Once upon a time, not so very long ago, my father tried to make a reservation at one of the nonya restaurants on Joo Chiat Road, PeraMakan. My family members (my immediate family, plus my aunt) turned up at the restaurant at the appointed time, only to find that it was closed. What was going on? My father called again the next day and was told that it had shifted across the island, to Keppel Club.
Katong's loss, Pasir Panjang's gain. The restaurant had shifted because its Joo Chiat Road premises was just too small to cater to its growing clientele. And this, mind you, excludes the people who stopped going there because they didn't like seeing ladies in very short skirts standing outside the bars in the vicinity. We went to PeraMakan recently to celebrate my father's birthday. Indeed, the excellence of the meal only served to rub in the fact that our patronage would be restricted to only the occasional meal/ special occasion.
Ah yes, this is a special restaurant indeed as it has slightly different dishes to offer than the normal Peranakan fare. The husband manages the waiters, the wife the kitchen. She was originally from Penang and so there are a few Penang-ish dishes on the menu too. So here are some shots of the Jantung Pisang Kerabu (banana bud salad), their ayam buah keluak with its thick, rich gravy and the apom which was eaten with banana sauce. We actually did order many, many more dishes (beef rendang, otak, and the extremely yummy durian pangab) but I got tired of stopping my eating to take photos. That's just how good this place is. Sedap sedap.
