For our marriage ceremony anniversary this twelvemonth nosotros decided to utilise to a greater extent than or less of the hotel loyalty points I cause got acquired through the course of written report of my travels for operate (mainly to Hanoi, Saigon together with Bangkok) to cause got a staycation inward a Singapore metropolis hotel. As business office of the celebration nosotros decided to cause got dinner at a Peranakan eating theatre nosotros had previously visited inward January (when to a greater extent than or less friends headed dorsum to Europe).
Peranakan nutrient is unique to South East Asia, good actually to the Malaysian Peninsula together with Singapore together with is an amalgamation of traditional Malay nutrient alongside the nutrient of the eighteenth century Chinese merchantmen together with settlers to the region. The storey goes that an early on trader visited the part to sell his wares, brutal inward honey alongside a beautiful local lady together with decided to stay. In guild to delight him she started to contain the flavours he missed from his Chinese abode into the local dishes she knew how to cook. And so Peranakan or Nonya cuisine was born.
A cardinal part of Peranakan or Nonya cuisine is the fruit or nut from the mangrove growing Keluak tree, institute extensively throughout the South East Asian countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Republic of Guinea together with Singapore. The fruit or nut is highly poisonous when it is harvested from the tree together with contains Hydrogen Cyanide (not a slap-up summation for the human diet) but tin endure made edible through a fermentation procedure involving boiling together with burying inward ash together with banana leaves. It is idea that the procedure makes the cyanide soluble inward H2O together with tin thus endure washed away. I oft wonder how people discovered these processes to convert seeming unsafe items into something that tin endure safely eaten (the other i I actually desire to endeavor is the Japanese fish, fugu), peculiarly equally these processes were developed inward the distant yesteryear without the do goodness of modern scientific practices. In Singapore together with Malaysia the nut is known equally Buah Keluak or the Candlenut (hence the bring upward of the restaurant).
So to our dinner alongside the poisonous nut. Candlenut, located at the Dorsett Residences on New Bridge Road, on the western border of the Central Business District, operates a tasting carte du jour philosophy for dinner at the weekends (a dissimilar concept from when nosotros previously visited) alongside the carte du jour changing subject upon what is available together with fresh when the chef visits the local market. The carte du jour comprises of a pose out of appetisers, principal courses together with a selection of dessert. When nosotros booked the tabular array nosotros were sent the week’s carte du jour together with asked if in that place was anything we’d similar to modify due to dietary requirements / challenges. As I cannot swallow mushrooms nosotros requested beforehand that i of the dishes was substituted for something else.
Here is the carte du jour nosotros were dining to
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The starters (as yous tin see) were Kueh Pie Tee, warm minced pork inward a laksa leaf, chicken satay together with tumbuk prawns alongside starfruit.
Kueh Pie Tee - petty cupcake-like shells filled alongside yummy savoury goodness that come upward inward self-assembly format at Candlenut. The filling was a prawn based sauce alongside ginger that is spooned into the shells together with topped alongside crunchy peanuts. One needs to swallow the trounce speedily equally the crispy base of operations tends to absorb the moist sauce.
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Before (above) together with afterward (below)
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Laksa Leaf Pork Relish – petty parcels of minced pork wrapped inward a laksa leaf. It was similar to a Chinese dish I had many years agone where the pork or chicken was wrapped inward a lettuce leafage but this i had a tangy after-taste of banana chili.
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Chicken Satay – satay is i of our local favourites (in fact nosotros ate a lot over the summertime when nosotros had to a greater extent than or less immature visitors here) together with is served at Candlenut alongside a sudden apple tree together with mint dressing that contrasts excellently alongside the succulent chicken skewer. The apple tree together with mint makes a slap-up modify to the park serving of peanut together with chili sauce.
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Tumbuk Prawns – this minced prawn dish was served on a spell of starfruit together with was the perfect bite-sized morsel. The sudden freshness of the fruit complimenting the savoury deliciousness of the minced prawn.
The principal dishes were together with so served alongside a bowl of gummy Thai-style rice, together with consisted of a rawon soup alongside beef cheek (containing the Candlenut), a vegetable curry dish (our substituted non-mushroom dish), braised pork belly, infant squid together with tiger prawns.
Rawon soup of beef cheek, Buah Keluak together with fried shallots – the nighttime coloring together with texture of the soup is dictated yesteryear the role of the candlenut (rawon refers to a rich gravy created yesteryear grinding the processed nut into a paste) alongside the i time under-used together with instantly trendy beef cheek beingness delicious together with melt inward your oral fissure smooth. Pleased to acre that this dish was splendid together with although it contained a i time poisonous nut nosotros are both nevertheless real much endure together with kicking.
Braised Pork Belly – a wonderful pork dish inward a soy edible bean together with chili gravy, where the pork brutal onto the fork alongside but the correct mixture of flesh together with pork fatty to brand the dish excellent.
Wok Fried Baby Squid, Cherry Tomatoes, Sambal – this was a slap-up together with spicy add-on to the repast that gave a existent chili boot alongside the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. Usually I endeavor to avoid sambal sauce equally it tin oft endure means besides much together with tin over-power the dish it accompanies (a classic representative of this is the BBQ stingray that many hawker stalls serve) but non inward this case. The ease was perfect.
Grilled Tiger Prawns – these were splendid together with I ate them both equally the weblog possessor is non unremarkably i for overt body of body of water nutrient similar prawns inward the shell. The prawns were sugariness together with the kokosnoot sauce complimented perfectly.
For dessert nosotros chose the Buah Keluak Ice Cream (that nut again) which comes consummate alongside popping candy together with the Textures of Coconut, alongside both beingness splendid palate cleansing finishing touches to an splendid meal. Unfortunately nosotros were besides busy eating to cause got whatever photos of these!
Candlenut is an splendid eating theatre alongside slap-up service that aims to go along the Peranakan traditions endure whilst updating the dishes alongside modern twists. It is a slap-up house for an informal dinner alongside tasty nutrient that is tailored towards Singapore residents together with tourists looking for an exotic gustation endangerment alike. Well worth a visit.
For other Peranakan restaurants the reader could also endeavor Blue Ginger, the rendang is great, equally is the achar, inward Tanjong Pagar (take a await at this post for to a greater extent than or less photos of to a greater extent than or less of the delicious nutrient nosotros had on our visit) or Chili Padi, endeavor the popiah, inward Joo Chiat.