My Peranakan Spice Box - shop front. The Toa Payoh outlet is the only one in Singapore now.
Calling itself a "modern nyonya bistro", the small eatery comes with simple furnishing and has 45 items on its menu. It includes toasts, rice dishes, noodles, soup, snacks, desserts and beverages. I'm no expert of nyonya cuisine and I hardly dine at peranakan restaurants but if you' re looking for authentic nyonya fare, this is not the place. Rather, I would call this an eatery that serves local fare with a peranakan twist, such as their nyonya mee siam and buah keluah toast (see pic below). When the hubby first saw the picture on the menu, he thought it was caviar. But for $2.50 a plate, what's the likelihood of that?
Being mee siam lover, the hungry spouse couldn't resist ordering a bowl of the Nyonya Mee Siam. But he was a little disappointed with the gravvy, which he found a bit too sourish for his liking. However, I thought it was actually quite nice!
Nyonya Mee Siam ($4.20) - comes with two tempura prawn, some bean curd and egg
Now, here are the items we ordered for dinner:
Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam (drumstick only) ($3.50) - not sure how it tasted because it was for the helper. She enjoys chicken, especially when it's spicy. According to her, it was "nice".
Nyonya Black Sauce Pork Stew Rice ($4.20) - the meat was tender and the taste reminded me of the meat you get in nyonya dumpling. Yum!
Honey Chicken with Steamed Rice ($4.60) - the chicken was a little dry but tasted really good
Beef Rendang Kailan with Steamed Rice (5.60) - this was my order. They gave a big portion beef but part of it was a bit tough. The gravvy was good and I ended up lapping it all up with some bread!
Overall, the food is good and value for money. We enjoyed our dinner and will definitely be back again!
My Peranakan Spice Box
Blk 190
Toa Payoh Lor 6
#01-528
Singapore 310190
(it's opposite HDB Hub and in the same the building with shops like Watsons and Koi bubble tea, but you need to walk in from either Sinma the accessories shop or from Bossini, it's which is actually nearer)
