While the recipes remain traditional, his menu does contain some contemporary aspects, which come in the form of a Degustation Menu and High Tea Set. Essentially, both menus allow you to sample small portions of the wide array of signature Peranakan dishes available at his restaurant. The Degustation Menu focuses on the savoury items while the High Tea Set includes a mix of both sweet and savoury foods. I reckon these menus will appeal to Non-Peranakans who are curious about the cuisine, since you can taste many different Peranakan dishes in one sitting without spending a bomb!

The Peranakan High Tea Set is worth checking out, especially If you are tired of the usual English High Tea fare or High Tea Buffets where you have to self-serve. Here, you will get a unique high tea experience; in terms of the type of cuisine and presentation. The best part is that whilst the price is reasonable enough for a casual date, the food quality, quantity and ambiance are good enough for special occasions or for entertaining foreign guests. (Update: High Tea prices have gone up a notch, from S$24/S$28++ to S$30/S$35++ per pax so it may not be as suitable for a casual date anymore.)

Items in the set are subjected to changes but you can always expect a grand feast consisting of over ten Peranakan dishes served on a huge straw plate wrapped in embroidered fabric. And despite this being called a high tea, the amount of food is sufficient to be lunch. Exquisitely done, the food are generally tasty though more suitable for the light to medium palates who likes delicate flavours with minimal salt and sugar. Consequently, the best way to enjoy the High Tea Set is to take it slow (about 2 hours) so that you can leisurely savour and appreciate the nuances of each dish. Particularly, I would advise you to pause and relish their Nasi Ulam Istimewa. Being a laborious dish to prepare, you won’t often spot it on other Peranakan menus; spotting a Snorlax in the game Pokemon Go is probably easier!

Nasi Ulam Istimewa at The Peranakan is a dish of room temperature rice mixed with finely julienned (cut into thin strips) raw herbs, long beans, minced fish and salted fish in homemade rempah (spice paste). According to the Chef who served me the High Tea Platter, room temperature rice must be used because warm rice will cook the herbs, turning them brown and bitter, which will work against the dish. While I generally dislike any mains that are not warm, the combination of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, rojak flower and laksa leaves probably worked the right magic on this dish, making it one of the few cold mains that I enjoy.

Another main that I enjoyed is their Mee Siam, which is heavier on the spicy and sour flavours and lighter on the sweet and salty ones. The taste of fermented soya bean paste is also noticeably lower than many other versions I have tried. It is not for everyone though as Mr Good found it too sour for his liking.

For desserts, my favourites are Kueh Salat and Kueh Ko Swee, both of which should be enjoyed in small bites. What I like about their Kueh Salat is the very soft, smooth and fragrant coconut pandan custard that is richly flavoured but not overly sweetened. On the other hand, Kueh Ko Swee impressed me with its texture, which is soft yet bouncy. Paired with lots of moist and fresh grated coconut, it makes a very delightful dessert.

Other than their Nyonya steamed cakes, the durian desserts here are very appealing too. And the reason is simple- all their durian desserts are served with durian puree that is made from pure durian flesh without any sugar added! Though they use a mix of sweet durian variants instead of D24 or Mao Shan Wang, the creamy, smooth and undiluted durian puree should still please most durian fans.

Lastly, if you are overwhelmed by the quantity and are unsure of where to start munching from, I recommend that you start from the hot and savoury dishes then move on to the desserts.

Below is the full menu of the High Tea Set on the day I visited.

Savouries-

• Kong Bak Pau (Braised Pork Buns) – Slightly spicy
• Mee Siam (Vermicelli in Tangy-Sweet-Sour Gravy) – Slightly spicy and sourish
• Kueh Pie Tee (Crisp Top Hats filled with stewed turnips and topped with prawn) – Not bad but I have tasted better ones elsewhere
• Ngoh Hiang (Meat Roll with diced chestnut and pork) – The salt level in this dish is very low so make good use of the sauces provided
• Hae Bee Hiam Toast (Spicy Dried Shrimp Sambal Toast) – Not spicy enough, on the sweet side
• Nasi Ulam Istimewa (Rice with raw herbs, minced fish and salted fish) – A very interesting dish of room temperature rice with complex flavours

Sweets-

• Kueh Kodok (Mashed Banana Fritters) – One of the least sweet banana fritters I have tasted
• Kueh Salat (Coconut Pandan Custard on Glutinous Rice) – Very fragrant coconut pandan custard that is not too sweet
• Kueh Ko Swee (Steamed Gula Melaka Nonya Cake) – Perfectly textured Gula Melaka steamed cake
• Kueh Tair (Pineapple Tarts) – Decent pineapple tarts
• Pulot Enti Kelapa (Blue Pea Glutinous Rice topped with Gula Melaka Coconut) – Soft glutinous rice paired with nice shredded coconut
• Pulot Enti Durian (Blue Pea Glutinous Rice topped with Durian Puree) - Soft glutinous rice paired pure durian puree with no added sugar (sweet variant)
• Durian Puree with Toast – White toast served with pure durian puree with no added sugar (sweet variant)

Drinks (1 drink per pax is included in High Tea Set)-

• Pot of Malacca Coffee/Tea – served without sugar, condensed milk, evaporated milk, white and brown sugar cubes provided separately
• Pot of Lemongrass/Pandan Tea – served without sugar, white and brown sugar cubes provided separately