or slide the glass door to access to those kueh? The helpful foreign lady behind the counter was telling me to lift it. She handed me a small plate. Next moment, I was looking for a tong which I could not find. I tried asking the same lady. She pointed to a box on top of the counter. The tong was inside that box. I picked 3 different types of Nonya Kueh and proceeded to the cashier for payment. It was $4.50 in total and $1.50 per piece. There was a glass of Iced Coffee at the counter and I asked the same bespectacled auntie, "That's my Iced Coffee?". She nodded. 

I collected the Iced Coffee and that plate of kueh, holding onto the buzzer and walked out of the cafe towards the seating area outside. The buzzer sounded in about 5 minutes. I picked it up and walked towards the cafe, left the buzzer at the end of the counter and collected my bowl of Laksa.

The Iced Coffee was a better choice on such a crazily hot day but the taste was not quite memorable. The only outstanding one amongst that plate of kueh was Seri Muka Durian, the Kuih Lapis and Kuih Pulut Init were just average. 

The nicely presented Laksa came with 3 pieces of relatively fresh large-sized prawns that were neatly butterflied and de-veined. It was served along with a hard-boiled egg and slices of fishcake together with a handful of bean sprouts and chopped laksa leaves. The subtle spiciness was balanced with thick coconut milk for a richer flavor. The addition of bean sprouts has given the dish a desired texture. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

This is an interesting cafe but there is room for improvement for the service.

CHONG WEN GE CAFE

168 Telok Ayar Street SINGAPORE 068619

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 5.30 pm (Daily)

Nyonya Fish Maw Soup : the comforting taste

This is an interesting find amongst the others in this food centre. It is located at the corner unit, and it was quiet during lunch on a Public Holiday as I was their only customer at about 1 pm. I decided to go with the smaller portion of Fish Maw Soup at $6, there are also the larger portions at $8, $10 and $12. 

The older man took my order, and the younger one was preparing it. They are not particularly friendly nor chatty but when the older man overheard I told my dining companion that I ordered a bowl of rice to share and he asked, "Do you need another bowl?" which I declined. A friend on Facebook shared his encounter. He tried asking when he was at this stall whether they are Nyonya but was given an unpleasant response. 

After a few sips, the soup was quite flavorful though not as "gao gao" ("thick thick") as indicated on the poster that they displayed at their stall. It has a homely taste though, this is something simple that most Peranakan families would be cooking at home. The soup is lightly flavored, and there were fish maw, prawns and handmade meatballs in it, the ingredients tasted fresh.

The handmade meatballs were made of minced meat with bits of water chestnuts embedded in it. My dining companion commented that the texture was a bit too soft and he did not like it.

They are serving it with rice and tang hoon at 0.50 cents each.

This is worth a try if you are looking for something different yet filling.

NYONYA FISH MAW SOUP

505 Beach Road #01-80 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Charlie's Perankan Food : Peranakan cuisines in Hawker Centre

Charlie first started cooking Peranakan food at his hawker stall in Bukit Merah, he even got famous for doing so and he was named the Best Hawker of 1981. He then started a Peranakan restaurant along East Coast Road but closed it down after the lease was up as Charlie wanted to retire. He only resurfaced 8 years later and started a hawker stall at Golden Mile Food Centre in November 2016. 

When Auntie saw me approaching, she asked, "For 2 person ah?". I was with a friend and we were seated at a table right in front of the stall. I said, "Ah, no, for just 1 person." I continued to say, "I want that crab meatballs soup." Uncle Charlie overheard and he said, "That's Bakwan". I nodded. I asked Auntie, "I want to order another dish. What do your recommend?" She asked, "Do you want it to be spicy or non-spicy?" which I replied, "Just slightly spicy". She then pointed to a chicken dish on their menu board. I asked, "How spicy is it?". She then said, "Just a little spicy". I ordered a plate of rice to go along with the dishes. 

Peranakan cooking uses a lot of different spices to enhance its flavor which I have always found it fascinating. It is difficult to find good yet affordable Peranakan dishes in hawker centre and as far as I know, there are only 2 hawker stalls serving it, this one and Popo & Nana at Maxwell Food Centre. 

Bakwan Kepiting ($8) is a homely Peranakan dish, it is soup-based comprising of hand-shaped balls consisting of crab meat, minced meat, and bamboo shoot. It is rather labor intensified and so, this is usually served only during the special occasions. And, that might be the reason why it is priced at $8 for just 5 pieces of crab meatballs in the soup even though it is in the hawker centre. 

Auntie served this first then followed by the plate of rice. The crabmeat balls were served in a lightly flavored soup garnished with chopped coriander. Its overall taste was simple and comforting but not as appetizing as the one served by Daisy's Dream Kitchen, which I think is much tastier. 

Opor Ayam ($6) is a classic Javanese dish which means chicken stewed in coconut milk. The taste was in between a slight sourishness and a mild spiciness and it is topped with dried onion to serve. I could not quite appreciate this dish though I managed to finish the 2 drumsticks but I left the gravy almost untouched. 

The rice is priced at 0.50 cents per plate and quite a big portion was given.

I would be interested in trying the other dishes if i happen to be here for lunch again.

CHARLIE'S PERANAKAN FOOD

505 Beach Road #B1-30 Golden Mile Food Centre, SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 6.30 pm

My Cosy Corner : A Cosy Lunch Affair

My Cosy Corner, a hole-in-the-wall eatery is serving old-fashioned Peranakan dishes like Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Laksa and Popiah. They do serve some Japanese sets too.

Their traditional Mee Siam at $5 and $6.50 with 2 pieces of prawns is quite decent but definitely pricey. I was surprised that they bothered to deep fried those little tau pok cubes to a delightful crunchiness then added to the Mee Siam and goes well with the tasty gravy. Somehow, those tau pok cubes retained its crispiness even after been soaked in the gravy for a while. It has a well-balanced sourish and spicy taste.

They have been featured in a TV programme once for serving one of the best Popiah. Even though their Popiah ($2.50) is not the best to me but it is definitely above average for its quality and freshness. Also, not forgetting the crispy rice bits that added for an extra crunch. I was told that they made those using an old family recipe by using parboiled rice and then deep-fried till it started to pop. It tasted exactly like those super crunchy rice krispies, together with the well-stewed turnips, shredded carrot and cucumber strips as filling which gave it a refreshing twist. And, also that chunky piece of half-boiled egg in it but there is no prawns or lup cheong though. It was nicely wrapped in a piece of thin, resilient popiah skin that they acquired from Hup Kiat Traditional Popiah Skin and served it with their extra spicy chilli. It is quite an enjoyment. 

When i was presented with the bill, i was a bit taken aback when i found out that their coffee is priced at $3.50. It actually did not taste too special to me and they served it with milk in a small container and brown sugar.

Do go early as there are limited sitting capacity and you are likely have to wait if you go during lunch or weekends. 

MY COSY CORNER

587 Bukit Timah Road #02-02 Coronation Shopping Plaza SINGAPORE 269707

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.30 pm (Mon to Sat) / 10.00 am to 4.00 pm (Sun)

Nonya Delicatessen : Too Pushy in Sales but Nice Nonya Kueh

I found quite a number of reviews about this hole-in-the-wall nonya kiosk, and most of these are negative reviews. They mainly complained about their bad service and some felt they were too pushy for sales. Even so, there was quite a queue when i was there for lunch. There are only a few tables laid out along the walkway thus very limited seating capacity and if you come during lunch, you are likely have to wait for table. They are famous for their Mee Siam ($5), Nonya Laksa ($5) and Nasi Kunyit ($7), not all of these are available everyday though. 

I was with a friend, we waited for about 15 minutes for a table before i proceed to join the queue. It was a short wait before i got to order. 

I was served the sample of their Nonya kueh before i even got to order then followed by a sample of their Banana Cake and their Hae Bee Hiam. The boss was telling me how good is their Hae Bee Hiam and how painstakingly they made it themselves. Both the Banana Cake and Hae Bee Hiam tasted not bad but it is priced at $10 for quite a small portion, it did not seem to be quite worth it. Their Nonya tasted good as well when i told him so, he initiated i should grab some to go and before i agreed, he started packing it by putting 2 of each from their different types of kueh into a paper bag. 

He did not seem to be too happy when i refused to get their Banana Cake and Hae Bee Hiam. Well, i might be too sensitive.

While waiting at the counter to collect my order, i got my packet of kuehs and also Nasi Kunyit and i actually thought he has forgotten my order. When i tried to remind him of my Nonya Laksa, he said, "My brother is preparing it la!". He did not sound too patient. He is calling almost every customer 'Hello Dear!' or 'Brother' and 'Sister'.

The Nonya Laksa did not taste too impressive. The gravy is a bit watered down with a slight hint of coconut taste and not too creamy. Though added with chilli but the level of spiciness was rather mild. It was served with a few pieces of tau pok and fishcake, a half-boiled egg and garnished with chopped laksa leaves.

Nasi Kunyit is rice cooked in coconut milk and turmeric, it is supposedly to be a rather significant celebratory dish for Peranakan and they usually prepared during their special occasions. It is served with Chicken Curry and Achar and a hard-boiled egg with sambal.

Apparently, all their Nonya kueh tasted nice. I would not mind having it again if i happen to be there but their aggressive sales tactics are a bit turn off and not quite bearable.

NONYA DELICATESSEN

1 Jalan Anak Bukit #B2-K69 Bukit Timah Plaza SINGAPORE 588996

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

Daisy's Dream Kitchen : Good food and Great Service

It was one of the rare occasions that i was in the western part of Singapore. It was raining very heavily at that time and i nearly changed my mind in going over to this Peranakan eatery located at the residential area of West Coast. I was there slightly after 2 pm and there were only 2 other tables occupied at that time. I was presented with the menu rather quickly upon seated down. 

Daisy, the lady boss, came over to greet us. She asked whether are we here for the first time and do we need her recommendation. She then asked whether do we eat spicy foods and she suggested that we should try their Babi Buah Keluak and Kong Bak when she found out that my lunch partner could not take spiciness. We decided to have Babi Buah Keluak and Beef Rendang for $14.80 per set that featured as part of their set lunch choices, it consists of Nonya Chap Chye and Bakwan Kepiting Soup with rice, also Emping Belinjau with Sambal Belachan. Daisy took our orders and when we could not decide whether to have desserts or not, she suggested we could decide later and they would adjust the orders at their end.

For the $14.80 set, you could also choose Sambal Stuffed Fried Fish. There are also the Assam Chicken set at $13.80, the Kong Bak set and Babi Pongteh set at $11.80 as well as Ngor Hiang set and Chicken Wing set at $9.80. You could add $1 to include either a canned drink or their lime juice and add $3 for a canned drink or lime juice with their dessert.

Our drinks came together with Emping Belinjau with Sambal Belachan. While waiting for the mains to be served, i enjoying myself by munching on those Emping Belinjau, the level of spiciness of the Sambal Belachan is not to be underestimated. I dipped it slightly to coat just a bit of the Sambal Belachan before eat it. 'Shiok' is the most appropriate word to describe such a simple pleasure, something so simple could be so enjoyable.

Some of the customers were done with their lunch and leaving. Daisy was asking whether they need to borrow her umbrellas or she could just get someone to shelter them to get their cars in the carpark. A particular customer wanted to borrow the umbrella and could only return next week, Daisy has no issue with it. You do not get much of such heartwarming service anymore, it reminded me of the kampong spirit that we used to talk about during my younger days. I guess such thoughtfulness is what got their customers to keep coming back as they have been around for a few years here. They used to be just a hawker stall at Tiong Bahru Food Centre before moving to the current location in 2011.

Our bowls of Nonya Chap Chye came next. The cabbage was nicely braised to give it the desired texture, it was not overly soft nor too hard but just right to still have a delightful chewiness. They braised it with other ingredients like dried bean curd strips, black fungus and grass noodle. This was easily one of the better Nonya Chap Chye that i have ever eaten.

Subsequently, the rest of the dishes came at about the same time. The Beef Rendang did not taste like those available at the Nasi Padang stalls but more like a fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures. The 'rempah' (paste) was robust in flavors with a slight hint of spiciness but the texture of the beef was not as soft as i liked it to be. 

Babi Buah Keluak is a traditional Nonya dish cooking with Buah Keluak, which is an Indonesian Black Nut, about the size of a golf ball. A slit is made through an opening on the surface of the nut across its flattest part to scrap out the content. Then, to wash and scrub thoroughly until the thin film of the fried mud is gone completely. The content of the nut is to be dugged out then mashed it and stuffed it back again to cook together with the meat. The taste is indescribable, it is quite an experience to actually know how does it tasted like. 

I think i might have eaten Buah Keluak before but that was quite long ago and i did not quite remember the actual taste. When i tried it this time, i realised i did not like it as much as i thought i would. I dugged out the content from the nut but left it as it is after tasted it slightly, it has a slight bitter taste which i could not quite associate with. The texture of the pork was cooked just right.

Bakwan Kepiting Soup was pure comforting. These succulent meatballs has a combination of pork, crab meat and crunchy bamboo shoots, it is a homely but laborious Peranakan dishes that they usually cook during the special occasions. The crabs have to be steamed first then extracted out the meat to mix with the meat paste to make meatballs. The soup has a distinct sweetness that we enjoyed. This is the dish that left an impression even though was one of the meatballs contain a small piece of shell. 

I was given 3 choices and i wanted Bubur Cha Cha out of it, it is the Peranakan style colorful sweet soup. It has an intense coconut milk taste and intensely flavored using the palm sugar with ingredients like chunky pieces of diced sweet potato and yam with the sagu gunting, those colorful jelly-like morsels that made from either tapioca flour or sago flour. 

It was a memorable dining experience and i would definitely be back. By the way, they do charge service charge but not GST.

DAISY'S DREAM KITHCEN

Block 517 West Coast Road #01-571 SINGAPORE 120517

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)