Lynnette's Kitchen Private Dining - Taste Of Refinement In Peranakan Food.

Our private dining adventure continues with Lynnette' Kitchen at her HDB flat in Tiong Bahru area. Lynnette Seah is probably one of the pioneer in the private dining scene before the private dining scene starts booming. She may be better as an internationally acclaimed Singaporean violinist and the recipient of the Cultural Medallion for Music in 2006.

Keropok with Homemade Belachan

Before starting on our meal, we are served some Keropok and Homemade Belachan to snack with.

Bakwan Kepiting Soup 3.8/5

Dinner started with a bowl of Bakwan Kepiting Soup. The meatball is firmer with tougher texture. I would prefer it to be looser. The proportion of the meat and crab ratio has more pork than crab too. On the other hand, I like the bamboo shoot and radish in the soup for a light and refreshing finish.

Crab Beehoon 4.2/5

Catching my attention is the hugemonous Sri Lankan Crab that has been separated from the beehoon after cooking. The crab itself is fresh and sweet but the highlight has to be the bowl of slurping goodness packed with rich flavour of the crustacean. The beehoon is very delicious soaked with the richness.

Assam Pedas Snapper Fillet with Honey Pineapple 4.5/5

My favourite dish is the Assam Pedas Snapper Fillet with Honey Pineapple. Buried under the pool of redness is tender snapper fish fillet and honey pineapple. The clever recipe uses the sweetness of honey pineapple to create the harmony against the hot and fiery chilli. This dish sings for me.

Chap Chye 4.2/5

Another well cooked dish the Chap Chye that comes with cabbage, tofu, black fungus, tang hoon, carrot, lily stems and mushrooms. I appreciated that fact the vegetables still retained a crunch to it, not too soft. Lynnette's version also has a more distinct taste of the fermented beancurd which I enjoyed.

Buah Keluak Prime Pork Ribs Stew 4/5

Instead of the using chicken, Lynnette uses Prime Pork Ribs in her Buah Keluah dish. I am not a big fan of ayam buah keluah as I find the chicken always ended up being dry. Hence the prime pork ribs version is a good chance, with fall of the bone meat.

Beef Rendang 4.5/5

The soul of a good Beef Rendang has to be the rempah and this definitely stole my soul. Unknowingly, I was drenching my rice with the gravy and enjoying the tender beef with my plate of rice.

Sugee Cake with Gula Melaka Cream Cheese Frosting 4.5/5

Even before my visit, I have already heard some much about Lynnette's sugee cake. I understand that if it is not an easy cake to bake. If done wrong, it can be very dry and crumbly. For dessert, I am glad that I get to try her famous Sugee Cake with Gula Melaka Cream Cheese Frosting. It is another smart recipe to pair the sugee cake with the gula melaka cream cheese frosting, which lifted the whole enjoyment of the cake.

Diner at Lynnette's Kitchen is not cheap. It costs $120 per pax. In fact, most of the private dining places I have visited have increased their prices recently too. It now average around $100 per pax to dine at someone's home. Back to Lynnette's food, I find her dishes are more refine than the other peranakan private dining places I have visited, she has fine tuned her recipes until they are perfect. Unlike other places, she also has a wide selection of dishes which you can pick from her website. One difference from other private dining places is the host actually joins us for dinner, while others are busy in the kitchen cooking. But don't get me wrong, she is a great host and we enjoyed the conversation over the food and drink.

Lynnette's Kitchen
Jalan Membina
Website

Empress Porridge @ Fusionpolis Galaxis - 无米粥 (no rice grain) Porridge Steamboat

Empress Porridge was first established in NUH Medical Centre and has since become known for their home cooked flavours with a rotating menu of wholesome dishes. Now setting foot in Fusionpolis Place, Empress Porridge continues to warm your bellies with an expanded menu with two new additions - Porridge Steamboat and Take Home Dinner.

Porridge Steamboat 3.5/5

The Porridge Steamboat ($15) comes with a finely milled porridge base, along with an assortment of protein and vegetables. To achieve the desired grainless texture, the Empress Porridge’s 无米粥 is slow cooked for hours which at the same time draw out the sweetness of the rice.

Portion for two

Minimum 2 pax is required. Each set comes with fresh prawns, sliced fish, white and brown mushrooms, seasonal vegetables, ring ring beancurd roll including your choice of beef/chick/pork meatballs. Additional charges apply to add-on meat and vegetables. The fish slices were quite good, I like the hint of rice wine that came along with it. I do not recommend choosing beef out of the 3 meat options. I had that but I do not like the taste of it at all. Hence, best to go for either the chicken or the meatballs. The meatballs were sweet and juicy, couldn't be any better to go with the velvety porridge.

Mustard Leaves Fried Rice

A thoughtful touch added to this set is the mini bowl of Mustard Leaves Fried Rice that will be served to you to wrap up your meal. This is to make sure that you are really full at the end of this humble feast!

Empress Porridge 3/5

Solo diners can simply go for the Signature Empress Porridge ($4.80) for similar comfort. Signature Empress Porridge is cooked with a mixture of brown and white rice, simmered with dried scallops, cuttlefish, dried shrimp, tender pork collar and braised peanut. Brown rice gave it more bite which I find a lot more satisfying than just using plain white rice. The savoury taste come mainly from the dried scallops and shrimps which elevates the enjoyment of the porridge. However, there might be a need to cut back on the dried shrimps as they can get rather overwhelming after a few bites.

Carrot Cake 3/5

Prawn Paste Chicken 3/5

Other familiar delights includes Carrot Cake ($2.50) and Prawn Paste Chicken ($2.50). Pricing is economical, considering that these are not from your neighbourhood hawker centre or coffeeshop. The radish on the carrot cake is done in-house which flavoured the fluffy egg nicely, just like Cai Pok egg! The 'cake' itself is mediocre but it will satiate your craving nonetheless. The prawn paste chicken was a bit oily but if you like chicken kaarage, this is not too far off.

A quick solution to having homecooked food is their Empress' Take Home Dinner. From $9 onwards, each set comes with 1 bowl of heartwarming soup, slow-cooked daily for up to eight hours, 3 hearty dishes and 1 variation of rice dish. Check out their website for more information on pricing and dishes available.

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.


Empress Porridge
Fusionpolis Galaxis
1 Fusionopolis Place
#01-15
Singapore 138522
Tel: +65 93836788/ 69095228
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: One-North (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 730am - 730pm
Sat: 8am - 1pm
(Closed on Sun & PH)

Direction: 
1) Alight at One-North MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]