The connotation of "Nonya Hi-tea" conjures up kebaya-clad bibiks fussing in the kitchen over the lovely peranakan spices and brews from inherited recipes that's been passed down generations. I had high expectations and it was to be a birthday treat for mum too.

I was dissappointed from the onset having done my first round of walk about surveying the spread. There was none of the tradtional nonya dishes of ngo hiang or buah keluar or chap chye. In place of these key nonya dishes were curry chicken, chee cheong fun, fried chicken wings, pan fried yam cake and even indian rojak found its way into the menu.

But there were other more nonya choices like Kueh Pie Tie, laksa, mee siam and of course a selection of nonya kuehs like Ang Ku Kueh, Ondeh-Ondeh and the other kuehs kuehs that I can't pronounce.

Granted that it was hi-tea so perhaps bite size dishes were more appropriate than the full nonya banquet.

Here's the full spread and my verdict on those I tried:

Chee Cheong Fun : Left out too long and edges were hard and dry

Carrot cake : Looks nice and dark but a tad bland and no Oomph

Pan Fried Yam cake : Ho-hum

Fried Chicken wing : Nice, plump and juicy

Curry chicken : Looks quite good tho I didn't get to try it.

Kueh Pie Tie : Pie Tie shells were a little too thick and oily

Mee Siam : Best from the spread. The gravy was power!

Laksa : Not bad altho I maintain there's something missing from it but I can't put my finger on what it is. Mum likes it tho

Otak Otak : Ok lah.."mai hiam buay pai"

Dim sums & indian rojak : Don't waste your time there

Nonya Kuehs : The saving grace! Almost all the kuehs were decently good. My favourite is the Ondeh Ondeh. They had the right consistency that the gula melaka burst in your mouth as you sink your
teeth into it.

Tau suan : I'm a tau suan specialist and very particular
about it. This one pass on sight but not on taste. Too sweet!!!

And for the traditionalist, they've got Movenpick ice cream to top it off.

I don't think the spread and quality of the food was worth my $32++ per head. Should have gone there for the a la carte lunch instead..would have been more satisfying.

I never used to be a porridge person...mainly because I don't like my eggs/fish/nuts salted or buried for centuries. And then I discovered there's a LOT MORE variety to what I've been limited to and the Taiwan Porridge menu at the newly renovated Coffee Lounge@ Goodwood leaves you with nothing but choices choices choices!

The spanking new Coffee Lounge was a great departure from what it used to be. Earthy tones and clean lines added to the grandeur of the hotel gives it a nice comfortable cosy feel to it.

The menu is extensive with the usual western selection and local favourites. Went with a group of my girlfriends and 2 of us couldn't resist the calling of Chye Poh Omelette, Braised Duck and the many other side dishes accommpanying piping hot sweet potato poriddge. While it is an a la caret menu, the porrdige comes free flow.

The rest succumb to temptation of chef's special of fish slice noodle and prawn noodle. Ok ok so we could have gone to some kopi tiam for all that...but then I wouldn't be able to tell you about this place already right???

So for my taiwan porridge selection...we had
Chye Pok Omelette : Not enough Chye Poh so not kiam enough for my tastebud but still fluffly and nicely fried

Braised Duck: This is a MUST try. Duck is quite tender and not too salty/ Quite a generous portion ..enough to feed 3 people.

Mui Choy Pork: One of my all time fav side dish. Not too oily but could use a bit more meat pieces. Either that or my friend secretly took all to herself!

Salted egg and Fish: I'm not a fan of salted egg...all I can say is...the egg is shelled for you. But the salted fish quite power lah...if you like.

For 2 persons, it was about $20 each and we had left over food somemore. So can technically feed 3 persons. Very reasonable I reckon.

And according to my friends who had the slice fish noodle and prawn noodle...POWER also!

And to top it all off, the desserts were heaven. I had the Apple tart with ice cream which is freshly baked upon order. Not your whole apple pie that comes sliced in pieces. This one is REALLY freshly baked. Thinly sliced Granny Smith apple laid nicely in crisp flaky pastry topped with creamy vanilla bean ice cream and 2 soft, very thin and crisp apple slices.

And for durian fans...the Durian crepes is of course a given. I'm not a fan but my friends were so they were happily indulging in very generous portions of the dessert. Creamy (pungent!) durian wrapped in crepes (2 generous rolls) served with strawberry and kiwi. I swear, the smell was so strong that even my apple tart started to taste like durian after a while.

What better way to end a fine evening after enjoying the SCO concert than to head to an heritage hotel for some soul food? This beautiful hotel, built in 1900, is designed after a Rhineland castle for the expatriate German community in Singapore. Graceful, romantic & exquisite in elegance, it evokes a surreal fairytale ambience.

Our guests asked, "What do Singaporeans eat at home?" We brought them here to savour this humble food that never fails to warm our spirit. Coffee Lounge in Goodwood Park offers Taiwan Porridge from 6.30pm to 5.30am. Perfect for getting away from the madding crowd, this is our favourite nocturnal haunt to stay up late, chit-chatting until the wee hours on a Friday or Saturday night.

Such luxury do not come cheap for what most considered to be homecooked food or street food. For a seating of 4, expect to pay around $80. With unlimited servings of plain porridge with an occasional piece of sweet potato, our usual choices are Bean Sprouts w/Salted Fish, Crispy Tambuan Fish, Chye Poh Omelette, Braised Peanuts, Mei Cai, Black Pepper Venison, Szechuan Prawns and many others.

Yes, I can hear people cry foul - you can get the same fare sans the ambience and service at many places along Serangoon Road for one-third of the price. I know that feeling - I too have a hard time paying $5 for a coffee. So what is value to one may not be to another.

If porridge is not your kind of grub, you can opt for their international buffet. Not one for buffets, I'm afraid the honour has got to go to someone else. Breakfast and High Tea are also available.

Int'l Buffet
Weekday : Lunch - $24.80 Dinner - $28.80
Weekend : Lunch - $26.80 Dinner - $30.80