Chili Padi Nonya Cafe @ Heng Mui Keng Terrace: Peranakan Buffet Review 03/08/19
Came here together with my extended family for their weekend dinner buffet, their most expensive buffet timing (Together with the weekend lunch buffet).
Adult: $24.80++
Child: $15.80++
Senior Citizen: $22.40++
For the uninitiated, Chili Padi has an Ala Carte restaurant located at Joo Chiat, a buffet catering service and this buffet restaurant located deep within NUS, near Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. If you've read other online reviews, you'll realise just how obscure and isolated this restaurant is. Thankfully, I went with my family and was able to travel by car. However, if you're taking public transport, I think this review from YQTravelling will help.
Their buffet specialises in Peranakan cuisine at affordable prices. For the price paid, the variety of food was certainly substantial but its quality leaves much to be desired which I will elaborate shortly. For dinner, they are open from 1800H to 2130H but start to clear up the dishes from 2100H onwards. I also did take pictures of the restaurant but I think their website provides a really good view of the interior though admittedly, it is slightly more run-down now.
When I was there, the restaurant seemed to be slightly under-staffed as there were hardly any service staff clearing the tables. That being said, the staff that were available helped to promptly refill the food at the buffet, especially their Crispy Chicken which ran out at least 3 times during the meal. I came into this restaurant quite aware of what their specialties were and what to expect in terms of the quality of food offered... which was really not much. And even with the low expectations that I had, I still left feeling quite disappointed. That being said, I will start off with the dishes that I found decent/palatable.
Note:
- The following reviews are all based on my personal experience and are solely my own opinion
- Words/Sentences in quotation ' ' right below each dish represent the restaurant's description of the dish
Decent food (Starting with the best)
1) Crispy Chicken
- Indeed, this chicken is really crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside
Just note though that if you were to eat the ones left at the counter for awhile, they would get quite greasy and oily (but still remain crispy) which may put you off
2) Kueh Dadar
- From Wikipedia, 'often descriped as an Indonesian coconut pancake'
- Moist, sweet and fragrant grated coconut with gula melaka filling
- Thick crepe layer on the outside
The kueh felt quite hard though, really questioning whether these kuehs were made fresh
3) DIY Kueh Pie Tie
- From Wikipedia, 'a thin and crispy Southeast Asian pastry tart shell kueh filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns'
- The combination of lettuce, braised jicama (Mexican Turnip, this link provides a good description on the difference), sweet sauce and chili were really good
- Crisp tart shell
4) Nonya Chap Chye
- 'Braised cabbage with black fungus, lily buds beancurd & shrimps'
- Typical savoury and comforting Peranakan vegetable dish, probably my favourite Peranakan vegetable dish hence making my list
5) Pig Stomach Soup
- If you like pig stomach, this was minimally average in that it was thankfully not overly saltish/peppery
And that's the end of my list of decent dishes. If you do intend to come here for an affordable Peranakan buffet, do try these out especially the Crispy Chicken which I had multiple servings of.
Dishes which I think you should ABSOLUTELY AVOID (No particular order)
1) Steamed Mini Siew Mai
Extremely dry with its yellowish skin clinging loosely to the pork filling within. It hardly looked but trust me, it tastes just as bad if not worse.
2) Soya beancurd pudding
This was very sweet and had a powdery mouthfeel.
3) Cookies and Cream ice cream
It was quite unanimous that this ice cream does NOT deserve to be labelled cookies and cream. Tasted more like a Vanilla ice cream wannabe.
4) Ang Ku Kueh
The outer layer was incredibly sticky. Just taking it out of the plastic wrapper and placing it on my plate for awhile before eating it left bits of the red skin stuck to my plate. This one was filled with mung bean/green bean paste and would personally have preferred the typical peanut filling instead.
5) Ayam Buah Keluak
- 'Braised Chicken in Buah Keluak nut cooked in spices & Assam gravy'
I know this is supposed to be their signature dish but the chicken was tough and the sauce was nothing spectacular. One bite and I was instantly reminded of Cookhouse food in Army.
6) Ikan Assam Pedas
- 'Fish mixed cooked in spicy tangy sauce mixed with spices'
A chewy and slightly spicy fish fillet. Again, the sauce was nothing spectacular. On a side note, is fish fillet supposed to be chewy?
7) Kueh Lapis/Fruit Cake
These were really hard and I felt the kueh lapis could have been more moist. Tasted like these were bought from a Supermarket.
Other dishes
(Which I either did not sample enough of, did not try at all or were neither decent nor disappointing will be in the pictures below)
Desserts
The Kueh Lopis when soaked in the gula melaka syrup, was really good (Gives you the comforting sugar rush feel) though very sinful.
Laksa and Mee Siam station
Tried a bit of the laksa which I found was OK, had a very strong coconut milk aroma and taste.
Beef rendang
Some bits were tough but I guess at least the spice was good
Kong Bak Bao (Braised Pork Belly Bun)
Great soft and subtly sweet bun encompassing a slightly tough pork belly with a thick layer of fat and a slice of lettuce. Nothing spectacular as the bun tasted as good as store-bought ones. This is not really a negative feedback as I do enjoy eating the white buns on its own, even the frozen store-bought ones. Thankfully, the buns were steamed for a sufficient period so that they were not hard.
Lemongrass Jelly with Peach Resin
This is like a more refreshing version of your typical agar agar.
Assorted fruits
If this helps, I tried the watermelon which was thankfully sweet and juicy.
Sweet Potato Rolls and Vegetable Spring Rolls
Other Steamed dim sum items
Assortment of Peranakan garnish to accompany the rice
My dining experience involved me moving about the buffet counter countless of times with a foolish hope that I would see something new to try that would turn out decent. Unfortunately, each time I came back to the table, I found myself getting the same things. I particularly liked the crispy chicken and kueh dadar but feel that it is quite sad if the best dish in a buffet restaurant is their fried chicken.
Do note that they recently increased their price by about a $1 so do check out their website for the latest buffet pricing.
Overall, I would concur that this buffet is somewhat worth its money for the VARIETY offered. However, it is definitely not worth one's calories in terms of the quality of food presented. If this food was presented as part of a buffet catering service, I would be pleasantly surprised but considering that its a buffet restaurant instead, I expected a lot more. Many of the dishes really did not taste fresh, especially their fruit cakes and kueh lapis at the dessert section. Would strongly recommend the restaurant to improve on the quality of all of their dishes first before working on the variety.
Price: 7/10 (For the variety)
Taste: 3/10 (I was craving for quality Peranakan food the next day)
Overall: 4/10 (Even if you are in the area, I will not recommend)
Adult: $24.80++
Child: $15.80++
Senior Citizen: $22.40++
For the uninitiated, Chili Padi has an Ala Carte restaurant located at Joo Chiat, a buffet catering service and this buffet restaurant located deep within NUS, near Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. If you've read other online reviews, you'll realise just how obscure and isolated this restaurant is. Thankfully, I went with my family and was able to travel by car. However, if you're taking public transport, I think this review from YQTravelling will help.
Their buffet specialises in Peranakan cuisine at affordable prices. For the price paid, the variety of food was certainly substantial but its quality leaves much to be desired which I will elaborate shortly. For dinner, they are open from 1800H to 2130H but start to clear up the dishes from 2100H onwards. I also did take pictures of the restaurant but I think their website provides a really good view of the interior though admittedly, it is slightly more run-down now.
 |
| Entrance to the restaurant (Ceiling looks like it needs renovation) |
When I was there, the restaurant seemed to be slightly under-staffed as there were hardly any service staff clearing the tables. That being said, the staff that were available helped to promptly refill the food at the buffet, especially their Crispy Chicken which ran out at least 3 times during the meal. I came into this restaurant quite aware of what their specialties were and what to expect in terms of the quality of food offered... which was really not much. And even with the low expectations that I had, I still left feeling quite disappointed. That being said, I will start off with the dishes that I found decent/palatable.
Note:
- The following reviews are all based on my personal experience and are solely my own opinion
- Words/Sentences in quotation ' ' right below each dish represent the restaurant's description of the dish
Decent food (Starting with the best)
1) Crispy Chicken
- Indeed, this chicken is really crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside
Just note though that if you were to eat the ones left at the counter for awhile, they would get quite greasy and oily (but still remain crispy) which may put you off
2) Kueh Dadar
- From Wikipedia, 'often descriped as an Indonesian coconut pancake'
- Moist, sweet and fragrant grated coconut with gula melaka filling
- Thick crepe layer on the outside
The kueh felt quite hard though, really questioning whether these kuehs were made fresh
3) DIY Kueh Pie Tie
- From Wikipedia, 'a thin and crispy Southeast Asian pastry tart shell kueh filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns'
- The combination of lettuce, braised jicama (Mexican Turnip, this link provides a good description on the difference), sweet sauce and chili were really good
- Crisp tart shell
4) Nonya Chap Chye
- 'Braised cabbage with black fungus, lily buds beancurd & shrimps'
- Typical savoury and comforting Peranakan vegetable dish, probably my favourite Peranakan vegetable dish hence making my list
5) Pig Stomach Soup
- If you like pig stomach, this was minimally average in that it was thankfully not overly saltish/peppery
And that's the end of my list of decent dishes. If you do intend to come here for an affordable Peranakan buffet, do try these out especially the Crispy Chicken which I had multiple servings of.
Dishes which I think you should ABSOLUTELY AVOID (No particular order)
1) Steamed Mini Siew Mai
 |
| Quite a poor quality photo but I think you can see how loosely the skin clings on to the siew mai |
Extremely dry with its yellowish skin clinging loosely to the pork filling within. It hardly looked but trust me, it tastes just as bad if not worse.
2) Soya beancurd pudding
This was very sweet and had a powdery mouthfeel.
3) Cookies and Cream ice cream
It was quite unanimous that this ice cream does NOT deserve to be labelled cookies and cream. Tasted more like a Vanilla ice cream wannabe.
4) Ang Ku Kueh
The outer layer was incredibly sticky. Just taking it out of the plastic wrapper and placing it on my plate for awhile before eating it left bits of the red skin stuck to my plate. This one was filled with mung bean/green bean paste and would personally have preferred the typical peanut filling instead.
5) Ayam Buah Keluak
- 'Braised Chicken in Buah Keluak nut cooked in spices & Assam gravy'
I know this is supposed to be their signature dish but the chicken was tough and the sauce was nothing spectacular. One bite and I was instantly reminded of Cookhouse food in Army.
6) Ikan Assam Pedas
- 'Fish mixed cooked in spicy tangy sauce mixed with spices'
A chewy and slightly spicy fish fillet. Again, the sauce was nothing spectacular. On a side note, is fish fillet supposed to be chewy?
7) Kueh Lapis/Fruit Cake
These were really hard and I felt the kueh lapis could have been more moist. Tasted like these were bought from a Supermarket.
Other dishes
(Which I either did not sample enough of, did not try at all or were neither decent nor disappointing will be in the pictures below)
Desserts
 |
| (From left to right) Kueh Koswee ('Steamed palm sugar cake with grated coconut'), Bingka Ubi ('Baked tapioca cake'), Kueh Lopis ('Glutinous rice coated with grated coconut topped with gula melaka') |
The Kueh Lopis when soaked in the gula melaka syrup, was really good (Gives you the comforting sugar rush feel) though very sinful.
Laksa and Mee Siam station
Tried a bit of the laksa which I found was OK, had a very strong coconut milk aroma and taste.
Beef rendang
 |
Some bits were tough but I guess at least the spice was good
Kong Bak Bao (Braised Pork Belly Bun)
 |
| Photo taken before the bamboo steamer basket containing the braised pork belly was ready |
Great soft and subtly sweet bun encompassing a slightly tough pork belly with a thick layer of fat and a slice of lettuce. Nothing spectacular as the bun tasted as good as store-bought ones. This is not really a negative feedback as I do enjoy eating the white buns on its own, even the frozen store-bought ones. Thankfully, the buns were steamed for a sufficient period so that they were not hard.
Lemongrass Jelly with Peach Resin
This is like a more refreshing version of your typical agar agar.
Assorted fruits
 |
| Lemongrass Jelly with Peach Resin is on the left while the soya bean pudding is on the right of the fruits |
If this helps, I tried the watermelon which was thankfully sweet and juicy.
Sweet Potato Rolls and Vegetable Spring Rolls
 |
| Halfway through the buffet, the sweet potato rolls were swapped out with fried Otah which was horrible (Barely spicy and far too soft, providing no texture apart from the fried batter on the outside) |
 |
| Steamed Yam Kueh |
 |
| Chicken Chwee Kueh |
Assortment of Peranakan garnish to accompany the rice
My dining experience involved me moving about the buffet counter countless of times with a foolish hope that I would see something new to try that would turn out decent. Unfortunately, each time I came back to the table, I found myself getting the same things. I particularly liked the crispy chicken and kueh dadar but feel that it is quite sad if the best dish in a buffet restaurant is their fried chicken.
Do note that they recently increased their price by about a $1 so do check out their website for the latest buffet pricing.
Overall, I would concur that this buffet is somewhat worth its money for the VARIETY offered. However, it is definitely not worth one's calories in terms of the quality of food presented. If this food was presented as part of a buffet catering service, I would be pleasantly surprised but considering that its a buffet restaurant instead, I expected a lot more. Many of the dishes really did not taste fresh, especially their fruit cakes and kueh lapis at the dessert section. Would strongly recommend the restaurant to improve on the quality of all of their dishes first before working on the variety.
Price: 7/10 (For the variety)
Taste: 3/10 (I was craving for quality Peranakan food the next day)
Overall: 4/10 (Even if you are in the area, I will not recommend)
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