Media Review: House of Peranakan Petit

Peranakans have always been known to be good culinary chefs. A cuisine that we true blue Singaporeans are familiar with especially after the 小娘惹 (Little Nonya) series on TV.

House of Peranakan Petit is a new addition amidst the modern swanky cafes along Tiong Bahru. Why Petit? This third outlet is only a 30-seater restaurant in a modern Peranakan setting.

Food was served! Yay! I was brimming with so much happiness seeing the delicacies being served. 

We started out with Bob's Pork Bun ($10 for 2 buns) 

Caramelised Braised Belly Pork slow cooked for hours to perfect tenderness then served with steamed white bun together with lettuce and coriander leaves. 

One bite, you could feel the juiciness of the meat oozing out. Definitely the best comfort food after a stressful day. 

A must-have dish, Ngoh Hiang ($12). Juicy, minced pork and prawns, combined with water chestnuts, carrots, turnips and onions, deep fried. Crispy flavourful Ngoh Hiang is best with their sambal chilli. If you are into spicies, sweet sauce is equally good too. 

Otak Otak was created using Chef Bob's secret family recipe, using over 20 ingredients! Instead of using the usual banana leaf to wrap all up and grill, Chef Bob used a ceramic bowl and steam it instead. Indeed a healthier choice. 

Ayam Buah Keluak ($18), a meal is not complete without this dish. 

A dish of braised chicken in a gravy of turmeric, lemongrass and the Buah Keluak (Indonesian Black Nut). 

The rempah (pounded spices) alone is made up of seven ingredients and takes half a day to fry. Nuts to be cleaned and stuffed. The stuffed nuts, chicken and rempah have to be simmered for another half a day until the sauce thickens. 

Chef Bob specially debone the chicken so that it will be easier to eat, so thoughtful of him;-p

 

Sambal Fish ($16) used fresh Selar fish, stuffed with rempah and fried to crispiness.  The chilli would hit you right away once you eat it. I was in love immediately. Wish they will bottle the chilli and sell off the retail soon. 

Babi Assam ($16). House of Peranakan Petit is properly the only Nonya restaurant that serves this rare and unique dish of belly pork flavoured with belimbing (sour fruit), beanpaste and traditional spices. Even Brett McGregor, the inaugural winner of New Zealand MasterChef came to Singapore to learn this dish from Chef Bob. 

Scallop Lemak ($28) A dish available exclusively at the Tiong Bahru outlet. Succulent Japanese Scallops, they were so huge right? Cooked with their specially concocted Lemak Sauce. Simply a match in heaven. Worth every cent of it. 

The meal was definitely incomplete without the finest grade of white rice. 

There is always room for dessert, even after a full meal. 

Durian Chendol ($8.50) Durian ice-cream with Chendol (green jelly) and Gula Melaka drips. Sedaps! 

Pulut Hitam ($4.50) Awesome art done using the coconut milk. Such creativity.

 

Ubi Kayu ($4.00) Tasted a bit like odeh odeh. Skin was tender, not chewy. Fillings were not so sweet. 

Show this page and quote promo code "PETIT BAGUS" to get 10% off dine-in food bill. Not valid on public holidays and eve of public holidays. Valid till 30 April 2015. 

House of Peranakan Petit is located at: 

42 Eng Hoon Street, Singapore 169785

For Reservations:  +65 6222 1719

Opening Hours: (Lunch) 12-3pm;  (Dinner) 6-10pm; Closed on Tues

Facebook: houseofperanakan

Instagram: houseofperanakan

A Nostalgic Morning at The Dispensary Cafe

A lovely Friday, up and excited, looking forward to a scrumptious feast in The Dispensary whilst an overdue catch-up with a girlfriend. 

The Dispensary is a quaint café with a strong traditional interior decoration influence, nestled in the  midst of Tiong Bahru.  Gone were the yester years as a Medical Hall, it is now being restored as a café serving unassuming and healthy Western fare made with the flavour of personal touch.

Ever wonder this is actually a cafe? 

 

   An old medical hall with a modern twist.

Medicine Boxes are the main centrepiece for this café. 

 

The old signboard was restored.

Spotted a traditional Chinese Herbs cutter.

Truly a mix of old and new.

The pot was used by the previous owners for cooking. Now it has become a showpiece in the café.

Wohoo, there is a Gramophone! I love it!

Collections of old kitchenware on display

Coffee tasted even better with these cups

Sewing machine to be used as a side table? What a clever and innovative idea for recycling.

Walls and floors were deliberately done up to create the rustic old feel.

Busy at work

Must try! This was really delicious! I couldn't stop eating.  The Kueh Lapis was made with the owners' secret home recipe. The texture was soft, yet not soggy, and not sweet.

Good old New York Cheesecake. A must-have for cheese lovers. Lots of rich cream cheese with a hint of lemon to accentuate the cheese flavour.

Red Velvet Cake. Silky Smooth Vanilla Cream Cheese with moist Red Velvet. So pretty and yummy.

Chocolate Banana Cake.  Layers of Valrhona chocolate cake interwhined with fresh banana slices and infused chocolate cream cheese. What a heavenly combination.

 

Sea Salt Caramel Cupcake.  I love everything Salted Caramel. A rich butter cake infused with their own concoction of homemade caramel sauce and sea salt crystals.

Chocolate Storm Cupcake. This devilish chocolate cake made from Valrhona cocoa, swathed in luscious chocolate cream cheese and topped with chocolate macaron. Pure sinful indulgence. So glad it was not very sweet and I could  finish all up in a jiffy. Loved the macaron too.

 

Lychee Indulgence Cupcake. With lychee, what could go wrong?  A rich butter cake with cream frosting with the lychee taking centrestage.  Slurps.

 

Egg Benedict. My Must-Order for Breakfast. Loving how the Hollandise sauce blended with the poached egg and meaty bacon.

 

Duck Confit Aglio Olio. The duck meat was sautéed with spices. Meat was very tender and fresh, not at all chewy.

The to-die-for Truffle Fries. Using the freshest ingredients, the fries were so irresistible, we finished all up in 5 mins. There was no such word "fat" in our dictionary.

With the talented Chef Harrison who is the brainchild behind all the pretty and yummicilious pastries.

I loved the steel door when you dragged it to one side to close. Really brought back the times when I was a kid in my grandparents' house.

We had an awesome time reminiscing our childhood days in The Dispensary.  Good food, good company and good ambience. What more could I ask for? Appreciate the kind invitation from the bosses of The Dispensary. There were no pictures taken with the bosses as they were rather "camera shy". One more place in my list of favourite cafes. I will be seen popping by more often for my regular cuppa and dessert fix. Not forgetting the sinful Truffle Fries too! 

Relive the good old days while indulging in the mouth-watering array menu:

69 Tiong Bahru Road
Singapore 168723
Tel: 6536 0225
Fax: 6536 0355
Email: bake@thedispensary.com.sg


Business Hours:
Sunday-Thursday: 9:00am to 9:00pm

Website: http://www.thedispensary.com.sg