Nyonyas & Gentlemen

Nyonyas & Gentlemen, often shortened to NAG, is a Peranakan fusion restaurant on Level 4 of Village Hotel Katong. It mixes Nyonya home cooking with other Southeast Asian and Western dishes. You can come for the lunch buffet or order from the all-day à la carte menu.

Peranakan cooking grew out of Chinese, Malay and other influences in the Straits settlements. Katong is one of Singapore's best-known Peranakan neighbourhoods, so this is a fitting place to try it. Our guide to Peranakan food explains the main dishes if you are new to them.

The lunch buffet

The buffet is the main draw. Its core mains are Peranakan classics such as beef rendang and ayam buah keluak, chicken cooked with the black keluak nut. Chicken pongteh, braised with fermented soybean paste, and fish with rojak flower sambal also feature. Other dishes rotate, including ayam masak merah, chicken in a spiced tomato sauce, and nyonya chap chye, a stew of mixed vegetables.

There are DIY stations for dishes such as laksa, rojak and kueh pie tee, crisp pastry cups you fill yourself. A salad counter, starters and soups round out the savoury side. For dessert, expect a spread of kueh, the small sweet cakes of the region, plus hot desserts such as bubur cha cha or pulut hitam.

What to order à la carte

Away from the buffet, the menu covers local favourites and Western comfort food. Peranakan choices include nyonya laksa, plus beef rendang and ayam buah keluak served as rice sets with achar, a spicy pickle. The Nyonya Platter for two brings nasi goreng, otah-otah, beef rendang, sambal prawns and more to one table.

Local dishes such as char kway teow, grilled satay and Singapore chicken rice sit next to Hainanese chicken chop, fish and chips, pasta and burgers. To finish, order bubur cha cha, a warm coconut milk dessert with sweet potato and yam. Pulut hitam, a black glutinous rice porridge, is the other local sweet.

The setting

The dining room is fairly large, and the buffet line takes up the main part of it. Towards the back, a quieter corner with booths gets daylight, which suits couples and small groups. Look for it in the hotel part of the building rather than the shops.

Good to know before you go

• Booking: reserve online through the restaurant's website or by phone. The booking form takes large groups.
• Buffet days: the weekday lunch buffet runs from Monday to Thursday, and there is a separate weekend lunch buffet. Check the website for current times.
• Changing spread: buffet dishes rotate and change with the season, so the line-up on your visit may differ.
• Meat-free options: the mini spring rolls are a vegetarian starter, and the buffet has several vegetable dishes. Ask staff about shrimp paste, which is common in Peranakan cooking.
• Getting there: Village Hotel Katong is on Marine Parade Road, about a six-minute walk from Marine Parade MRT station.

Nearby

If you want to stay in the building, see our page on Village Hotel Katong. After lunch, walk off the meal among the colourful Koon Seng Road shophouses. For a different cuisine nearby, try Comida Mexicana or Charr'd Steakhouse.

Our Katong and Joo Chiat guide covers the area in more detail. You can also browse more Peranakan restaurants, compare hotel buffets in Singapore or see all restaurants in Katong and Joo Chiat.