Restoran Tepak Sireh

If anyone were to ask me what is my favourite Malay dish, my answer is Nasi Ambeng without any hesitation. Traditionally, this authentic Javanese cuisine is served on a dulang (a big serving tray) only at kenduris. Kenduri is a form of thanksgiving to the Almighty for his abundance on happy occasions such as the fulfilment of the 40th day of a newborn, birthdays or weddings.

Banana leaves are used to line this dulang onto which, white or yellow steamed rice for 4-8 persons is placed in the centre. It is then surrounded by Bergedel, Sambal Goreng, Urap, Rendang, Pachri, Ayam Goreng, Sambal Sotong, etc. The end product is one enormous dish meant for sharing in groups of 4-6 (even 8) sitting on the floor around it. Men sit separately from the women, eating with their hands, communal style. I have always find this experience immensely intimate, the joy of sharing this gastronomical delight apparent in all present, enforcing bonding at the highest level.

Tepak Sireh is housed in a historical building, Gedung Kuning that is now preserved for the Malay Heritage Centre. Built more than 150 years ago for the Sultan's Bendahara (Prime Minister), the wooden architecture reminiscent of a bygone era, reeks of royalty, history and pride. It also reminds me of the now defunct Aziza's and Alkaff Mansion. I had the good fortune of attending a wedding at this beautiful restaurant recently. Nasi Ambeng was served to our table of 10. On it was Beef Rendang, Sambal Goreng, Bergedel, Sambal Udang, Serondeng and Kari Ayam on the huge mound of rice. Although not quite the standard that Aziza's was in the 80's, food here is exquisitely authentic and every morsel intoxicating.

Tepak Sireh offers a fantastic buffet spread of about 10 dishes together with rice and dessert. Price is fixed at $13.90 nett for lunch, dinner, weekdays or weekends. No GST, no CESS, no Service Charge - Super Great Value for an excellent experience of the great Malay hospitality.

Due to the Operations Manager's unprofessional and inability in handling our requests he has completely ruined our very special day.
He first confused me with another person with a similar name and was very abrupt and rude on the telephone when I called to confirm my booking dates and menu. When he realised his mistake, on a separate telephone conversation, after detailing our simple requests, he invited us to use their ceremony room with their compliments as long as we do not exceed 30 mins. We also made special requests for food which he said they were happy to oblige at $25 per head which was great.

On the day, after the ceremony concluded, lunch was served. We were extremely let down. The portions were pathertic and some of the plates do not include the full compliments as requested. When I asked for the special item as discussed he said that it is only for $30 per head. Plus we had to pay for the ceremony room because he was not aware we were going to conduct a short protocol (which he has been advised and had agreed) and it was 10 mins shorter then his proposed 30 mins. He said that it would have been fine if there wasn't a CCTV in the ceremony room but got the call from 'OFFICE'.

What could have been a remarkable experience in a beautiful set up and acceptable food has been ruined by the unprofessional, untidy and inability of their Operations Manager who insisted everything will be fine on the day as he has been in the industry for many many years. We could have gone elsewhere but we had limited time and I wanted my husband to experience the Malay culture, which ironically he did.

There are not many places in the world where you can have dinner at the Sultan's palace. This is it. Formerly a run down derelict house, it has been renovated to bring back some of the glory to the area. This Sultan's gate area is part of our history as the Sultan lived there with his entourage.

Reservation: Not crowded at dinner - but watch out for wedding celebrations which crowd you out.

Food / Beverage: Rendang and yellow rice were very tasty, sayur lodir was reasonable and the desserts were so so. Good to bring your touristy friends who love history. The food is good but not memorable.

Ambience: Renovated house, step up to the 2nd floor to enjoy more of history, eating outdoors with your fingers will bring you back to Sultan Iskandar who lived there years ago and sold out to Raffles, Singapore's founder, for a pittance. A group of dancers come in to perform the harvest dance half way through dinner.

Value: Low priced Malay buffet.

Service: Acceptable.