It has been more than 8 years since I’ve eaten at this restaurant. Much has changed and I am afraid that I remember too little of the previous meal to actually make a comparison. I wanted to try this again since I was around the vicinity.

The restaurant now offers a set meal for $12.90 per person. The selection of dishes for the set menu was relatively comprehensive. I was not expecting to see Ayam Buah Keluak as one of the options. But when I saw that it was, I jumped at the chance to order from the set meal menu.

The Ayam Buah Keluak was nothing to write home about. This is typically my favorite Peranakan dish but not all restaurants do it well. A lot of work goes into the preparation of these seeds. They are carefully cracked, their flesh removed and then mixed together with a seasoned meat mixture that then goes back into the seeds. Definitely an acquired taste but so worth it when you begin to appreciate it.

My dining companion and I picked also picked the Sotong Asam and Lady’s Fingers (okra). The meal came with white rice, a drink (we picked lime juice) and a dessert (chendol or pulot hitam, we picked the former). We also made an extra order for the ngoh hiang since it was supposed to be a specialty.

The Sotong Asam had a nice lemongrass flavor to it which I very much enjoyed with lots of rice. The Lady’s Fingers were prepared in a simple way but it was a good light contrast to the stronger flavors of the other dishes.

Dessert was a small bowl of chendol that was a good ending – the gula melaka was rich and smoky while the coconut milk was creamy and smooth.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal but I would not rank it with my favorite Peranakan meals.

It has been a while since I’ve posted here. What is new, right? *grin* More than a month ago, I made a big change in my life. I quit my day job. It was a difficult decision but I made it because sometimes you have to follow your heart.

I have several other things on the side that I’m working on but even all those things have been put on the wayside as I made my way home to Singapore. I’ve been here since Chinese New Year and will be staying on for a bit. In the past 12 years, I’ve been home to Singapore every couple of years but those always felt like vacations. They usually fly by too quickly. This time, I have been blessed with a nice long time to spend reconnecting with my motherland. It has been wonderful – the people I love, the sights, the sounds, the experiences and most of all, the flavors!

I would love to share some of that with you here.