Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine is standing its ground amidst the mushrooming of many other types of restaurants all over Singapore. This unique cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and Indonesia inter-marrying with local Malays and combines Chinese, Malay and other influences.
Nonya cooking is the result of blending Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices and cooking techniques used by the Malay/Indonesian community. This gives rise to Peranakan interpretations of Malay/Indonesian food that is similarly tangy, aromatic, spicy and herbal.
Key ingredients include coconut milk, galangal (a subtle, mustard-scented rhizome similar to ginger), candlenuts as both a flavoring and thickening agent, laksa leaf, pandan leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius), belachan, tamarind juice, lemongrass, torch ginger bud, jicama, fragrant kaffir lime leaf, rice or egg noodles and cincaluk – a powerfully flavored, sour and salty shrimp-based condiment that is typically mixed with lime juice, chillies and shallots and eaten with rice, fried fish and other side dishes.
New Peranakan restaurants have opened in recent years and Singapore can even boast of the first Peranakan restaurant in the world to be awarded a Michelin Star.
Peranakan Cuisine
Tok Panjang Peranakan Cafe
392 East Coast Road
Singapore 428992
Tel: +65 9663-3392
Opening Hours:
9 am to 9 pm Tuesday to Sunday
closed on Monday
Babalicious
1000 East Coast Parkway,
#01-02 Marina Cove,
Singapore 449876
Tel: +65 6636 3681
Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu : 10.30am – 10pm
Fri & Sat : 10.30am – 11pm
Candlenut
Block 17A Dempsey Road,
Singapore 249676
Tel: 1800-304-2288 (Local calls only)
Opening Hours:
Lunch, Mon – Sun 12:00pm – 2:30pm
Dinner, Sun – Thu 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Fri, Sat, Eve of Public Holidays And
Public Holidays 6:00pm – 10:30pm
Chong Wen Ge Cafe
168 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 068619
Tel: +65 9168 3208
Opening Hours: 10 am – 6 pm
Nearby MRT Stations: Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar
The Peranakan
442 Orchard Road
#02-17
Claymore Connect
Singapore (238879)
Tel: +65 6262 4428
Opening Hours : 11:00 – 22:00
Nearby MRT Station : Orchard
Ivin’s Peranakan Restaurant
19 Binjai Park
Singapore 589827
Tel : 6468 3060
(Closed on Thursdays)
True Blue Cuisine
47/49 Armenian Street
Singapore. 179937
Tel: +65 6440 0449
Opening Hours
11:30 – 14:30; 18:00 – 21:30
PeraMakan Restaurant
Level 3, Keppel Club
10 Bukit Chermin Road
Singapore 109918
(5 minutes drive from Vivo City/HarbourFront)
Nearest MRT: Telok Blangah
Tel: 65 63772829 / 62701618
Lunch: 11:30 am to 3:00 pm
(last order: 2:00 pm)
Dinner: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
(last order: 9:00 pm)
Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant
38/40 Joo Chiat Place
Singapore 427762
Tel: +65 6344 2761
Opening Hours: 11am–3pm, 6pm–9:30pm
5 Little Monkey Cafe
20 Kallang Avenue, #11-00 Pico Creative Centre
339411 Singapore
Tel: +65 8533 9168
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 9:30 am – 7:00 pm
Closed on Sat & Sun.
Nearby MRT Stations: Lavender
Baba Chews
86 East Coast Road
Katong Square
Singapore (428788)
Sun-Thu: 6:30am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 6:30am-12am
Chilli Padi Nonya Restaurant
11 Joo Chiat Place #01-03
Singapore 427744
Tel: +65 6275 1002
