The Peranakan - DIY Popiah and Mee Siam Buffet Review [Media Invite]
There aren’t many place which serve do-it-yourself (DIY) popiah in Singapore. DIY Nyonya Popiah buffet? Even lesser. DIY Nyonya Popiah buffet AND Peranakan food? This must surely be the only place.
Just off the edge of bustling Orchard, yet still managing to leave the hustling crowd behind in its Claymore Connect location, The Peranakan offers a good place for a cosy family/friends gathering in a space decked out fully Peranakan style.
The buffet is available every weekend from 2.30pm-5.30pm.
What’s the difference between Nyonya Popiah and our usual neighbourhood ones? Priced $28.90 for all-you-can-eat Nyonya Popiah and Mee Siam, the popiah is differentiated by the popiah filling.
Apart from radish, it has:
Apart from radish, it has:
- Pork belly morsels
- Prawns (in small bite-sized pieces)
which lend a distinct sweetness to the filling.
The fun is in making it yourself and customising to your own preference (spam the bean sprouts - as I did, have it without garlic etc) or making it for others with your own flair.
Here’s the how-to: 1) Assemble it by laying the popiah skin out (single is enough, though people use two if they are scared of it breaking), 2) Put the teaspoon of sweet sauce in circular motion, 3) Garlic 4) Lettuce ; 5) Chilli.
My handmade one turned out pretty well since chef gave me tips (don't stuff too much filling and sauce), with prawn and coriander layout provided by chef himself.
Apart from the free flow of DIY Popiahs, you get to have unlimited rounds of mee siam too. Appetising, with its strong sweet-sour flavours and soft vermicelli.
I like popiah and the idea that it's full of vegetables, so I ended up attacking more of it.
The buffet also comes with refillable lemongrass tea.
Outside of the buffet, we also tried the other dishes available on the menu.
Laksa Goreng
If you like your laksa dry, this would play right up your alley. The thick white vermicelli noodles are coated in a fragrant laksa paste flavour, with the smokiness from the rempah and mix of chilli, laksa leaves and bean sprouts clearly evident.
It could perhaps do with just a little more of "lemak" savouriness and spicy oomph, but apart from this, we enjoyed it.
Buah Keluak Fried Rice
We had the luck to try this dish which chef was experimenting with still. The smoky nutty flavours of the Buah Keluak nut, which we usually know in the Nyonya dish Buah Keluak Ayam, is infused into the fried rice here.
I didn't know what to expect, but this whole combination worked very well. Order a portion if you see it on the menu.
This can be shared comfortably by a group of 4 with other dishes.
Apom Bokwa with Pisang Pengat ($12)
This was chewy glutinous rice-flour cakes with a dash of blue pea flower coloring, with a pairing sauce of caramelised banana, palm sugar and dessicated coconut.
Happily, it wasn't too sweet. The plain canvas of the rice-flour cakes accentuated the aroma of the pairing sauce. If you like Nyonya desserts, this is worth the try.
Cendol Melaka ($6.50)
Apparently, the gula melaka used in this is made in-house. The Chef explained that their gula melaka won across those used by other restaurants, in a blind taste test of the sugar. Theirs came across most fragrant. The cendol was irresistable, with the caramelised taste from the fragrant brown palm sugar combining with the creamy light coconut milk in cold shaved ice.
Malacca Milk Tea
I have no idea what is inside this milk tea, but this cup was fantastic. The tea had that extra whiff of tea-tastic aroma (from the blend of tea used?) and the tea-milk ratio was just nice. Not too thick, nor too thin.
Lovely.
Overall, a place to consider if you are looking for the authentic Nyonya meal in a comfortable classy setting. While prices are on the medium-high end, portions here are quite generous, and we did not see any misses with its food.
The Peranakan
442 Orchard Road, Level 2 Claymore Connect, S238879
Opens daily 11am-10pm
My handmade one turned out pretty well since chef gave me tips (don't stuff too much filling and sauce), with prawn and coriander layout provided by chef himself.
Apart from the free flow of DIY Popiahs, you get to have unlimited rounds of mee siam too. Appetising, with its strong sweet-sour flavours and soft vermicelli.
I like popiah and the idea that it's full of vegetables, so I ended up attacking more of it.
The buffet also comes with refillable lemongrass tea.
Outside of the buffet, we also tried the other dishes available on the menu.
Laksa Goreng
If you like your laksa dry, this would play right up your alley. The thick white vermicelli noodles are coated in a fragrant laksa paste flavour, with the smokiness from the rempah and mix of chilli, laksa leaves and bean sprouts clearly evident.
It could perhaps do with just a little more of "lemak" savouriness and spicy oomph, but apart from this, we enjoyed it.
Buah Keluak Fried Rice
We had the luck to try this dish which chef was experimenting with still. The smoky nutty flavours of the Buah Keluak nut, which we usually know in the Nyonya dish Buah Keluak Ayam, is infused into the fried rice here.
I didn't know what to expect, but this whole combination worked very well. Order a portion if you see it on the menu.
This can be shared comfortably by a group of 4 with other dishes.
Apom Bokwa with Pisang Pengat ($12)
This was chewy glutinous rice-flour cakes with a dash of blue pea flower coloring, with a pairing sauce of caramelised banana, palm sugar and dessicated coconut.
Happily, it wasn't too sweet. The plain canvas of the rice-flour cakes accentuated the aroma of the pairing sauce. If you like Nyonya desserts, this is worth the try.
Cendol Melaka ($6.50)
Apparently, the gula melaka used in this is made in-house. The Chef explained that their gula melaka won across those used by other restaurants, in a blind taste test of the sugar. Theirs came across most fragrant. The cendol was irresistable, with the caramelised taste from the fragrant brown palm sugar combining with the creamy light coconut milk in cold shaved ice.
Malacca Milk Tea
I have no idea what is inside this milk tea, but this cup was fantastic. The tea had that extra whiff of tea-tastic aroma (from the blend of tea used?) and the tea-milk ratio was just nice. Not too thick, nor too thin.
Lovely.
Overall, a place to consider if you are looking for the authentic Nyonya meal in a comfortable classy setting. While prices are on the medium-high end, portions here are quite generous, and we did not see any misses with its food.
The Peranakan
442 Orchard Road, Level 2 Claymore Connect, S238879
Opens daily 11am-10pm
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