Chilli Padi Nonya

Family member from Peranakan family, unfortunately it is average taste. The ikan bilis petai and Ngoh Hiang were pretty good. The Ayam Rendang was avarage, but the Hee Peow soup and Sotong Hotim were below avearge. We were disappointed with the desert because the coconut milk was a bit overdue. Probably will not recommend.

alright peranakan in the deep of joo chiat — we came back here after i had a particularly good meal courtesy of the catering arm of this place, and I’m sorry to say that it was a mixed bag of hits and misses, and not quite interesting enough to return for.
we started off with popiah (my favorite local dish) and kueh pie tee, both incorporating the same sweet braised turnip. the filling was certainly tasty (though not the best I’ve had*); between the two, the crispy shell of the pie tee proved the better choice.
the wrap of a popiah is meant to be strong enough to hold its wet filling, but also transluscent in its delicacy — this was too-​thick and too-​doughy (it’s arguable that they meant it to be this way — not quite to my taste).
onward from an uninspiring start, and we got lucky with the otak wrapped in cabbage, rich with coconut milk and a satisfying spiced fish paste filling, as well as the prawns in a tangy tamarind sauce. both went very well with rice.
the curry fish head was disappointing though: the gravy on the watery side, a small handful of vegetables, and a fish head with very little meat. It wasn’t an inexpensive dish neither — definitely not worth it.
the chap chye (braised mixed vegetables) was also pretty mediocre — cooked too soft, with the cabbage nearly melting into nothingness.
thankfully though, we finished on a relative high with the tender-​and-​stringy beef rendang in a rich gravy, and the not-​rubbery squid rings in sambal.
I’m at a loss for further description — which more than anything hints at the ambivalence I feel for the meal. okay if you’ve got a craving, if you’re in the area, and if you don’t want to drive elsewhere — but that’s a lot of ifs.

Food is actually pretty good. Worthy of mention are:
* Babi Ponteh
* Sambal Prawns
* Honey Pork
* Sambal Kangkong
* Bakwan Soup
* Almond Longan dessert
Likely to return to try other yummies.

I have long been searching out the good Peranakan restaurants in Singapore. Its truly the only cuisine indigenous to the island and thus a culinary jewel to be found only in Singapore. Yes, the multiethnic culture means that South Indian, Chinese, and Malay cooking are excellent here but when traveling you should always eat what you can’t get anywhere else. And that is Peranakan in Singapore.
With some research I found Chili Padi Nonya in Katong. The restaurant sits within spitting distance of two other Peranakan, or Nonya, restaurants so I’ll be making this trek a lot. My husband and I arrived around midday on a Sunday so the restaurant was sparsely populated although it did get to about half full throughout the course of our meal. The décor is simple with photographs of 19^th century Peranakan weddings on the walls scattered between all their culinary awards. The tablecloths were all the red pattern of Sing Air girls: interesting choice.
We can’t just have one dish each so we ordered our usual feast of popiah, ayam bua kuluak, beef rending, nonya curry chicken, sambal lady fingers and sambal brinjal. That may seem like a lot but it was all the small portions and we finished everything. Did I mention we were American?
The food came out quickly but we polished off the pickle in no time. I wish I had known to order more. So tasty. The first dish was the popiah which C loved. I have to say the popiah to my mind was terrible. It had very little flavor and was too hot. Next out of the kitchen was the ayam bua kuluak or black nut chicken. I am a huge fan of this dish in general and this version was amazing. I ate all the black nut happily. Both the sambal okra and eggplant were great. Its nice to have vegetables that are perfectly cooked. Lastly we were served the chicken curry and the beef rendang. I am not a fan of the curry but my husband assures me it was awesome. The beef rending, while different from other versions I have tasted, was superb.
This is definitely worth a repeat visit.

Authentic Nyonya cuisine! Prawn Petai and sambal brinjal are really tasty. Love it! The fish head curry isn’t very nice tho, a little too powdery and lack taste.

Situated right in the heart of Baba-​land, stepping into the Joo Chiat Rd Chilli Padi Nonya Café’s interior is like stepping right into their culture.
Feast your eyes on various Nyonya ware and trace the history of the Peranakan history as you run your fingers across the charming porcelain china… and pinch the edge of a hapless Kueh Dadar and sink your teeth into it. The coconut flesh (simmered with palm sugar), underneath the delicate bright green egg crêpe skin, bursts with flavour and you experience a moment of nirvana as the juicy, sweet crunch of the coconut flesh goes just so, so well with the almost plain and soft crêpe skin.
Other must-​go-​fors are their Tapioca Cake and their not-​so-​Nyonya AKKs (Ang Ku Kueh). You could almost picture a sweating Jeanette Aw in Chilli Padi’s kitchen slaving over a hot stove stirring the AKK filling as her draconian step-​mum stares down at her. You may also get Chilli Padi’s fare at the basement of Tangs.