After chancing this buffet option on a Ch 8 variety show, the family and I were tempted...one for the price (never before have we ever heard of a buffet under $10!) and spread...peranakan food! We're no babas nor nonyas but staying in an area that offers plenty of glorious peranakan food justifies this craze. Our first peranakan Hi Tea Buffet that took alot of effort just in terms of booking. No doubt they put up the phone number to make reservations, but calling gets you nowhere because nobody picks up the phone or it's dead all the time...try calling the Chilli Padi restaurant in Joo Chiat up, all you get is a blur response of what's happening in the North Bridge branch. I wonder if they are even related.
I made a trip down personally to book, to cancel it and re-book. All of the two times I was there...throngs of people both inside the shop and outside...the waiters and waitresses were scurrying like bees...no wonder my incessant calls went unanswered. Their booking system is handwritten in a jotter book, with slips of paper sticking out, overlapping appointments and all. In ONE seating, they probably take in 40 people...and all you need is someone to make a bulk booking and that's it.
Never attempt to book a few days in advance if you're eyeing the 3pm time slot...I had to book weeks in advance. All the fuss involved just raised the expectations of this buffet.
We made our way there slightly before 3...and a crowd was already there, preparing to enter the restaurant and raid it of whatever food there is. That's the feeling I got, at least. Once it struck three, in pure Singaporean Kiasu spirit, the crowd moved in...jostling to make sure they got in first! The beginning of all the jostling, near shoving and squeezing I'd say.
Some unaware of how highly sought after this place is had a look of "Oh dear" when they couldn't get seats. Throughout my meal, a crowd was waiting fervently outside, watching all of us stuff ourselves silly..only to be given a seat near 4pm. That's an entire hour of waiting!! By the time we left at 415..some tables were vacant...try your luck at 430 for a walk in table if you don't mine that super duper late lunch or early dinner!
The restaurant fully booked with hungry diners.
The moment I sat down, people were moving steadily towards the limited buffet area. What happened next...is what I call..."grab and snatch". Grab the bowl/plate or whatever that looks like can store food, make your way to the counter and pile the plate...who cares if there's a dozen other people behind, just pile and pile and pile!
We were just dumbfounded at the behaviour. The diners seem to derive utmost pleasure from getting the last of whatever's left, this lady infront of me "chopchopcurrypok" emptied the salted veggie that goes with chwee kuey right before my very eyes and left with a smirk.
With all the savoury gone before I could lay my hands on...we started with the sweet first!
Our glasses were filled very promptly, without us knowing. No option of drink though. Drinks were refilled thoughtfully throughout.
On plate (L-R, anticlockwise), Binka Ubi, Tapioca with coconut sauce, pulut hitam with kaya, rainbow lapis.
On plate (L-R, anticlockwise); Kueh Kosui, Kueh Lopis, Kueh Dadar, some pink kueh, Lemper Udang
Laksa
Curry puffs
More kuehs...marble cake, lemper udang, kueh dadar, tapioca with grated coconut...binka ubi. Inside the lemper udang!
Gado Gado
Mee Siam
Chwee Kway
Kueh Pie Tee
Red date longan sweet soup, "wan tao long" some cooling jelly
Notice on the walls that I think hardly anyone heeded to.
The spread of food that's limited.
Kueh Pie Tee
They're famous for this, or so I've been told! The shells are crispy and not oily, just bangkwang and their homemade chilli for the filling. Delicious. The Qs for this are long, people just pile up their plates. Dad was rather comical about this, rather than stay and stand so long just filling the shells, why not just take a plate of shells and another of filling to slowly fill to our hearts content at the table? :)
Chwee Kuay
Their chwee kuay is different from all that I've tried, it's got mushroom and shredded chicken filling! The same as the lemper udang. The chilli's a bomb. Very different from the sour-spicy chilli of the Kueh Pie Tee.
Mee Siam
A tasty noodle dish with a dash of chilli, wedge of lime, egg, "jiu cai" and beansprouts. The gravy's good enough.
Laksa
Piping hot laksa gravy atop oodles of noodles, shredded fishcake and parsley. I only had one serving of this..not quite a laksa fan.
According to the laksa fans in the family, it's as good as the east coast ones.
Gado Gado
Beancurd cubes, beansprouts, cucumber slices, rice cakes..doused in peanut sauce. Two plates of this...sedap!
Curry Puff
Definitely frozen and fried but somehow I relished this. On the salty side.
Dessert corner!
Lemper Udang
Weird that this savoury item is put together with the sweet. Each came in bite-sizes too! Nice portions. Glutinous rice with shredded chicken and mushroom. Yums. Was expecting shrimp paste though.
Pulut Hitam Kaya
A slight hint of durian fragrance, soft kaya and glutinous rice. Perfect match. A first I've even...and I ate enough to make up for it.
Rainbow Lapis
Normal...just really colourful.
Binka Ubi
On the hard side...
Tapioca Squares with grated coconut
I liked it! Pure tapioca goodness.
Kueh Dadar
The skin's thin but the coconut wasn't sweet enough.
Pink Kueh
I found this harder to bite than kueh lopis. Just pretty and pink.
Kueh Lopis
Boiled glutinous rice that's supposed to go with gula melaka. I took it neat, plain tasting and hard to chew.
Kueh Kosui
My favourite!! Soft and sweet smelling! They're so bite sized, easy to eat too.
Tapioca with coconut
I like how the tapioca's "seasoned" in sweet sauce and coconut milk...sweet and not too hard to chew. Kinda "melted in my mouth".
Red date longan sweet soup/"wan tao long" some cooling jelly
Both aren't fabulous.
The food spread isn't wide but I take heart that most of the items are quality food. It's not quite an accurate foray into peranakan food for any first timer, the focus is more on desserts, rather I found myself eating more desserts than mains. In the first place I'm not quite a laksa or mee siam person. However that being said, the desserts are decent! Gives bengawan solo a run for their money. An overload of glutinous rice, tapioca and coconut.
Service...is pretty good too. My drinks were filled and refilled constantly, hardly a lapse. You'll get a friendly looking waitress filling drinks and clearing plates at every slightest opportunity.
For the money you pay, and quality of food...lack of ambience makes sense. The only grouse, the dashing for food which made high tea more hurried than it originally should be. One of my most rushed leisurely hi teas ever!
Over and done with Chilli Padi, I'll probably head over to the Joo Chiat brunch for more solid peranakan dishes...I'm drooling over the otak otak...beef rendang...fish head curry...
Lunch/Dinner (Daily) : 11 am - 230pm/ 6 - 10pm, $13.80 +
Hi Tea (Daily): 3 - 530pm, $7.80 + (Add a dollar for public holidays)
Don't bother calling to book, they really don't pick up the phone!
Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe
Opp Bugis
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