PeraMakan | A Peranakan Lunch


5th October 2013.
PeraMakan was highly recommended by food bloggers like Ho Chiak and ieatishootipost for their Peranakan cuisine. The main restaurant is located near the Reflections by Keppel Bay (the banana shaped structures) at Keppel Club.

After a short walk from Telok Blangah Station on the Circle Line, you will find yourself relaxing the brightly lit dining hall of PeraMakan complete with Peranakan porcelain and tiles. Mu Yao, Calvin and I opted for Peranakan cuisine for his birthday partly due to the kueh that I have drawn which made him crave for some Peranakan cuisine.

PeraMakan - Itek Sio

While PeraMakan may be known for its Rempah Udang, we didn’t have the chance to try it as the snack is only prepared upon request and a minimum of 50 rempah udang is required. Nonetheless, we still went ahead with the birthday lunch at PeraMakan. As it is a birthday, I re-called that Babi Pongteh is not appropriate for such an occasion as it was served during funerals (according to Lim Eng Leong, a Melakan Peranakan). Instead, we had the classic Ayam Buah Keluak and Itek Sio.

PeraMakan - Nonya Chap Chye

For vegetables, we had some Nonya Chap Chye (10.00++ SGD) which is cabbaged stewed with timchok, taukee, dry lilybuds, small black fungus and tanghoon in taucheo gravy. Their chap chye was not bad all. The vegetables were done right, crunchy yet soaked in the flavours of the taucheo gravy.

PeraMakan - Ayam Buah Keluak

Their Ayam Buah Keluak (16.00++ SGD), chicken braised with the black pulp of Buah Keluak, a kind of Indonesian black nu comes with two of the famed black nuts. Additional black nuts require another 1.50 SGD. This signature dish was described as chicken cooked with black nut pulp and spices. It is sourish and very savoury. I don’t think everyone would enjoy it but I thought it was quite delicious. The chicken meat was very tender too.

PeraMakan - Itek Sio

Next, we had the Itek Sio (16.00++ SGD) which is duck braised with the sauce of onions, coriander, pepper and tamarind. It is like the Asian version of Duck a la Orange except this was sweeter, tastier. The duck meat was quite tender as well.

PeraMakan - Chendol

For desserts, we went straight for the Chendol and a special kind of kueh known as Apom Berkuah (or Apom Bok Kwa). PeraMakan’s chendol was made in-house and served with kidney beans, shaved ice, coconut milk and gula melaka. The shaved ice was a little tough but otherwise, it is easily one of the better chendol I had thus far. The ratio of gula melaka and coconut milk was spot-on.

PeraMakan - Apom Berkuah

The star of the day was the Apom Berkuah which is rice flour pancakes made from fermented rice flour and coconut water. It is served with warm banana sauce. This is perhaps the inspiration behind Candlenut Kitchen’s Banana Caramel Pudding. The blue colour on these rice flour pancakes comes from the Bunga Telang, a kind of flower.

PeraMakan - Ayam Buah Keluak

Overall, we enjoyed the food at PeraMakan a lot. The service was a bit casual and family-like which made us feel at home. I look forward to coming back here again.

3 Bukit Chermin Road
Singapore 109923



9 comments:

  1. In what way is apom berkuah the inspiration behind banana caramel pudding?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a guess. Their banana caramel pudding is actually steamed banana cake, gula melaka ice cream and caramelized banana.

      Similarly, the apom berkuah's riceflour pancakes which is light was served with a caramelized banana sauce with uses gula melaka. I think the Banana Caramel Pudding at Candlenut Kitchen is a re-interpretation of it when the sauce was replaced with a combination of caramelized banana and gula melaka ice cream etc. The steam banana cake has a light, chewy texture like the rice-flour pancakes as well.

      If you look at Candlenut Kitchen's Chendol Cream, it is also a re-interpretation of the traditional Chendol.

      Delete
    2. Haha lotsa food can be considered inspirations for one another then. Do you mind saying which talk by whom/organisation? I am interested in having a word with them.

      Delete
    3. I think so. why not? A lot of food are inter-related with each other in a way, influence, inspiration, imitation, coincidence...might be one of them.

      If Apom Berkuah is Peranakan and the food at Candlenut Kitchen is "Inspired Peranakan Cuisine", that was the guess I made.

      The speaker for the Peranakan culture was Lim Eng Liang from Melaka.

      Delete
    4. correction : Lim Eng Leong if you wish to contact him you could send me an email and I will forward it to you.

      Delete
    5. Hi, I hope you are able to get in touch with him. Anyway I have asked Chef Malcolm, he said Apom Berkuah was part of the inspiration for the Banana Caramel Pudding dessert at Candlenut.

      Delete
  2. I didn't know Babi Pongteh is served during funerals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha, I only found that out in a recent talk on Peranakan culture.

      Delete

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