Brew & Bar – Authentic Peranakan Cuisine & Craft Beers

To me, Peranakan cuisine can be considered one of the most lavish cuisines in Southeast Asia. The Nyonyas take pride in their meals, which can be seen in their Tok Panjang. Peranakan cuisine is still highly sought after by many Singaporeans simply because of the amazing flavours that it offers.

Brew & Bar is a new restaurant located along Jalan Pari Burong that serves up authentic Nyonya delights, together with a wide selection of craft beers.

We tried a few of their signature items, such as the Babi Pongteh ($12), Chap Chye ($10) and Kari Ayam ($12).

Chap chye is essentially a medley of cabbage, tang hoon, black fungus, mushrooms and, often, beancurd skin. The savoury and fragrant vegetable stew is often eaten with steamed rice. I enjoyed the firmness of the beancurd skin which gives the stew its distinct soy-flavour. The version done at Brew & Bar was slightly drier than the ones I’m used to, but still tasted great when paired with the Blue Fragrant Rice ($0.80).

The rice which has been cooked with aromatics and coconut milk was both flavourful and beautiful. 

The Babi Pongteh was also much drier than what I expected. Maybe it’s because the pieces of pork and potato have absorbed all the broth, which rendered them very flavourful. However, the pork pieces were a tad too tough for my liking.

My favourite of the lot would have to be the Kari Ayam, which is a curry chicken dish. Large chunks of tender fresh chicken meat are cooked in the rich and creamy curry. There was just enough santan (coconut milk) too. My favourite thing about curry is actually the nuggets of potatoes, which should be fork tender but not overly mushy. Brew & Bar definitely met my expectations.

I washed the meal down with some Iced Lavender Tea ($7), which was, to my surprise, a great accompaniment to the flavourful dishes. The lavender tea was very light and delicate in flavour, which helped to remove any lingering greasiness from the meal.

I think that the availability of traditional Peranakan food and beer in the same setting will attract the younger generation to give the restaurant a shot. Who knows, maybe Nyonya dishes will be paired with beer or wine in the near future. 

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.