Peranakan Food @ IVINS

 

Before the show "Little Nonya" was broadcasted, my knowledge on the Peranakans was only limited to its terminology on man and woman; namely Baba and Nonya.

Hm... okay, please include Nonya Kueh too!

In terms of mainstream Peranakan cuisine, i am actually clueless except for some kind of inkling that it's like Penang food, which means spicy and sourish. A combination of two tastes i personally dislike!

Anyway, let's start on my first visit to this branch of IVINS that is located in the high class, property rich Bukit Timah area!

Ayam Buah Keluak

I can never understand the affection Peranakans have with this black nut shell thing known as buah keluak. Apparently, this thing contributes to a very unique taste for the chicken and without it, the dish is as normal as curry chicken.

As you can deduce from my statement, i will prefer my mom's curry chicken anytime! My xiaoqie (work concubine) will definitely concur with my opinion! To put it more bluntly, it had a sour taste i could not agree.

Honey Pork

Served steaming hot will be the best way to appreciate this dish of honey pork.

Almost like pork satay without the desirable (or undesirable) fats or charcoal-burnt meat, the honey on the pork becomes a liability (too sweet) once you have ingested a few pieces and the temperature slowly cools.

Nonya Chap Chye

Having tried this a few times, this is seriously not my piece of cake. Give me the mushy marshy type that goes so well with plain rice!

Otah Otak Pangang

That slab of chilli paste looked so inviting!

A strong fishy taste will turn off many people, including myself. However, in this instance, the fishiness of the well sized otah was just right, especially when you dip it in the nasi lemak chillli.

Delicious! Maybe the salt content can be trimmed down a little bit.

Gula Melaka Sago

Love chendol but hate the many ingredients (with special reference to the green, jelly like stringy stuff) that seem to get in your way to enjoy the "soup"?

This is the dessert for you! The liquid coconut sugar smeared over a ball of ice half submerged in coconut milk was such sweet indulgence!

Could do with less sago or at the very least, have sago seeds that don't clump up to form a ball.

Pengat Pisang

Almost like a very rich bowl of borbor chacha without the disgusting yam!

In place was a super ripe choppped banana that is always welcome by those borned in the year of monkey! Thankfully, i had this before my meal as it can be quite filling.  

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I guess i better stick to nonya desserts. They seem to elicit a more positive response from taste receptors.

Location

No 19/21, Binjal Park Bukit Timah

Singapore 589827

Operating Hours

11am to 3pm (Lunch)

5pm to 9pm (Dinner)

Closed on Thursdays

Price

Ayam Buah Keluak - S$6.20

Honey Pork - S$4.90

Nonya Chap Chye - S$4.60

Otah Otak Pangang - S$1.80

Gula Melaka Sago - S$1.20

Pengat Pisang - S$1.20

Subject to only GST

Additional Information

For an air-conditioned location with quite an extensive menu offerings and pricing that is still relatively affordable compared to many others in the same region, i am not surprised to hear from Kon that this place is supposedly very crowded at night.

Visit their official website at http://www.ivins.com.sg/