I had used Chili Padi Nonya Catering for a recent birthday event and was very satisfied with the service. Delivery was punctual and service staff who set up the buffet was helpful. Quantity: Serving was generous - I catered a 35-person meal for 50 persons, expecting some leftovers from past experiences. Turned out it was more than enough. Quality: Food was yummy - most of my relatives, themselves expert cooks in Nonya cuisines praised the food. Another plus point is that they were thoughtful enough to provide additional packing materials such that my relatives could tabao the food easily back. Clearance of the buffet after the party was no fuss - they arrived on time and carried out their work efficiently without leaving any mess. I would definitely use this catering service again and recommend them to my friends.

Nonya food is getting popular, its a good catering service to try. Love the chilli especially

Yes, the fire was real. And the food? Slightly charred but still delish.

This was the second time I used Chilli Padi (CP) for my pool side party and I must say they’ve always delivered, be it quality or generous portions. I catered for 35 persons and chose:

Kampong fried mee siam

Fried rice with sliver fish

Sambal squid

Nonya Otah,

Ikan Goreng Sambal Tumis

Rendang chicken

Mixed veggies

Bobo cha cha

Before using CP for the second time I had gambled on another caterer, a major nonya culinary provider, but was sorely disappointed with their miserly portions. I ordered exactly for the number of persons on my guest list but the food was not enough (read: ordered for 33 persons but food only enough for 25). Now the value of mien or if you like, ‘mian’, is extremely important in ‘high society’ Nonya circles as we’ve been impeccably taught to believe in the local hit TV series, ‘Little Nonya’. Hence, that caterer was setting me up for a major social faux pas, so much for GLORY. Thankfully, I had my own BBQ meats on standby and that saved the day, and prevented any loss of respect in the eyes of my batik-clad rotund aunties with killer red lips; although, I do wish there were some little aunties like Jeanette Aws and Joan Pehs at my party…

Once bitten, I decided I had better prepare extra food just in case, which I later found to be superfluous because the portions from CP were very generous and the food tasty.

Now on to the fire, CP provided canned paraffin burners to be lighted up and placed under the buffet servers to keep the food warm. These we had to light ourselves and unfortunately, one can had a puncture on the side. When the wax started burning, it liquefied and flowed out of the hole and onto the table, starting a small fire. Thankfully, we were able to put out the fire quite quickly, no small thanks to the fact that we were next to the pool. And serendipitously, the fire had given the food a nice smoky accent.

Next time it might be a good idea to:

1. check the paraffin cans for punctures

2. take up a fire insurance policy

3. situate your party next to a ready source of water e.g. pool, pond but not latrine.

Otherwise, the food was more than satisfactory and the portion, faultless.