Ok, there's no such word as sedap-ly (aka in malay, totally tasty), but since this restaurant have been raved about on this website, I just somehow had to give it a go. But what better way to put the restaurant to the test than to bring along my dad who's a true blue Peranakan, born and bred with the unadulterated food from the nonya kitchen.

Mr Philip Khoo, the owner of the restaurant warmly welcomed us to his restaurant. Knowing that we're Peranakans, he was quick to quip that the Peranakans are very "cherewet" or fussy about how the food tasted and that food from home is always better than anywhere else. Man with much foresight. To start us on the right track, he threw in the chlli padi and achah, compliment of the establishment.

The food came at break-neck speed, pre-cooked. But that's usually the case for Peranakan food as it requires much preparation.

Ayam buah keluak was delicious and the chicken bits were tender and chewy, but it was the finer things such as the nut was not chunky that caught the attention of the patriach. Philip explained that this was prepared in view of the taste-bud of the general public.

Chap chye was not too bad, though I'd prefer that it would have come with "tau ki" and "black fungus".

Next, Ikan pari masak kuah lada - A dish that Philip said that we should try. The stingray was pretty tender and the kiam chye (Salted vegetable) was a nice addition to its taste.

The other two dishes we ordered were sambal kangkong with its big and fresh prawns, and ngo hiang.

My wife, who's a pure hokkien, enjoyed the food totally. While I, a 21st century Peranakan, felt that the food was pretty tasty but lacking in certain areas, while my dad, oh well, Philip will have to return to tradition to satisfy him. Mind you, I've not brought in my mother yet, who's away on a mission trip.

But overall, it was a good experience. I'm glad that Philip has kept the flag of the Peranakans flying. Totally proud of him and I truly wish him well.

Restaurant's Website: http://www.babaking.com.sg
Aidy P's blog: singapore-trails.blogspot.com

We were commissioned to organise the entertainment for a corporate event recently at the Singapore Expo. I remembered this place there serving good local fare, specifically Peranakan food, and went a hunting for it. Our event was at Hall 8, across the street separatingthe expo building into two. At first, I thought they had moved or something - to cut that part of the story short, they are hidden way deep into the expo facility. Funny thing is the place was actually quite crowded during the lunch hour I was there (12.30 - 1.30) and my colleague and I had to snag a place outside (which was very pleasant and quieter than inside I imagine).
This is a pretty reasonably priced place to eat - we spent about 13 to 15 bucks each for a really heavy meal with just iced water. David had the devil curry set ($16.90) and I had the prawn and egg fuyong set ($12.90) - each came with soup, rice, chap chye (in the states they call it Buddha Delight) and acha (pickles). The manager was very nice to switch one of the veg dishes to sambal beans, so "we could have more variety".
We shared the main courses. The sides were all delicious - particularly the chap chye - very homey. The beef was tender and stewed very differently from rendang - had a tangy spicy flavour which we both found delicious. But the star of the day (for me) had to be the scrambled omelette fuyong dish - it was amazingly fragrant and the combination of juliened carrots, bamboo shoots and some other vegs made this the best egg dish I've ever had in my life! David concurred, but he's fav was the devil curry (actually I didn't even think he could eat beef).
The service staff were prompt and courteous - the manager displayed true ownership of the place, I felt he had alot of intiative and was given alot of discretionary rein - good on them! Even though we were not dressed as well as their other customers, they took great care of us.
I'd have loved to eat there everyday, but things tend to get crazy as the show date got closer, so compromised with subway footlongs for the next four days. Will have to get back here soon!

The shop was not crowded when we arrived. Prior reservation is probably not necessary.

We ordered a Chicken Buah Keluak ($12.90), a Nonya FishOtah ($9.90), a Nonya ChapChye ($5.50), a glass of Lemongrass Lime ($2.80) and a Pulut Hitam ($3.50) for dessert.

All the items were served together. My guess is that the food were cooked in large portion and they just have to heat it up when customers orders.

The Nonya FishOtah was interesting. (Cant find a better word to describe it). Its unlike conventional otah where the meat is all minced up. You find a full piece of dory fish used. Spices were laid onto the fish to give the "otah finish". Personally, I felt that the meat was a little too dry and the spices was not spicy enough.

The chicken buah keluak was another interesting item. For $12.90, you will be given approximately 3 pieces of chicken and 2 buah keluak. The chicken was soft and easy to chew on. We were given ice cream sticks to dig out the stuff from the buah keluak. I was expecting myself to dig out some meat. To my surprise, only creamy stuff came out. I do not know what is buah keluak but I certainly do not like the taste of it.

The nonya chap chye was normal. Nothing extraordinary. But the vegetables certainly tasted sweet.

We ordered a lemongrass drink as dear loves the drink. He never fails to order it whenever we see it on the menu. The drink was not overpowering with the lemongrass smell, unlike those which I have tasted elsewhere. It was light and refreshing.

We were contemplating if we should order dessert and decide to do so in the end. We guessed that we better try now as we will probably not be back again. Without deny, the quality is definitely better than those that we get from hawker center. The grain used is finer. Other than that, there is really not much difference from those sold in hawker center. I think I do just fine with those that cost only a $1.

In sum, portions are on the whole small and I do not disagree that things here are definitely of a certain quality. However, the price is a tad too steep. Without deny, there is a price to pay for quality. But its just too overpriced in my opinion.

I confess I'm just not one of those people who're willing to travel across town for that special Hae Mee or world famous Laksa - especially on a workday (and a hot one at that!) So when our makan crew @ work voted we lunch at Baba King way out in right field at Singapore Expo, I opted out. "I don't care if it's manna from heaven, it's too far!". My resistance was quelled only when I was reminded it was my turn to treat. By the way, it's a 15 min drive from Havelock Road and you need to get out at the Xilin Ave exit along the ECP - after that, follow the signs.
We arrived early and were the first people there. The staff were very accomodating, pulling together 3 tables together so the 11 of us could sit together - Earl, our web designer extrodinaire (he pays me to call him that!) ordered up a round of lemongrass drink while we got down to ordering (have to say, their menu is one of the best I've seen in that it's got big glossy pictures and brief, clear descriptions - in fact I've been eating much of this stuff all my life without knowing much about what's in them - very entertaining). The drink was really good - very "fresh" and refreshing and not overpoweringly lemongrassy, if you know what I mean.
We ordered the typical nyonya dishes like Chicken Buah Keluak, Chap Chai, Assam Fish, Ngo Hiang, Assam prawns and Otak Otak, along with some arguably not-so-Peranakan dishes, namely the black pepper soft shelled crab and Yu Char Kway stuffed with sotong paste. The general verdict was very positive, everybody aknowledging it as one of the best outings to date (and we've done over 100 over the last 2 years)- I'm sure you'll see a couple of them writing about it in their blogs over the next couple of days. My take is the food was generally very high standard - considering the restaurant filled to capacity 15 mins after we ordered - everything came out piping hot, "fresh" and tasty (none of that pre-cooked food warmer type fare I've had in many of the more illustrous Peranakan places). The portions were generous enough for all of us and it didn't cost a bomb. The dishes I'd pick out as really a cut above everything I had here and anywhere else for that matter has to be the Buah Keluak and Soft shell crab. The former is really the authentic stuff, home-cooked in every way with the TLC put in it you'd expect only from your mom or granny. The crab really is manna from heaven - I'll make the trip again anytime just for it...and for a bag of lazy bones like me, it's saying alot.
Basically, I'm really happy we came out here - I think this experience has revived my Peranakan taste buds and put it back on my "staple" radar again. Can't wait to get back here again.

Thursday, 18 September - went with some IBMers to Baba King Nyonya Deli at the Changi Expo for lunch. They swear by this place (I concluded then it was because they're stuck out here in the boonies and anything edible had to be good to them). I was resistant at first cos I'm fussy about food in general and especially so with Peranakan cuisine. This personality flaw exists largely because I'm a 4th or 5th generation Peranakan who eats Buah Keluak and the likes only at home (Mum's home that is). Consequently, while I've dined at nearly all the Nyonya restaurants in S'pore and Malacca, I've never been compelled to visit a single one twice. Since they were buying this round and I wanted to get back to Raffles Place before 3pm, I conceded...afterall, I could always grab a sandwich downstairs if I got hungry later.
We arrived at 12.45pm and surprisingly, we were lucky to snag a table for 4 - they were filled to the gills (damned desperate boonies settlers!). Just as I was thinking this looked more like a Shenton Way crowd than a Changi crowd, a customer (VP from ABN Ambro)and regular Raffles Place makan kaki comes over and ask which wind blew me here (by which I took as in "a Peranakan restaurant")- anyway, he was here with a large party from the bank celebrating something or other. Apparently, they make quite regular trips out here...by taxi, no less.
The guys ordered while I was talking, so I didn't have any say in what we ate...or drank - they even ordered up this "IBM Drink" of lemongrass and lime for me. So here's an unadulterated review of Nyonya food I never thought I'd ever do...
a) Ayam Buah Keluak - came with 4 nuts (I had 3 of them) and 6 or 7 deboned chicken pieces in a thick black aromatic gravy. The required subtle sourness from assam mixed in with the distinct flavour of the nuts was there. The chicken was tender and juicy (defintely allowed to soak in the juices for a few days)and the quality of the nuts were grade A. One of the best renditions of the dish I've had - my Mom's is different in that the gravy is lighter (and reddish) and oilier. The nuts were pure, but apparently they have the version mixed with prawn and meat too.
b) Ikan Otak Otak - by all reckoning, this dish is going to surprise alot of people, Peranakans included - instead of using minced fish mixed in with herbs and spices, they had a whole fillet of Dory slathered under a rather unique paste, which is different from the candlenut and coconut - infused stuff we associate with Otak. The fish also didn't feel or taste like Dory (Sutchie - Vietnamese Catfish). Different different different...but very nice.
c) Chap Chye - I think I should call a spade a spade. This was as good as my Mom's and hers is the toast of our extended family - a must-have at the family's CNY potluck party. The portion was served in a small dish, but heaped.
d) Black pepper soft-shelled crab - now I was absolutely certain this was definitely NOT Peranakan - never has this dish graced the table at any of our family makans - but it was really fantastic. The secret has to lie in the peppercorns they use - flavourful, but without the astringent heat associated with black pepper. The clever use of deep-fried curry leaves added colour to it's otherwise undistinguishable appearance. I can taste it now as I describe it.
e) Ikan Pari Masak Kuah Lada - translated it means (cubed)sting ray stewed in white pepper gravy. Again, very different from what I'm used to - instead of brinjals and lady's fingers, they use kiam chye and (pickled) green chili, resulting in a deeper orange colour (from the usual yellowish) and a more tangy flavour (probably from the chili and salted veg). Really interesting...and grows on you. I aim to give it another go before I conclude whether I like it better than Mom's.
f) The Sambal Belachan is defintely "home-made" - and I mean they must have family or something making the "Belachan" itself. It may not be the hottest I've had, but the balance of lime leaves, chili and that quality belachan is near perfect.
g) The lemongrass (oops, IBM drink) is also worthy of mention - never had it before and it's certainly not the off-putting Thai rendition.
h) We shared 2 bowls each of the Bubur Terigu and Pulot Hitam - I personally know the secret behind preparing these two desserts and I do it quite often for parties. Suffice to say, so do they. I confess I'm a little miffed though (sorry) that it's commercially available here though.
The guys wanted me to meet the owner so they could witness some Baba-to-Baba communication up close, but he was flitting like the proverbal butterfly from table to table, so we only had a quick introduction. Seemed like a good sort of chap.
Bottom line is I've had to "eat crow" twice that day - first with the IBMers who gloated they were only 10 mins walk from Baba King and second with my Banker friend, who's mischievious gleam in the eye spoke a tonne. But it was worth it to discover this unlikely Nyonya restaurant. I'm bringing my Mom (hell, my whole family) here in a week's time. I called this morning and there's a motor show there till tomorrow - don't like crowds.
I also read the reviews on this site only this morning before I decided to write this - well, as they say, better late than never, right?