National Kitchen by Violet Oon

We had heard about this new restaurant in the National Gallery and despite being fully booked we were able to be accommodated for late lunch.  Violet Oon is a highly regarded local celebrity who is known for her Peranaken or Nonya cuisine.  Peranakans are descendants of Chinese migrants who settled hundreds of years ago in Penang, a nearby Malaysian island.  The food, a blend of both Malaysian and Indonesian cooking is tangy, spicy, herbal and aromatic.    Violet Oon is internationally recognized for her efforts to preserve and present authetic Peranakan food.   Many of these dishes are Singaporean national dishes.  

Perfect Singapore Sling

We were seated at the bar and Violet's son who runs the restaurant sensed that we did not know what to order so he gave us lots of help, explaining many different dishes and making recommendations.   We started our lunch with a delicious Singapore Sling.   After that we had  Kueh pie tee, a very tradtional dish, which was absolutely fantastic.   Then we had two of the most popular local dishes, Dry Laksa and Chicken Rice.   The chicken rice reminded me of chicken fricasee which my grandmother made when I was a child.  It was nothing special.  The Laksa, a noodle dish was both unusual to us and very delicious.   After that we had Kopi which is local strong coffee served with either condensed or evaporated milk.    It was truly a memorable meal and we were so glad that we got to experience it.

Kueh Pie Tee

Pie Tee is a thin and crispy pastry tart shell kuih filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns. It is a popular Peranakan dish.  The filling is shredded Chinese turnips and carrots, and we were told the mixture is slow cooked for several days before it is filled in the little shells just before serving.  On the top is a shrimp with a little chili sauce.