Peranakan soul food at Heritage Room by PasirPanjangBoy
The pop-up eatery by Tinoq Russell Goh and Dylan Chan offers rustic and comforting homestyle cooking
Restaurant pop-up
Heritage Room by PasirPanjangBoy #01-01 Orchard Rendezvous Hotel 1 Tanglin Road Singapore 247905 Tel: 9695 4124 Open daily for lunch and dinner until end-December: 11.30am to 2.30pm; 6pm to 10pm
IN A hidden corner of Orchard Rendezvous Hotel sits a dining space in purgatory – unsure if it will ascend to the restaurant in the sky, or be reincarnated as a bibimbap cafe. It’s already had a couple of past lives – if you remember Akanoya Robatayaki or the short-lived Kamo by London Fat Duck.
Right now, it’s got new/temporary/accidental status as Heritage Room by PasirPanjangBoy. You can tell it’s not a permanent setup because it looks as if you walked in and surprised a bibik in mid-renovation.
First, you see the original Kamo space – with its curious combination of dusky pink chairs and pastel blue walls that look exhausted from all the time they spent pretending that they match. The ceiling lights, in turn, have the appeal of floaters lurking in your peripheral vision.
Then there’re the desperate attempts by the bibik – or rather PasirPanjangBoy himself – to inject some life and purpose into the soulless surroundings. Cheerful vintage enamel plates decorate one wall. The bar counter is tingkat central – a repository of old tiffin carriers, snacks and bric-a-brac from a nostalgic era.
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Ultimately, the job of bringing soul to this makeshift eatery falls squarely on PasirPanjangBoy – aka the Peranakan private-dining duo of Tinoq Russell Goh and Dylan Chan. Once known for nonya-inspired soirees in their Tiong Bahru apartment, served with a triple portion of sass from the fast-talking Tinoq, the pair now cook in private homes instead and somehow, ended up bringing their brand of lively hospitality to this neck of the woods.
Heritage Room is appealing largely for its unsophisticated, DIY yet authentic ambience. You can get Peranakan food served in upscale or cafe surroundings anywhere, but this place feels like you’re in an eccentric auntie’s living room where nothing matches, but you feel right at home polishing off her kueh.
What we like is that on any given day, Tinoq might pull out a few surprises, such as freshly baked epok-epok, re-imagined as large flaky puff pastries filled with a spicy filling of curried potatoes and sweet potatoes. Or crusty focaccia sprinkled with flakes of sea salt.
The food is strictly homestyle – satisfying simplicity that you can eat any time of the week. Nothing is particularly spicy and the rempahs are more understated than intense, with herbs playing a bigger role than chilli. If you like your nonya flavours with more kick, this may be a little light in comparison. But this also means it’s kinder to your system. And there’s less sugar used too.
The menu is comprehensive, with most of the classics in their repertoire. Tinoq has a vegan streak, so kueh pie tee (S$12) is made with just shredded turnips and carrots stuffed into a crunchy shell. We miss the infusion of pork and prawn stock in the filling, but as a consolation, you can add on ikura (S$10) or crispy hae bee hiam (dried shrimp) for S$5. We like the latter better on its own, for the irresistible crunch and strong chilli kick. It will be hard to persuade them to sell it by the bottle, though.
The ngoh hiang (S$16) is a winner, with chunky water chestnuts folded into the prawn and pork mixture and wrapped in deep-fried beancurd skin. A mean chilli-vinegar dip and sweet sauce do justice to this savoury snack.
You can almost feel the effort that went into finely shredding the lemongrass and blue ginger that shroud the ayam goreng berempah (S$16) in a wispy deep-fried nest of crispy, chewy and fragrant goodness. The chicken is cut small to soak up the marinade, so it’s slightly dry, but still tender and crunchy.
Bakwan kepiting (S$18) features a hefty packed pork ball with bits of prawn and crab in a delicate prawn head infused broth, with bamboo shoots and lots of fried garlic. Ayam buah keluak (S$30) has full-on black nut goodness but lacks the final punch; babi pongteh (S$32) and babi assam (S$28) benefit from velvety soft pork belly, but end on an ambivalent note. But get the sambal tumis ikan (S$38) – boneless fish in a lovely aromatic gravy of lemongrass, ginger flower and laksa leaves.
Cooking on a daily basis can take its toll, especially with just a small team in the kitchen, so don’t expect joy in every bite. While it’s more than adequate in general, your best bet is to book out the private dining room and get the pair to do a special menu, with their full personal attention.
There’s much to be said about cooking with heart, and whether Heritage Room stays on or not in its current form, PasirPanjangBoy’s soul food has no expiry date.
Rating: 6.5
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