[Singapore] Candlenut - 1* Peranakan Cuisine
Rating: ❤❤❤❤ (4/5)
Candlenut is the world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant and it was highly recommended to me by many foodies. Peranakans refer to descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia; thus their cuisine is a unique combination of Chinese, Malay and SE Asian influences. The restaurant is a modern take on Nonya cuisine and while I haven’t had much Peranankan food at all so I can't comment on its authenticity, I thought that the flavors were very refined. While you can order a la carte, we opted for the "Ah-ma-kase" tasting menu for S$118 per person to try more dishes. I felt that the prices were on the high side though while the portions could be more generous, but overall we quite enjoyed our meal at Candlenut.
We started our meal with a series of appetizers:
- Fish Crackers- Homemade Kueh Pie Tee Shell, Kuklbarra Ocean Barramundi Tartare, Preserved Baby Shrimp Dressing, Laksa Leaf
- Charcoal Grilled Moari Lakes Lamb Shoulder Satay, Kicap Manis Glaze
- Bergedil, "Bu Jian Tian" Pork Lemongrass Curry
Then we had a series of mains to share and served with rice (I felt that some of the dishes here could use a bigger portion):
- Napa Cabbage, Cucumber, Carrot, Nashi Pear Achar, Prawn, Pickled Ginger Flower
- Napa Cabbage, Cucumber, Carrot, Nashi Pear Achar, Prawn, Pickled Ginger Flower
Baby Sweet Potato Leaf Masak Lemak, Tempeh, Crispy White Bait
- 'Yeye' White Curry, Local Chicken, Fried Shallot, Green Banana, Kaffir Lime Leaf
- Wok Fried Sambal Belachan, Blue Swimmer Crab, Wing Bean, Petai Bean
- Beef Cheek and Tongue Buah Keluak Rawon, Salted Duck Egg, Silver Sprout, Sawtooth Coriander
- Borrowdate Free-Range Pork Belly Pongteh, Shiitake Mushroom, Chili
Crispy Turmeric Tiger Beer Battered Soft Shell Prawn, Sambal Hijau
Not all of the mains were impressive but the desserts were definitely sublime. I loved this refreshing Shaved Young Coconut Ice, Gula Melaka, Fresh Coconut Strip, Homemade Chendol Jelly where the smoky caramel flavors of the gula melaka syrup tied everything together.
Finally we ended the meal with some traditional Nyonya kuehs and sweets:
- Kueh Salat: a smooth custard of pandan and coconut milk steamed with fragrant glutinous rice cake
- Bingkah Ambon: baked honeycomb tapioca cake topped with gula melaka kaya and butter
- Kueh Kosui: gula melaka fudge cake coated with freshly grated coconut
- Pulut Hitam: black sticky rice and roasted sesame pudding with young coconut sorbet
- Bunga Telang Tea: a unique Candlenut bespoke tea blend of oolong and butterfly pea flower with fragrant notes of jasmine and pandan
All of the little bites were fantastic and I only wished they were bigger in size. The tea was interesting as it was blue in color but a little too light in flavor to end the meal with as a digestive.
All of the little bites were fantastic and I only wished they were bigger in size. The tea was interesting as it was blue in color but a little too light in flavor to end the meal with as a digestive.
Candlenut
17A Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249676
Tel: +65 1800 304 2288http://comodempsey.sg/restaurant/candlenut
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