Any avid follower of the local drama “Little Nyonya” would more or less have guessed that Peranakan cuisine, which is a dazzling fusion of Chinese and Malay cooking, involves hours of complicated preparation and can be quite a laborious process. If you are hankering for some authentic and traditional Peranakan food, spare yourself the trouble and allow Foodfare to take you through a Baba-licious Food Extravaganza Buffet from 25 November to 4 December 2011. The Peranakan buffet spread will include many of Chef Philip Chia’s specialties, such as the Ayam Buah Keluak (Chicken in Black Nut Stew) and Bakwan Kepiting (Crab Meatball Soup).

Other delectable Peranakan dishes by Chef Philip include Nyonya Egg & Prawn Salad, Udang Goreng Chilli Garam, Nyonya Chap Chye, and Babi Pontay. Diners can also immerse themselves in Peranakan activities such as intricate bead demonstrations at 7.30pm on Monday to Thursday (28 Nov to 1 Dec 2011), live cooking demonstrations by Chef Philip at 7.30pm on Tuesday (29 Nov 2011) and Thursday (1 Dec 2011). Watch how Chef Philip make kaya in 30 minutes flat! Also, there will be bazaar stalls selling Nyonya cookies, accessories, cookbooks and traditional costumes. All these will take place at the Vanda Terrace, Orchid Country Club.

At the media tasting, we had a taste of Nasi Lemak with Sambal Udang, Telor Dadar, Sambal Kangkong, Small Ikan Kuning Goreng Kunyit, Otah and Fried Ikan Bilis. All of us loved the Nyonya Egg & Prawn Salad, as well as the Pong Tahu Goreng, which are Chef Philip’s specialties. Diners will get to sample a whole lot more at the Baba-licious Food Extravaganza Buffet, such as Gado-Gado, Sotong Assam, Beef Rendang, Sayor Loday and Ayam Pedas Siam. There will also be live stations to dish out piping hot bowls of Mee Siam, Nyonya Laksa, Lontong and many more!

I urge you to try the Ayam Buah Keluak if you have never tried it before. Some say that this stewed flavorful combination of tender chicken and Buah Keluak, an Indonesian black nut, is an acquired taste but for my first time eating this, I quite enjoyed the dish’s nutty flavor.

Ever since I was introduced to Nyonya Kuehs when I was a little kid, these multi-colored desserts of different textures and shapes never fail to entice me. These kuehs prepared by Chef Philip are not cloyingly sweet which is perfect if you want to help yourself to more yummy desserts!

This may look like Bubur Cha Cha but is actually Durian Pengat with a twist of sweet potato cubes, sago, kiwi and strawberry! There will also be Banana Pengat, Chendol, Pulot Hitam with Longan and Coconut Ice Cream and Agar-Agar Santan available at the buffet!

Thank you Chef Philip and the team from Foodfare for hosting us.

Weekday Lunch & Dinner Buffet
$28++ (Adults)
$18++ (Child below 12)

Vanda Terrace, Orchid Country Club
1 Orchid Club Road
Singapore 769162
Tel: 6750 2200

Open to public. Orchid Country Club members enjoy a 10% discount and waiver of service charge. NTUC Union Members enjoy 10% off price.
For OCC shuttle service, click here.