Candlenut

***warning lengthy food post***
Dined at the world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant called Candlenut tonight. We chose the set menu 'Ah-ma-kase'.
Ah-ma-kase is a play on the Japanese word omakase...meaning I'll leave it up to you ( full trust left in chefs hands) Ahma means “grandmother” and it refers to Chef Lee’s tasting menu of modern Peranakan dishes served family-style "using grandmas recipes" according to our waiter... he wrnt on to say ah-ma-kase translates to Grandma's love. With that sentiment in mind and a glass of Riesling in hand our dinner began.
Entrees were bite sized (I tried to make them last and had two bites).
Kueh Pie Tee was a great start...lobster, tumeric curry with candlenut (a nut not unlike macadamia). Deep fried carrot cake (no carrot, actually white radish) with a poisonous nut buah kelauk (cooked for several days and washed before able to use). The 3rd entree, my favourite Kueh Bakar Berlauk - wagyu beef rendang...in a little pancake, need I say more!!! The chicken stay was the final entree...with the best peanut sauce I have ever had.
Mains: Started with a soup; Soto Basko. The broth was exquisite, apparently cooked for over 4 hours. Pork meatball, tumeric fish, and noodles just elevated the broth to new heights. What followed was corn salad and four curry like dishes. Yeye's Curry with Crab, Babi Assam (slow cooked pork cheek). Next came my favourite barramundi cooked in nyonah rempah, okra, starfruit, tomatoes and laksa leaf. An absolute standout! A king prawn with Nana's lemak broth, pineapple and laksa leaf ended mains.
Dessert consiated of 3 palate cleansing delights; coconut sorbet, tapioca cake with grated coconut and my favourite dessert Pulut Inti, a fragrant glutinous rice cake with Gulargambone melaka which had a golden syrup flavour. Dessert was paired beautifully with a sparkling saki which seemed made to be had with the Ubu Kelapa (coconut sorbet dish).
Definitely deserving of its michelin star!Read more