Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe 辣椒香

It's been a long time since i went bugis. There were lots of changes. Found this restaurant when i was at the bus stop waiting for bus to meet my bf.

I was attracted by the deco and signboard of the restaurant. Is very colourful and the word "nonya" just catch my attention. I have long want to try nonya food. I pestered my bf to bring me there to try.

We didnt make reservation so queued for quite sometime.
When is my turn, i was very happie. But the moment i want to start taking the food, i got real disappointed.

I can hardly see anymore food left. So i asked my bf should we just leave the place. He told me to just try since we queued for so long.

I dunno how to go about commenting cos i didnt eat much..
Those queh can be easily found anywhere so i find it common.
The soup were diluted and can't taste much..
Chicken.. haiya i only found bone..

Service.. so so..

Try it and u comment.

Was very disappointed by the food and services...

Firstly, not much of variety. Can't find my fav Babi Ponteh, Chendol or Oneh Oneh here.. Even the most common starter, Ar Char, wasn't found in there.

Secondly, food taste below average. Their Nyonya Chap Chai doesn't have enough taste in it and there's only cabbage. In fact, they ain't anywhere authentic. There should be vermicelli and black fungus in it. Sambal Fish isn't spicy enough, in fact, could hardly taste spicyness in it. Cheng Teng was too sweet to be consumed. (I had ask for some iced water to mix the cheng teng)

Thirdly, services was bad to the core. The crews that serve our table wasn't anywhere polite at all. And the napkins on the table are extremely dirt when we seated in for our "reserved table".

I was thinking not even pay for the meal we have... terrible to the core... It was like S$45.50 for pax of 3. With that amount, there's definitely somewhere better.

I don't understand why there's still so many people choose to eat in this restaurant when their services and food are so horrible. Is it because of the "The little Nyonya" drama that makes their business skyrocketed as well? Puzzling and amazed by the crowd.

Maybe having the Hi-tea here would be better. Tea/Coffee are free-flow and there's some kueh to accompany with. If I'm not mistaken, the lunch is at $7.80++.

went on the 1st of march on a Sunday..
It was fully packed.
Pretty difficult to get to the food as the area was really limited.

That would have been fine by me if the food was good but sadly I was really disappointed.

Firstly the food was not replenished fast enough, there was Chwee Kuay but no salted turnip so it was a bit pointless.

Secondly, maybe due to the brisk business everything was watered down.
The mee siam soup was watery and so was the laksa soup the chicken curry, the pork and the fish...

Thirdly, the kuehs, on one hand it is very limited in choice when I went, there was only at most 6 kinds including a walnut cake which I believe is not even part of the nonya cuisine.. I may be mistaken though. The kuehs tasted like those factory bought ones which I use in catering...

Even the tea and coffee and the cold jelly dessert was tasteless... lol...

Maybe they are going form a healthy point of view.. Less salt less sugar less everything.. I wouldn't know...

I went to this place because I saw it on TV.. But a lot of things introduced on TV was not found there..

To be fair.. The Chwee Kueh was nice after they refilled the salted turnip after some time.. It was such a small bowl that I could only take 4 pieces to be shared among 5 family members..

The peanut satay sauce was also nice..

The service was prompt with the water being refilled promptly and plates cleared away promptly...

For 13.88++ It is really not worth it.. For 5 pax I paid around 81 in all.. I would say for that price I rather go to bedok market for satay and stingray...

Still.. You have to try it to know it...

I finally went with EH to the Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe for dinner after hearing from Lily about the place quite sometime ago. The buffet dinner costs $13.80++ although the food was quite limited. However, the service was quite good as the used plates were cleared and water was refilled promptly.

Assam Fish-Nothing special and the gravy is not sour enough and has no assam taste like the authentic nonya dish.

Ayam Buah Kelah-Good as we like the tender chicken and curry gravy although we don’t see any buah kelah.

Broccoli-Nothing special and wondered why this non-nonya dish was served.

Lontong-I enjoy the curry with the thick and fragrant coconut milk, bite-sized rice, egg, cabbage and tau-po.

Laksa-We simply like the laksa gravy ‘cos it is sour and refreshing.

Curry Puff-Average and I quite like the curry and potato fillings.

Pulut Hitam Kaya-Good as we like the perfect match of the soft kaya kueh and glutinous rice.

Rainbow Lapis-Good and colourful.

Green Ku Kueh-We find the colour wierd but enjoy the kueh and the peanut fillings.

Kueh Kosui-We like the perfect match of the soft kueh with the grated coconut! They’re bite sized, easy to eat too.

Red Date Longan Sweet Soup-Quite generous with the ingredients inclusive of red dates, longan, pieces of sea coconut and little pearl balls. We find it a bit too sweet and added some water into our own bowl.

Cooling Jelly-Nothing special.

Overall Rating-A bit overrated and pricy for the limited spread of food.

Jus went for hi tea buffet y'sday, the food variety very limited, soup not hot, not replenish fast enough.

See the food variety already full, no appeitite to eat, sianz...

I had lunch at the Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe just yesterday after gym. So my opinion on this could be slightly skewed in its favour. A hungry person has nearly no sense of quality.

Still, I must say first that the food was not of any bad quality. It was average standard fare. And for the price they charged, pretty worth it.

It was packed when I was there with my girlfriend. There were no seats available and everyone was cramped together at small tables. Thankfully it wasn't to the extent each person's meal was disrupted by another person's buffeting antics. Any more packed and I think that would have been the case. Not sure if it was the lure of a cheap eat or because of the "Little Nonya" drama serial on channel 8.

The place was well lit and decorated with fake wood and cherry blossoms. Quite a cheery place. Nothing sophisticated but not simple either. No negative points there.

Ambience wise, the place was designed and meant for a fair amount of interaction by customers both with the food and amongst themselves. Which there is alot. So, form fits function here. No qualms.

The service is non-existent. Well, nearly. The staff are there to clear your plates pretty quickly enough and to refill the buffet line too. Other than that, nothing else extra. It is a buffet after all I guess.

Foodwise, like I mentioned. It was average fare. The spread was ok. Not large but enough such that if all the items were tried at least once, a full stomach would be ensured. Some might find it lacking in variety though.

I overheard a middle-aged man saying that the spread has not changed for several years. They only added two new items since then. I can't remember if he mentioned 5 or 15 years ago.

The one thing I was really disappointed about was the absence of Ayam Buah Keluak. I was there for lunch so I'm not sure if they have it during the hi-tea and dinner buffets. It did leave me kinda down that I did not get to eat one of the most well-known of all Peranakan dishes. One of my favourites too.

Perhaps they found it a hard sell or too much preparation to be economical.

Other than that, the food is good value for money IMO. Nothing mind blowing fantastic or even smile inducing good. Average is the word I would use. No bad points but no outstanding points either. Is it authentic? I can't really tell. A nonya/baba would be a better judge.

Overall, I would give the place a 5.5 to 6.5. No complaints, no plus points either.

After chancing this buffet option on a Ch 8 variety show, the family and I were tempted...one for the price (never before have we ever heard of a buffet under $10!) and spread...peranakan food! We're no babas nor nonyas but staying in an area that offers plenty of glorious peranakan food justifies this craze. Our first peranakan Hi Tea Buffet that took alot of effort just in terms of booking. No doubt they put up the phone number to make reservations, but calling gets you nowhere because nobody picks up the phone or it's dead all the time...try calling the Chilli Padi restaurant in Joo Chiat up, all you get is a blur response of what's happening in the North Bridge branch. I wonder if they are even related.

I made a trip down personally to book, to cancel it and re-book. All of the two times I was there...throngs of people both inside the shop and outside...the waiters and waitresses were scurrying like bees...no wonder my incessant calls went unanswered. Their booking system is handwritten in a jotter book, with slips of paper sticking out, overlapping appointments and all. In ONE seating, they probably take in 40 people...and all you need is someone to make a bulk booking and that's it.

Never attempt to book a few days in advance if you're eyeing the 3pm time slot...I had to book weeks in advance. All the fuss involved just raised the expectations of this buffet.

We made our way there slightly before 3...and a crowd was already there, preparing to enter the restaurant and raid it of whatever food there is. That's the feeling I got, at least. Once it struck three, in pure Singaporean Kiasu spirit, the crowd moved in...jostling to make sure they got in first! The beginning of all the jostling, near shoving and squeezing I'd say.

Some unaware of how highly sought after this place is had a look of "Oh dear" when they couldn't get seats. Throughout my meal, a crowd was waiting fervently outside, watching all of us stuff ourselves silly..only to be given a seat near 4pm. That's an entire hour of waiting!! By the time we left at 415..some tables were vacant...try your luck at 430 for a walk in table if you don't mine that super duper late lunch or early dinner!

The moment I sat down, people were moving steadily towards the limited buffet area. What happened next...is what I call..."grab and snatch". Grab the bowl/plate or whatever that looks like can store food, make your way to the counter and pile the plate...who cares if there's a dozen other people behind, just pile and pile and pile!

We were just dumbfounded at the behaviour. The diners seem to derive utmost pleasure from getting the last of whatever's left, this lady infront of me "chopchopcurrypok" emptied the salted veggie that goes with chwee kuey right before my very eyes and left with a smirk.

With all the savoury gone before I could lay my hands on...we started with the sweet first!

Our glasses were filled very promptly, without us knowing. No option of drink though. Drinks were refilled thoughtfully throughout.

The spread of food that's limited.

Kueh Pie Tee

They're famous for this, or so I've been told! The shells are crispy and not oily, just bangkwang and their homemade chilli for the filling. Delicious. The Qs for this are long, people just pile up their plates. Dad was rather comical about this, rather than stay and stand so long just filling the shells, why not just take a plate of shells and another of filling to slowly fill to our hearts content at the table? :)

Chwee Kuay

Their chwee kuay is different from all that I've tried, it's got mushroom and shredded chicken filling! The same as the lemper udang. The chilli's a bomb. Very different from the sour-spicy chilli of the Kueh Pie Tee.

Mee Siam

A tasty noodle dish with a dash of chilli, wedge of lime, egg, "jiu cai" and beansprouts. The gravy's good enough.

Laksa

Piping hot laksa gravy atop oodles of noodles, shredded fishcake and parsley. I only had one serving of this..not quite a laksa fan.

According to the laksa fans in the family, it's as good as the east coast ones.

Gado Gado

Beancurd cubes, beansprouts, cucumber slices, rice cakes..doused in peanut sauce. Two plates of this...sedap!

Curry Puff

Definitely frozen and fried but somehow I relished this. On the salty side.

Lemper Udang

Weird that this savoury item is put together with the sweet. Each came in bite-sizes too! Nice portions. Glutinous rice with shredded chicken and mushroom. Yums. Was expecting shrimp paste though.

Pulut Hitam Kaya

A slight hint of durian fragrance, soft kaya and glutinous rice. Perfect match. A first I've even...and I ate enough to make up for it.

Rainbow Lapis

Normal...just really colourful.

Binka Ubi

On the hard side...

Tapioca Squares with grated coconut

I liked it! Pure tapioca goodness.

Kueh Dadar

The skin's thin but the coconut wasn't sweet enough.

Pink Kueh

I found this harder to bite than kueh lopis. Just pretty and pink.

Kueh Lopis

Boiled glutinous rice that's supposed to go with gula melaka. I took it neat, plain tasting and hard to chew.

Kueh Kosui

My favourite!! Soft and sweet smelling! They're so bite sized, easy to eat too.

Tapioca with coconut

I like how the tapioca's "seasoned" in sweet sauce and coconut milk...sweet and not too hard to chew. Kinda "melted in my mouth".

Red date longan sweet soup/"wan tao long" some cooling jelly

Both aren't fabulous.

The food spread isn't wide but I take heart that most of the items are quality food. It's not quite an accurate foray into peranakan food for any first timer, the focus is more on desserts, rather I found myself eating more desserts than mains. In the first place I'm not quite a laksa or mee siam person. However that being said, the desserts are decent! Gives bengawan solo a run for their money. An overload of glutinous rice, tapioca and coconut.

Service...is pretty good too. My drinks were filled and refilled constantly, hardly a lapse. You'll get a friendly looking waitress filling drinks and clearing plates at every slightest opportunity.

For the money you pay, and quality of food...lack of ambience makes sense. The only grouse, the dashing for food which made high tea more hurried than it originally should be. One of my most rushed leisurely hi teas ever!

Over and done with Chilli Padi, I'll probably head over to the Joo Chiat brunch for more solid peranakan dishes...I'm drooling over the otak otak...beef rendang...fish head curry...


http://thefoodchapter.blogspot.com/2008/12/chilli-padi-nonya-cafe-north-bridge.html

Recently, Channel 8 "永遠吃不肥" advertised this particular restaurant on its $7.90 Hi-Tea buffet. For such a price, I thought this place was quite worth trying. Thus, that particular week, my boyfriend and I decided to head down to this cafe which is just opposite Bugis Junction. But to our astonishment, the queue was totally ridiculous and we called off the idea and had Parklane Wanton Mee instead.


We decided to pay a second visit but I was smarter this time. I made a reservation. =p Thank god I did as the restaurant was fully booked for the rest of the week. Damn kua zhang.

We could not make it in time for the hi-tea, thus we had dinner instead. $14.90 nett. However, the food served for lunch, hi-tea and dinner are the same! For the same food, price is different at different timings! They can at least serve a few more dishes at dinner and lunch right? The variety of dishes was so limited. I can just list them out now: Penang laksa, Lontong, Chwee Kueh, Mixed vegetables, a couple of meat dishes,some nonya kuehs, two dessert soups and watermelon. Coffee and tea were free-flow. $15 for just all these? Crap.

The food wasn't as fantastic too. The only dish worth mentioning was their Penang laksa. The kueh pai tee, mee siam and sago dessert mentioned in the show were not served too, though I did saw the kueh pai tee biscuits in some containers tucked at a corner of the restaurant. You must be thinking, since the variety was so limited, you must have had a few rounds of the same stuffs. The answer is "NO!". For big eaters like us, we only tried each dish once, except for the laksa where my boyfriend had two servings. Yet, we were full. Strange. Maybe because they were mainly carbohyrates. Or simply because the food was not to our likings.

However, the service was quite good. They were prompt in refilling our water and clearing our dishes. So efficient that an auntie cleared my dish when I have not even finished my food.

All in all, the buffet is absolutely not worth the price. For $30, I think we could have eaten better food elsewhere. Perhaps it is more worth it for the $7.90 Hi-Tea.

I decided to bring my family to test it out on a Sunday afternnon Hi Tea. I try calling to enquire if there is reservation avaiable but instead of hearing their staff answering, the PHONE FAX MACHINE ANSWERING ME istead and it's numerous time. Thinking that we need to visit the place instead. I was there at 1425hrs and there was two person queueing up so we do the same overhearing that they did not make reservation as the phone got no one answer. As the queue got longer, we are more than certain that we might need to queue. When 1500hrs comes and there came out one of the staff letting people in and when we walked near to the entrance, a staff was smiling all the way and did not say anything. Then she started to tell us that reservation is full. I was quite upset that the staff should have make initiative to come out earlier to inform us that reservation is full instead they just let us wait. I will not recommend this place as they are making us standing out as fool and advertising for them that their food is good by making the long queue for them. In fact, I will not even ever will go to this place anymore. If there is negative sign, I will surely vote their service as -20

They've uped their prices! It's now $7.80+ for high tea. Quite a narrow range of food items - mee siam, gado gado, lontong were the mains, samosa and popiah were the sides, they had a couple of nonya cakes and desserts, longan drink and ice jelly, fruit, and coffee + tea. But for that kind of price, cannot complain.

The mee siam was fabulous! The rest of the items were rather so-so. Heard that menu rotates and Mondays are kueh pie tee days. I'll go on a Monday next time :D

Place was clean but it was strange they played chinese music.