Chilli Padi Nonya Café @ Heng Mui Keng Terrace - Reopened With A Refreshed A La Carte Buffet Concept

Known for its ‘All You Can Eat’ Peranakan buffet, Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe at Heng Mui Keng Terrace now presents a new and refreshed Peranakan a la carte buffet concept. On the menu, you will find the quintessential Peranakan dishes, ranging from appetisers and soups to meat and vegetable curries, seafood options, as well as sweet treats and kuehs. Choosing from over 18 options on the menu, with all being served on the first round if you wish, and subsequently, have all your favourites replenished till your satisfaction.

Before the feast began, we were served with a selection of classic Peranakan starters to kickstart our appetite. The Nonya Fruit Rojak of diced fruits was saltish and piquant with calamansi and prawn paste dressing, and the Bibik Achar was even more so, which I couldn't resist ordering a few more servings after which to accompany the more highly flavoured dishes.

Another signature of theirs is DIY Kueh Pai Ti, which I genuinely enjoy filling each crisp golden shells to the brim with their well-braised turnip flavourful with dried shrimp, then topped it off with a hard-boiled egg. Spice it up with tangy cilicuka served at the side for a punch of flavour.

Light bites also include Otah Mantou. I like how the sweetness and the fragrance of the Pandan flavoured buns balances spicy fish cake, but the portion of the fishcake can be a lot bigger.

Moving on to the Mains, the Bakwan Kepiting is one of the star dishes. The pork and crab meatballs were soft and succulent, and the soup itself was comforting with light seasoning.

The piping hot Fried Shrimp Paste Chicken Wings are to dive right in without hesitation for it would have been a waste when they lose their crispiness and moisture sitting out in the cold. Their pungency is on point too.

Ayam Buah Keluak

Beef Rendang

The Meaty Mains feature Beef Rendang that is cooked with chunks of beef shank in a thick curry. It was decent but lacked robustness that I was seeking for. The Ayam Buah Keluak fares much better with tender chicken meats and rich buah keluak (black nut) gravy.

Babi Ponteh

The Babi Ponteh comes with huge slices of pork belly braised in fermented soybean paste gravy. I find the meat a tad tough in some parts, but they were still quite delightful with well-braised mushrooms and potatoes that had soaked in the umami flavours of the gravy.

Braised Nonya Chap Chye

Green Vegetable Masak Lemak Keledek

For Vegetable options, both the Braised Nonya Chap Chye and Green Vegetable Masak Lemak Keledek didn't disappoint, especially the latter. Fresh spinach stewed till soft in a robust but light coconut curry, punchy with dried shrimps.

There is also a Seafood item - Ikan Goreng Chilli Garam. The batter was thin and very lightly seasoned, allowing the spicy and tangy chilli garam to shine in this dish.

At the end of the meal, we were served a 2-tier assortment of desserts. There is a tier of Nonya kuehs, and another with Chilled Lemon Grass Jelly with Aloe Vera and Soya Beancurd with Gula Melaka that refreshes the palate, and a very warm and comforting Pulut Hitam.

Weekdays
Lunch & Friday Dinner $22.80
Weekend & Public Holidays
Lunch & Dinner $26.80
Weekend High-Tea $19.80

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Chilli Padi Nonya Café
29 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Block E #06-21
Singapore 119620
Tel: +65 68722982
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Website
Nearest MRT: Haw Par Villa (CC Line)

Opening Hours
Mon-Thu: 1130am – 3pm
Fri: 1130am – 3pm, 6 – 930pm
Sat-Sun/PH: 1130am – 230pm, 3 – 515pm, 6 – 930pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Haw Par Villa MRT station. Take Exit A. Cross the road. Walk to bus stop opposite Haw Par Villa MRT station (Stop ID 16011). Take bus number 10, 30, 51, 143, 188 or 200. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to traffic junction of Pasir Panjang Road and Science Park Road. Cross the road and walk towards Capricom building. Continue on Science Park Road. Turn left onto Heng Mui Keng Terrace. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Avenue 87 @ Amoy Street - Two Gifted Young Singapore Chefs, Retold Their Friendship On A Plate of Flavours

The ever-changing dining scene at Amoy Street sees another new kid on the block. Avenue 87 is a new modern Asian restaurant opened by 2 Singaporean chefs, Glen Tay and Alex Phan. Both of them are childhood friends born in 1987 and grown up in Hougang Avenue 8 and 7, respectively. Hence it is not hard to guess why the restaurant is named as Avenue 87.

Chicken Chips 4/5

I have the 6-course menu that is priced at $98++. Diner can also opt for wine pairing at $50++ for 3 glasses or $80++ for 5 glasses.

Kueh Pie Tee 4/5

We started with two Snack items before moving to our first course. First up is the crispy Chicken Chips that is deep-fried and topped with sour cream and mizuna cress. The other is Kueh Pie Tee which is a meatless take on assam pedas. In the crispy kueh pie tee cup, one can find aerated assam pedas, eggplant, lady's fingers, cherry tomato, and curry leaves. It is inspired by their favourite curry fish head dish.

Salmon 4/5

The first course is a Salmon dish. There are many components on the plate such as diced crystal pear, sour cream, ponzu-pickled wakame, soy wasabi granita and Vietnamese rice paper crackers beside the fresh Norwegian salmon sashimi. They are many flavours and textures at play which works harmoniously together.

AHK Seabass 4.8/5

Next is the fish soup, AHK Seabass using locally sourced seabass from Ah Hua Kelong. In the delicious bowl of fish soup, there are compressed bitter gourd, semi-dried cherry tomato, deep-fried egg floss, and anchovy buttermilk sauce. This is very close to my heart as I love our hawker's fish soup. To elevate the whole profile, the chefs innovate using dried anchovies in place of dried sole fish.

Octopus 4.5/5

Love the Asian take to the classic Spanish grilled Octopus. Inspired by the hawker sambal stingray and squid, the octopus leg is grilled, and served with housemade sambal, stir-fried market greens and crowned with a confit egg yolk. I was initial concern that foreigners may not be receptive to the spiciness, but I noticed the customers a table away were enjoying the sambal octopus.

Baby Lamb Rack 4/5

Moving to the 4th course, we have the Baby Lamb Rack marinated Vietnamese-style, served with grilled Thai eggplant and locally sourced stingless bee honey sauce. The chef draws inspiration from his Vietnam holidays, particular the skewered meats marinated in local aromatics and sauces. The lamb was cooked to an enjoyable fork tender. My friend, who usually doesn't eat lamb, didn't find it gamy at all. 

Diner will have a choice of side dish to go along with their main. During my visit, I have the choice of either Egg Fried Rice or Garlic Potato Mash.

For pre-dessert, we have Greek Yoghurt Mousse with house-made granola, cubed red dragon fruit, 8-spice honey.

Coconut 4.2/5

For dessert, we have Coconut and Pisang No Goreng. The Coconut is a light and refreshing dessert in which the coconut ice cream is served with pound cake crumble, papaya and caramelised pineapple. For the Pisang No Goreng, it is actually fried coconut custard with salted gula melaka and banana ice cream.

Pisang No Goreng 4/5

I think Avenue 87 has a lot of potential with their Modern Asian cuisine. Both the Alex and Glen have bags of experience working for different established restaurants, especially Glen, who last worked at 3-Michelin-starred Ultraviolet in Shanghai. The last they worked together was at Tipping Club. They are back together once again to bring us more exciting gastronomic experience from the individual journeys after Tipping Club.

Avenue 87
47 Amoy Street
Singapore 069873
Tel: +65 98388401/ 69705491
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sat 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 10pm
(Closed on Tue, Sun and PH)

Direction:
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Amoy Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Walk down Telok Ayer Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

The Matriarchs Kitchen X Buttercup Mixes Private Dining @ Bartley Road - Private Dining With Cocktails/Mocktails Pairing

The booming private dining scene in Singapore came to a standstill when the COVID-19 pandemic hits Singapore. While the pandemic is not over yet, the government has relaxed the COVID measures, allowing some form of business to restart. With the relaxation, I have noticed some private dining places have started taking reservation in smaller session accordingly to the COVID measures put in place by the government.

We visited The Matriarchs Kitchen, which is new to the private dining scene. Jazmyn is an amazing cook who is well-versed in many cuisines, partly due to her rich family roots. Hence there is not really a fixed menu but different cuisine theme for each session. In fact, Jazmyn has done private dining eight years ago but took a 3 years break. Now she is back collaborating with Melissa from Buttercup Mixes, the resident mixologist pairing the meal with cocktails. Mocktails are available too.

We started with Kueh Pai Tee to kick start the dinner. The host has made some for us, and if you want more, you can make them yourself too, having some hands-on fun piecing the snack together.

Next is a refreshing Fruit Salad paired with homemade rojak sauce. I have not been an attentive listener during the meal as I was enjoying the food more than paying attention to the host explaining the ingredients that go into the rojak sauce. If I am not wrong, plum sauce is added to balance the saltiness of the prawn paste, complementing the sweetness of the fruit.

There are also some mid-wings for us to nibble before moving to dinner proper.

The dish that wows me most is an assuming soup dish which I have never come across before. This is the first time I have Mee Soto Soup paired with Begedil. Unlike the begedil we get outside, which only consists of potato, the version here is a mixture of potato and mutton.

Next, we have the Beef Rendang and Sambal Chilli Eggplant that are cooked with rempah and sambal homemade by Jazmyn. The host indeed makes an impression with the aromatic rempah and sambal.

Our main is the Udon Laksa that comes with prawn, squid and quail egg. The laksa broth is thick and creamy, pack with flavours. It is quite interesting in the choice of noodle, using the Japanese udon instead of the usual thick beehoon noodle. The similarity is like having a bowl of Japanese curry udon with a local twist. We felt the laksa can be spicier too.

Wrapping up our dinner, our dessert is Yam Paste. Jazmyn's version is healthier without the use of lard or shallot oil. It is lighter in taste and smoother in texture. We thought the addition of a contrasting texture will make the dessert more enjoyable.


The Matriarchs Kitchen X Buttercup Mixes
Bartley Road
Instagram
Reservation

Tea Lounge @ Regent Singapore - Launches Newest English Garden Afternoon Tea

Tea Lounge at Regent Singapore has just launched an evergreen English Garden Afternoon Tea theme, where guests get to enjoy a quintessential Afternoon Tea in a contemporary colonial garden setting with classic British desserts. On weekdays, guests get to savour a quintessential three-tier afternoon tea. In contrast, on weekends, the high tea buffet serves up an extravagant spread of premium caviars, a carving station, with additional carveries of wood oven-roasted wagyu beef rump, Yorkshire Pudding and Forest Mushroom Jus, and more.

Tea Lounge goes back to the most quintessential of English customs - offering a selection of dainty sandwiches and delicate scones, as well as a variety of Gryphon tea blends to choose from. From robust, strong blacks of Assam to delicately scented Lychee Rose and herbal tisanes, there is no lack of choice for selecting just the right infusion. We opted for the Lychee Rose Tea, which had a subtle sweet lychee fragrance to it.

The Regent’s Signature Scones are slightly denser, with a nice crunchy crust around and a moist, crumbly centre. Served with Devonshire clotted cream, house-made berry preserves and luscious lemon curd. Various counters are generously stocked with a selection of dainty sandwiches such as Black Truffle, Organic Egg Mayonnaise and Cucumber, Mini Sausage Puff, Baby Spinach Quiche, and vibrant toss-ups of Chicken, Blue Potato and Green Peas with English Mustard.

Tea Lounge also offers up locally-inspired dishes such as the Fried Carrot cake, Cheng Teng, Herbal Chicken, Chicken Satay with peanut sauce, Chilli Crab Mantou, and Kueh Pie Tee.

The Chilli Crab Mantou was nicely executed with its fluffy buns and slightly pan-fried on the outside. The chilli crab sauce leans towards the spicier side, but I felt it lacked the robustness from the crab flavour.

We had the roasted wagyu beef rump, which was extremely succulent and tender on the inside, and spot a slightly charred exterior.

Not to be missed is their Crispy Chicken with sweet chilli sauce. The meat is cooked to fork-tender superb with a crispy exterior. Complete with a dip of sweet chilli sauce to elevate the whole enjoyment.

When you finally make it to the dessert station, get ready for a delightful selection of desserts. Among the spread, there are Triple Chocolate Fudge, Carrot Cake, Banoffee, Eton Mess, Victoria Sponge Cake, Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake, Rose apple Profiteroles, Fragrant Yuzu Fosset and more.

The ice cream waffles combination never goes wrong, as we enjoy the crispy fluffy waffles paired with the fragrant creamy lychee ice cream.

Afternoon Tea
$68 per adult | $34 per child
Additional $10 | $40 for a glass or free-flow Prosecco
Additional $15 | $60 for a glass or free-flow Champagne

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Tea Lounge
Regent Hotel Singapore
Lobby Level
1 Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 67253246
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 5pm
Sat-Sun: 12pm - 230pm (1st seating), 3pm - 530pm (2nd seating)

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Walk further down to Orchard Parade Hotel. Turn left onto Tanglin Road. Continue walking down Tanglin Road. Turn left onto Tomlinson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

Makko Teck Neo @ Telok Blangah Rise - Hidden Peranakan Gem In A Quiet Neighbourhood

Not known to many, hidden in the quiet neighbourhood of Telok Blangah Rise is Makko Teck Neo, a Nyonya restaurant specialising in traditional Peranakan cuisines and kueh kuehs. It all started with Auntie Teck Neo baking and selling its signature pineapple tarts and cookies every Chinese New Year to relatives and friends. As the business grew, Auntie Teck Neo moved into the current restaurant in 2008 and started Makko Tech Neo.

Nyonya Kueh Pie Tee 4/5

Ngoh Hiang 4.5/5

Our lunch started with some light bites. We have the Nyonya Kueh Pie Tee ($9.90) and Ngoh Hiang ($11.90). The Nyonya Kueh Pie Tee filled with flavourful turnip stew, topped with a thinly sliced prawn is must enjoy with a dollop of the chilli sauce. The Ngoh Hiang ($11.90) is quite unique with the addition of chives and carrot for a delightful crunch on top of deep-fried crispy beancurd skin. I am not sure whether this is authentic Nyonya ngoh hiang recipe, but it sure is good.

Tauhu Goreng 4/5

Next, we had is the Tauhu Goreng ($6.80). The deep-fried tofu is piled with shredded cucumber, beansprout and lots of the nutty peanut sauce. Each mouthful comes with an abundance of textures at play.

Rempah Ayam Goreng 4.2/5

Chap Chye 4/5

For a chance, we decided not to order the Ayam Buah Keluah but gone for the Rempah Ayam Goreng ($11.90) instead. The tender grilled chicken thigh has a beautiful rempah rub that elevated the taste profile. Not to forget the chilli sauce for that shiok finishing.

Pork Rib Pongteh 3.8/5

Beef Rendang 4.2/5

For the daily special on Sunday, we went for the Pork Rib Pongteh ($12.90) and Beef Rendang ($14.90). The Pork Rib Pongeh while cooked to tender and infused with the robust fermented beancurd flavour, it lacked finishing tang which I was seeking. The Beef Rendang, on the other hand, left an impression with the lunch group. It is fork-tender and spicy, packing a punch. Best to order a plate of plain basmati rice to go with the shiok gravy.

Dry Mee Siam 4.2/5

A house special at Makko Teck Neo is the Dry Mee Siam ($5.80). It comes with big puffy tau pok that is soaked with the mee siam gravy. While it is dry mee siam, it is not dry at all. It comes with a scoop of rich, sweet and tangy gravy. Best to give it a good toss to coat each strand of the vermicelli, to enjoy the slurping goodness. I personally crave for more of the mee siam gravy.

Makko Teck Neo is definitely a hidden gem located in a sleepy old neighbourhood. I am great to discover yet another good Nyonya restaurant, especially that it is near my place.


Makko Teck Neo
Blk 35 Telok Blangah Rise
#01-303
Singapore 090035
Tel: +65 62751330
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 730am - 9pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Harbourfront MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Harbourfront MRT station (Stop ID 14129). Take bus number 65, 123M or 855. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]