Woody Family Cafe – Delicious Peranakan Food in Sembawang That’s Worth the Trip!

Unfortunately, many of us Singaporeans have become creatures of convenience. This is especially obvious when it comes to our eating habits, with food delivery apps making life easier than ever. Despite this trend, there is still great food worth journeying to the very ends of the island for, and Woody Family Cafe is one of those places!

Woody Family Cafe is tucked away in the northernmost reaches of Sembawang, and locating it feels like embarking on an expedition. The forest-themed restaurant sticks out like a sore thumb in a sea of residential buildings. Trees and plants line the front of the restaurant, inviting guests to take a closer look.

When I stepped inside, I felt like Alice as she opened the door to Wonderland. Coloured lights bathe the cafe in shades of red, blue and green, illuminating all sorts of baubles and knickknacks. Posters of rock stars of the yesteryears such as Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston line the walls near the bar, while guitars can be found along the walls. Over on the other side, old-school Chinese lanterns hang beside a hot air balloon.

Many of these eclectic decorations were collected while the owners, Jenny and Sam, were travelling all over the world. Sam, who used to be a professional musician, oversees the look and feel of the restaurant while Jenny is in charge of the food.

Many of Woody Family’s dishes are traditional Peranakan recipes passed down from Jenny’s mother. These were then refined and reimagined by Jenny, who created many unique and modern dishes that are still undeniably Peranakan!

The Assam Pork Knuckle ($19.90) is a perfect example of this. While Assam is a classic flavour in Peranakan cuisine, Pork Knuckle is typically served fried in German restaurants and pubs! Once I took my first bite, this unique combination made perfect sense to me. The fragrant, sour Assam sauce cut through the fatty pork knuckle perfectly, while the fat added a layer of richness that is usually absent in other Assam dishes. The delicate balance of spicy and sour flavours make this dish impossible to resist!

Another dish that ingeniously marries the old and new is the Tom Yum Prawn Pasta ($19.90, inclusive of one coke float). Tom Yum is usually served as a soup, but in this dish the same ingredients are turned into a pasta sauce! Fragrant Tom Yum spices such as kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass are pounded into a delicious paste, which is then combined with coconut powder. Paired with fresh firm prawns and flat pasta, this dish is truly well thought out and executed.

Continuing the trend of innovative Peranakan cuisine is the Duck Rendang ($18.90). The duck is cooked in an aromatic blend of rendang spices, making this dish extremely fragrant and mouthwatering. Interestingly, Jenny pays a subtle homage to French cuisine by topping the duck rendang with a tiny dash of red wine which lends a subtle brightness to the dish, making the flavour profile of the rendang much deeper and more complex.

If you’re a spice lover, check out the Buffalo Wings ($18.90 for 6, $28.90 or a dozen). The wings come in varying levels of spiciness, with the highest level ominously called the “Towering Inferno”! I was not brave enough to go all the way, so I got the medium wings. The crispy wings are lightly coated in the chilli sauce right before serving.

These are just a few of the dishes on offer here at Woody Family Cafe, and I honestly feel like I have just barely scratched the surface. Despite being far off the beaten path, Woody Family Cafe is somewhere I will gladly visit again and again!

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

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