Heritage Corner – Authentic Peranakan Food in Tampines Central!

The east side has always been a food haven and it just keeps getting better. Found in a literal corner of Chang Cheng Food Court at Tampines Central Community Complex is Heritage Corner. They sell authentic Peranakan Cuisine at affordable prices. And if you were wondering – yes, all the chefs are Peranakan.

Breakfast options include Mee Siam Kering (dry), Lontong Istimewa, Mee Rubus Tetelan and Nyonya Laksa (all at $5.80 per plate). Their Kueh Kuehs ($2.50/pack) are also available for breakfast and through the day till sold out. According to one of the co-owners, Ms Evelyn Lim, the breakfast offerings are available from Tuesdays to Sundays from 9am to about 11:45am.

After which, the lunch menu will be made available. Diners can expect mains such as Char Kway Teow ($5.80), Fried Rice with Chicken Cutlet ($7.80), and nasi padang dishes classified as Peranakan Delights on the menu.

Ms Lim recommended the Ayam Buah Keluak ($4/portion), Ikan Assam Pedas($4.50/portion), Daging (Beef) Pongteh ($4.50/portion), Nyonya Chap Chye ($2.50/portion) paired with Blue Pea Jasmine Rice ($0.80 – $1.20/plate). I was really keen to try the Nonya Laksa ($5.80) too, and thankfully it was still available even though it was lunch time.

First up, the Ayam Buah Keluak. It’s one of the traditional options offered at Heritage Corner. This dish is made with tamarind gravy and buah keluak, a type of spice. It was not the freshest but it had a very strong taste from the buah keluak. I could tell that they were really generous with the buah keluak flesh as I could see bits of it in the gravy. However, the chicken meat was really tough. Perhaps it was due to it being left out for awhile after lunch hour. The dish was a little cold too.

Next, the Nyonya Chap Chye, another signature dish. It may look ordinary, but it turned out to be one of my favourite dishes! I love how flavourful this was, and the garlicky punches. It was not too salty and it was rich and flavourful.

The Ikan Assam Pedas was too sour for my liking. However, if you have a penchant for heavier flavours, or love assam, this might be ideal for you. Every bit of the fish was coated in the thick gravy which went well with spoonfuls of rice. I was actually expecting the rice to be fluffy and fragrant, but it turned out to be super dry and hard. Maybe I should have visited before lunchtime.

The last dish that I had was the Daging Pongteh, or more commonly known as beef pongteh. This was the dish that is of the least acquired taste among all in my opinion. As someone who is relatively new to Peranakan Cuisine, I think that it would be my top pick and go-to dish when I come back again. The gravy had a great balance of sweet and savoury notes. While it was not super tender, it was not too dry. *Thumbs up*

My curiosity led me to overeat, as I got the Nyonya Laksa too. It sounded really enticing and having tried some other versions before, I wanted to see how this fares. It did not disappoint. In fact, if you’re here, I would say just get this dish as it can’t go wrong. The laksa had two prawns, half a hard-boiled egg, and thick bee hoon. I love the lemak gravy and it was a really satisfying bowl!

If you still have space in your stomach, try their kueh kuehs or dabao them home for breakfast the next day! I also had the Chendol Melaka ($2.80). It was SUPER sweet, according to my friends who have a sweet tooth. However, it was alright for me — probably because I love gula melaka and this is the only sugar that I will spam in my dessert. Hence, I would say, try this at your own risk and request for lesser gula melaka in your chendol if you’re not big on sweet stuff.

I think it’s really cool that a team of private chefs came together to offer a taste of their heritage in a food court setting. Because of them, we can try authentic Peranakan dishes without burning a hole in our pockets. Give them a try!

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

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