NATIONAL KITCHEN BY VIOLET OON

02-01 National Gallery Singapore, 1 Saint Andrew’s Road, S(178957) TEL: 9834 9935

Warm lighting from the chandeliers coupled with photographs of Peranakan familes of yesteryear lining the walls, set the mood in this fashionably elegant family-style restaurant. The classic kueh pie tee features julienned vegetables nestled inside thin, crisp pastry shells, crowned by prawns, and enhanced by delightfully fresh chilli paste and sweet fruit sauce. Tender chicken pieces, braised in a thick tamarind sauce with buah keluak, provide spicy, smooth notes made all the more enticing as diners extract the savoury fillings from the large seeds. Slow-cooked beef cheek with tangy and sweet overtones from tamarind, gula melaka and coconut makes for memorable mouthfuls. Sweet, colourful nyonya desserts live up to their sterling reputation and provide a worthy finale to a deliciously spicy meal. The wine, cocktails and fresh fruit juices all pair well with the various dishes.