The Peranakan Lengkok Bahru : Nyonya Cusine in the Heartlands

The Peranakan Lengkok Bahru is the new location of the ornate Peranakan restaurant that used to operate at the Claymore Connect, Orchard Hotel. The reopened The Peranakan is much smaller but the decor is still flamboyant. We headed to Redhill to seek out this reopened Nyonya restaurant.

Block 57 Lengkok Bahru

The new Peranakan Lengkok Bahru restaurant lies on the ground floor of a regular HDB block of flats. I believe that the older HDB flats do not have void decks and so the ground floor units are configured as retail and shop units. We could spot the restaurant from afar because of the colourful wall tiles and the clump of lush foliage growing in front of the restaurant entrance. Which is a good idea as it would shield the interference from cars parking outside – either in the form of exhaust fumes or bright headlights.

According to its website, The Peranakan is re-opened at the same row as #s17communitykitchen. It seems they are emerging as a social enterprise in the heart of a community that is dear to them, which is a commendable initiative.

New at Redhill :The Peranakan Singapore

Smaller, but still flamboyant was the thought that came to mind when we entered the new Peranakan restaurant version 2. The original one at The Peranakan at Orchard Hotel was larger and, as befitting its prime District 9 location, was more posh and ostentatiously decorated.

The new Peranakan restaurant at Lengkok Bahru is much more cosy with room for only around 30 pax. But there are flowers hanging from the ceiling, bright artwork, traditional nyonya furniture and parafernalia still present, but on a smaller scale. It is still a very instagram-worthy place.

The Peranakan Lengkok Bahru Menu

The new Peranakan Lengkok Bahru menu is quite modest. The short list of a la carte items covers most of the Peranakan cuisine faves such as ngoh hiang, bakwan kepiting soup, bueh keluak and Nyonya chap chye.

It is also interesting to see a TP Tok Panjang Experience menu at the new LEngkok Bahrun outlet. The extensive ‘chiak tok’ banquet menu that covers most of the items on the menu. It is priced at $108 (or $88 during an opening promo period) per pax.

Peranakan Dinner at Redhill

Fortunately we made a dinner reservation. Who would think of having a Peranakan dinner at an old HDB estate in Redhill on a weekday at 6 pm? Quite a few, it seems. Some diners had to be turned away. In fact a few items on the menu were already sold out by the time we arrived. Here are the items that we ate.

The prawn ngoh hiang (picture above, $15) was far and juicy. Best eaten with the sweet sauce provided. Chap chye (picture below, $12) was not expected to be an exciting dish and that was the case. But it usually provides a safe refuge in a Peranakan meal midst the spicy and pricey dishes and that was its function on that day. A bit of sambal belachan can alter its character a bit.

We had expected the chicken bueh keluak ($22) to be the highlight of our meal but it was not. The chicken pieces and gravy were fine. But some of the bueh keluak nuts seem to have inconsistent tastes. A couple of them had fillings which were rather sour for our taste,

Blue pea coloured rice did not taste much different from the plain white version, but certainly added beauty to the table scape.

Cat and CDC Vouchers

Look out for the resident cat before you sit! 🙂 BTW they accept CDC vouchers as well.

Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs

No Service Charge. No GST. No BYO

The Peranakan Lengkok Bahru
Block 57 Lengkok Bahru, #01-477
Singapore 151057

Tel: +65 80 234 345

Opening Hours: 11.30 am – 9 pm

Website