I've always been a fan of PeraMakan, as readers of this blog would be aware (see previous posts
here and
here. We were rather disappointed when it moved to Keppel Club, making regular visits more difficult but still we persisted. It was therefore a good day when we learnt that it was back in the east, in the Santa Grand Hotel on East Coast Road.
Of course, we wasted no time in paying a visit. In fact we went there twice in two weeks, so much did we miss it. So how was the food?
To be honest, it was tasty as ever but somehow it seemed that the cooking was a little rougher and the presentation less pretty than it was in the Keppel Club. But where PeraMakan truly continues to provide something extra is that they cook more unusual dishes which you just can't do at home, or can't get the ingredients easily. Here are two:
Babi Toh Hay - Toh Hay refers to a wine in which tiny little shrimp have been fermented. The pork (babi) is then marinated in the wine, and cooked with lemongrass and other ingredients. It's a tasty dish, something like
har chiong kai (prawn paste chicken) only this is a wet dish and it's pork not chicken.
The other dish was Nangka Masak Lemak. Now many people will know that the nangka is a tropical fruit, a little like a jackfruit. It is large, and there are many seeds inside each covered with succulent goldenflesh. Once you scoop all the seeds out, there is a bed of flesh which the seeds rest on. This flesh can be scooped out and made into a tasty vegetable curry, made from coconut milk and prawns (fresh prawn stock or hae bee).
Plus, many old favourites are here like the
jantung pisang or banana bud salad, their tender rendang, cincalok omelette and many more. So do come down to the restaurant and give it a try. You'll see many a true blue Baba and Nonya here, eating happily and talking noisily.
Update: Sadly, this branch of Peranakan has closed down. But, the Keppel Club branch is still open and the food is as yummy as always. Do go and keep it in business!
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