Simply Peranakan Cuisine

Simply Peranakan Cuisine is a casual restaurant serving Nyonya food, the home cooking of Singapore's Peranakan (Straits Chinese) families. It is on the ground floor of Hotel Chancellor@Orchard on Cavenagh Road, in the Orchard area.

Nyonya cooking blends Chinese, Malay and Indonesian influences. You taste it in the spice pastes, tamarind, chilli and coconut that run through the menu. Most dishes come in a small or medium size for sharing, so it suits groups and families well.

What to order

The restaurant points to a few house favourites. Ayam buah keluak is the classic Peranakan test. It is chicken braised with the black nut of the kepayang tree, which gives a dark, earthy and slightly bitter sauce. Beef rendang is cooked slowly in spices until the sauce is thick and rich. The assam fish head curry is sour and spicy from tamarind, and you can order a half or a whole head.

Other dishes worth a look:

• Itek tim, a peppery duck soup with salted vegetables
• Bakwan kepiting, a clear soup with crab meatballs
• Cereal prawns, or prawns cooked with sambal or assam
• Nyonya chap chye, a braised mixed vegetable dish
• Nyonya seafood fried rice, the spicy house version

For dessert there is chendol, shaved ice with coconut milk, palm sugar and green rice-flour jelly. There is also ubi kayu, a tapioca cake with grated coconut.

The setting

This is a relaxed neighbourhood restaurant, not a formal dining room. It has space for around 100 diners, which makes it a practical pick for family meals and group dinners.

Good to know before you go

• Booking: the restaurant takes table bookings by WhatsApp. Walk-ins are welcome when there is room.
• Meals: it serves lunch and dinner, with a break in the afternoon.
• Pork: some dishes contain pork, such as babi ponteh (pork braised with fermented soybean paste) and bacon fried rice. Ask the staff if you avoid it.
• Spice: many Nyonya dishes use sambal chilli paste. Ask which plates are milder if you prefer less heat.
• Drinks: fresh lime juice, Chinese tea and beer are on the menu.

Nearby

New to this food? Our guide to Peranakan food in Singapore explains the main dishes. Our list of Peranakan restaurants covers other places to try them. For shopping after your meal, head to Orchard Road, or browse more restaurants in Orchard and River Valley.

To see Peranakan shophouses and heritage up close, spend a morning in Katong and Joo Chiat. The latest menu is on the Simply Peranakan Cuisine website.