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/

Three Stars for Angry Birds - Valentine's Hogs & Kisses

After merely two days, i finally managed to do what i swore back then!

Total annihilation for the green piggies!!! This is only possible after the attainment of three golden stars for all levels!

I hear the question; how to get the three stars? It depends on your final score for that particular level; the more points there are, the higher your chance.

And what's the additional benefit (besides satisfaction and personal competitive streak) to spend so much time on this game for total destruction?

It's to gain access to this lovey-dovey romantic level that rightfully concluded the end of the romantic season!

The Rojak Stall With a Long Queue @ Soon Heng Rojak, Toa Payoh Central

One of the comments i received for my entry on Singapore Famous Rojak in Albert Centre was that i should try the famous rojak stall located in HDB Hub, Toa Payoh!

Singaporeans know the following saying by heart; a stall with queue means that the food is either dirt cheap or super marvelicious! With a queue comprising of at least 10 persons throughout the half an hour i was there, it was indeed intriguing as the stall sells nothing but only Chinese rojak (啰喏)!

A 15-minute queue was timed at Soon Heng and i though this was pretty manageable. Of course, the fact that Alex was the one who joined the chain of humans does have a certain bearing on my perception.

Basically, this plate of rojak looked picture perfect; ingredients well mixed with the smelly prawn paste and topped with heaps of coarse peanut bits!

Okay, maybe too over with the peanuts. Humans with goober allergy will definitely have a cardiac arrest just looking at the generous serving!

Love the lightly toasted you tiao (cullers) that had a slight crunchy surface yet managed to maintain a soft and gently moist centre. Nowadays, i usually get youtiao that are out to crack my enamel-deficient teeth or pieces that are soggy like wet cotton buds!

Unusually, the youtiao actually paled in comparison to the slices of fresh cucumbers, turnips and pineapples. Freshness aside, i believe the vegetables were chilled to have that irresistible cool crunch!

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Location

480 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, #B1-23,

Gourmet Paradise Food Court,

HDB Hub Toa Payoh

Additional Information

Mum tried this once when her colleague take-away a pack. Her taste buds then didn't understand what was the big deal about this rojak - until she tried it personally this time.

Slurrping the leftover peanuts with prawn paste gravy is too sinful! Waste them not by buying a small snack (tofu, bun etc) from other stalls to dip in!

Chang Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant @ Dempsey Road

I was so impressed with Ju Shin Jung Korean BBQ that you seldom see me roaming outside my comfort zone and check out other Korean barbeque restaurants.

Having said that, two fifty-dollar vouchers (complimentary from Seoul National University and Jaya) were sufficient reasons for me to step into the high-class dining area many of us know as Dempsey Road.

Frankly, i have always felt uncomfortable in fine-dining establishment where coarse table decorum is strictly frowned upon. A relaxed dining environment is always preferred!

Without getting too long winded, let's now start on what the Gang of Four had in Chang Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant.

Side Dishes

Korean side dishes are Alex's favourite and they are usually the measuring tape of how a Korean restaurant fares in his opinion.

After getting so accustomed to lavish side dishes that filled up the whole table in Ju Shin Jung, I was pretty disappointed with the dull display in Chang.

Even the display of raw greenies paled in comparison! Unlike Ju Shin Jung, i didn't feel to the urge to touch these vegetables and gobble them up with a spread of bbq meat, sauces and kimchi!

Seafood Beancurd Soup

With Van, a bowl of soup is guaranteed to be on the order list! Neither complaint nor excitement for this dish.  Maybe an opinion from the expert (Ms Tan) is more credible?

Seafood and Kimchi Pancake

I personally like this a lot since it was less spicy than its counterpart in Ju Shin Jung. If i remember correctly, Kon wasn't too impressed though.

Meat

A wagyu promotion was available but in order to have a fair assessment for comparison, we decided to have Prime Rib (Beef), Pork Rib and Chicken Thigh.

Let's start with Chicken Thigh - high hopes as the ones we had in Ju Shin Jung have always been so delicious!

Chang's version was terrible! The meat kept sticking to the occlusal surfaces of my molars and had a bitter aftertaste. Was there ginseng added? Guess not.

The Pork Ribs had a nice fatty marbling that should taste not bad right?! Pork fats are like the most appetising part on a pig! I always feel guilty after eating pork because Wilbur is so human-like in Charlotte's Web!

No matter what, food is food! With a harder texture, chewing was necessary for us to truly appreciate this plate of pork ribs. It was only upon some chews that the delightful juiciness slowly seeped out!

Before i continue with Prime Rib, can i confess once again my love for mushrooms?!?!?! And i finally found a way to barbeque them the right way to contain the earthy moisture.

The Beef Prime Rib was in fact, barbequed first but i chose to talk about it now because it was the best of the three! Even the raw display managed to hype up my expectation.

I neglect to mention that the Gang of Four had decided to delegate the barbequeing to the friendly waitress that day. It was a lazy Saturday and even our arms were feeling extremely weak.

Would love to have the whole steak to myself!

The sweetness of marinated beef blended with a distinguishable garlic taste was so marvellous; it topped the list of barbequed meat i had (so far) for Korean bbq.

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The higher price tag will definitely make me think twice to go again! My Korean colleague, however, does prefer this restaurant over Ju Shin Jung.

Location

18C Dempsey Road

Price

Seafood Beancurd Soup - S$16

Seafood and Kimchi Pancake - S$20

Marinated Prime Rib - S$39

Marinated Pork Rib - S$25

Boneless Chicken Thigh - S$25

Subject to GST and Service Charge

Additional Information

This rice tea with a ginger spiciness, was served after our meal.

Blackened steel plate was exchanged for a clean one after the culinary deliverance of each meat. Psychologically, it made Alex felt better since he was adamant that black burnt bits contribute to cancer development.

Mat seating was available if you can withstand the discomfort!!! My back almost broke when i first tried it in Ju Shin Jung! Not recommended for the elderly Singaporeans!

Alfresco dining is recommended for patrons who hate to have the oily, bbq smell sticking to their clothes! To me, that's no difference from ordering a steak from a restaurant and waiting for it to be delivered to your table!

For me, i tried to keep a spare t-shirt (sprayed with Tommy perfume) in my bag. You never know where you want to go after the meal!