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2013-07-28
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Last week, I brought my friend to The Patio for lunch as she mentioned that she is 1/8th Peranakan that came from her great-grandma. Being 1/8th peranakan, she has mastered some of her dishes herself and enjoys her great-grandma's cooking. Since rarely I've got a chance to try traditional Nonya dishes, we decided to do lunch over at The Patio and allow my friend to share with me some of the "must-have" nonya favourites!Tucked away along a stretch of shophouses at Greenwood Avenue located along
Tucked away along a stretch of shophouses at Greenwood Avenue located along Bukit Timah, this enclave of cafes, bistros and restaurants thrive mostly on weekday dinner and weekend crowd as it was very quiet on a weekday noon. It was my first time to The Patio and locating it wasn't difficult thanks to the colourful signboard that caught my attention as well as the HUGE "PERANAKAN" banner hung outside. I knew I am in for a mouth-watering, lip-smacking lunch with signature dishes printed on the banner at the entrance.
Warming up our tummies, we had the Itek Tim ($18) recommended by owner, Kelvin. The huge pot of soup served in a claypot kept at a nice constant temperature as we dine. I enjoyed it as the soup wasn't too salty and the mix of salted vegetables and tomatoes were very appetizing. What's more, I was very surprise at the generous portion of duck which bones slipped off from the meat so easily. A lot of effort must have went into brewing this fantastic homely soup. 2 thumbs up!
Something for us to nibble on before the mains were served, my friend wanted me to try the Nonya Ngoh Hiang ($5) which is different from those "crappy low class" ones served at vegetable rice stores. Served with a sticky sweet sauce at the side, I must say this nonya's version of 5 spice minced pork roll is the REAL DEAL which you have to try! THe quality minced pork used was lean, has a nice bite with a hint of 5 spice aroma. Unlike those cheap ones where they stuff flour into it. Oh, the bean curd skin was thin yet managed to keep those mince pork nicely wrapped. I must sneak into the kitchen to steal the recipe from owner-chef, Emily, one of these days! 
Here comes the highlight and soul of nonya cuisine, the Ayam Buah Keluak ($15). The first thing that got my attention was the huge black oval looking things that doesn't look too appetizing. Known as the Buah Keluak, these Indonesian black nuts are notorious and has an acquired taste. Being adventurous, my dining partner taught me how to eat it, by digging out the sticky black stuffs within with a tiny spatula provided and mash it up with white rice and eat it. It tasted nutty, sour and has a slight after taste of bitter pistachio. Not too bad, I thought! The dish was accompanied by stir-fried chicken in assam and chilli paste so it has mild spicy-sour flavour. If you need one 1 meat to go along with your rice, this would be the one!
I'm not too much of a fan of pork belly but this Babi Pongteh ($15) is highly recommended too. Braised with mushroom and potato stew, I thought this will be as oily as the Chinese braised pork belly. To my surprise, it wasn't that bad when I sank my teeth into the tender, succulent pork belly that many out there would die for. The meat retained it's flavour yet embraced the sweetness of the mushroom. I couldn't resist but helped myself to a second slice of these oh-so-heavenly braised pork belly. Mmmmm....Although my dining partner still prefer her great-grandma's cooking, both of us agreed that the food here was good nevertheless. We enjoyed ourselves and the owners, husband and wife team, Kelvin and Emily, came out to chat with us to ask for our feedback on their food. Emily revealed that she is a Peranakan and these are her family recipes as she cooks these for her family at times. The service staff was very proactive as we get our glasses of ice water refilled frequently.
If i'm craving for Peranakan food some other day, I'm definitely heading back for more. Maybe for some Bakwan Kepting Soup, Rempah Udang and Chap Chye.
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