Alibaba & Nyonya @ TTDI

Tasty Peranakan Cuisine

Peranakan cuisine has such complex and rich flavour that many finds it hard to cook these days. The nyonyas and babas of yesteryears spent so much time and effort in the kitchen just to prepare a meal for the family. These days, finding a good Peranakan restaurant to enjoy this cuisine is also quite a task.

One of the latest new eatery in TTDI, Alibaba & Nyonya hopes to satisfy the palates of Peranakan fans with their signatures of the cuisine. Locating this eatery is rather easy as it is located next to Secret Recipe.

The restaurant has a bright and casual vibe that makes dining comfortable. From the eye-catching hawker stall-on-wheels at the entrance to the street art mural that is bound to be a hotspot for some social media ops, the restaurant is also designed with pretty and colorful tiles and old fashion furniture.

    

The menu is well filled with lots of Peranakan classics and familiar favorites. There’s plenty of appetizers, main courses of seafood and meat as well as vegetables and dessert to cater to diners of all ages.

Apple Juice with Chia Seed (RM9.91), Calamansi Asam Boi (RM8.02), Cincau Lychee Juice (RM8.02), Fresh Lime Juice (RM8.96), Cincau Watermelon Juice (RM8.02) & Fresh Coconut Lychee (RM8.96)

We couldn’t resist ordering an order of Acar Rampai (RM6.51) to whet our appetite. The dish requires a lot of preparation and the version here is decent and yummy. Lots of crunchy vegetables with spicy and nutty sauce certain makes good starter…

Mains started to arrive and the first one was this delicious Kerabu Udang (RM27.26). Large plump prawns dressed in piquant spicy and tangy dressing along with crisp red onion makes a delicious kerabu salad.

The Chicken Pongteh (Small – RM20.66, Medium – RM39.43) here is a solid dish with a good balance of salty and sweet with a lingering note of moreishness. The chicken and potatoes are tender and has been well-braised to absorb all the flavours of bean sauce. It’s a dish that goes perfect with fluffy rice.

At sight, the Ayam Dara Goreng (Small – RM18.77, Medium- RM33.87) looked golden and delicious. The deep-fried kampung chicken is a tad dry but the flavours are good. A heavier salty note, the chicken goes well with Nasi Ulam and sambal belachan. We feedback on this dish so hopefully the chef can consider making this fried chicken a bit juicier.

Ask for the Sambal Belachan for extra yummy flavours…

For something a bit more unusual than our all-time-favorite Asam Pedas, we savored the King’s Curry Fish Head (RM70.75). The garoupa fish is fresh with a firm and sweet flesh. Paired with the thick and creamy curry well-spiced up, the fish and vegetable is deliciously delectable. The curry was so yummy that I even find myself spooning the gravy and drenching my rice with it.

The Sambal Petai Sotong (Small – RM25.38, Medium – RM36.70) had good flavours too but I personally felt that there was something missing from the overall flavours. The sambal was a tad too watery and the flavours were good but not a dish that is memorable for me. Still, the dish was generous with tender squid pieces and petai.

The Mutton Curry (Small – RM27.26, Medium- RM51.70) is superb! Faultless an utterly delicious, it was a plate of gorgeous spicy flavours that is well balanced and sublime. The mutton is also fork-tender and very aromatic from all the slow cooked spices and curry leaves. A must-order if you love thick and rich meaty curry…

I have tasted quite a few Telur Belanda (RM10.19) and most of them seemed to be on the sweeter side. The version here is one of the best I have had. Fried egg drenched in tamarind sauce, the version here has a lovely vibrant tang and is not overly sweet. Cooked well, the egg had that slightly crisp edges while the yolk is still soft.

We also tried their Sambal Fried Pucuk Paku (RM13.68) which is also delicious and faultless.

While all the dishes go well with steamed rice, the Nasi Ulam (RM6.13) is still worthy of an order. The rice is full of fresh herb flavours as well as spices. It really doesn’t need any dishes except for the sambal belachan because the rice is already so tasty.

Alibaba & Nyonya also offers some tea time specials. One can opt for various choices from Nyonya Kuih to Crispy Popiah, Mee Siam and Mee Goreng that comes with a hot beverage.

Nyonya Kuih 2pcs with Teh Tarik/Hot Coffee (Tea Time Treats Set 1 – RM5.50)

Mee Siam with Teh Tarik/Hot Coffee (Tea Time Treats Set 3 - RM9.50)

Crispy Popiah with Teh Tarik/Hot Coffee (Tea Time Treats Set 4 – RM5.50)

Our lovely Peranakan meal ended with sweet and icy desserts of Cendol Gula Melaka (RM6.13), Sago Gula Melaka (RM5.19) and Signature ABC (RM7.08).

Desserts were palatable and my favorite was the ABC which was full of lovely bits and fine ice shavings.

ALIBABA & NYONYA

54, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1,

Taman Tun Dr Ismail,

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-7732 3170

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlibabaNyonyaMY/

Operating Hours: 11.00 to 10.00pm, Daily

Restoran Bibiwok @ Bandar Puteri, Puchong

Fusion Flavours of Nyonya and Thai Cuisines

It’s quite rare to find a restaurant serving Thai and Nyonya together. A recent invite from the foodie gang had us tasting Restoran Bibiwok, a restaurant serving Nyonya and Thai dishes in Bandar Puteri Puchong. Open in 2006, the restaurant also has another concept running above its Thai and Nyonya restaurant that specializes in Thai BBQ and Steamboat. Owner cum chef Richie Yeo learns from the best, his Nyonya aunt and grandmother on the Nyonya cuisine while he picked up his own personal favorite Thai cuisine along the way. The pork-free restaurant has been serving a list of Nyonya and Thai dishes to many foodies and has garnered quite a following to many who enjoy flavours of both Nyonya and Thai together.

The restaurant is fairly big and spacious. Decorated with a Peranakan theme, the restaurant is elegant and inviting. Besides the clean and bright colors of the whole restaurant, Peranakan details like lantern, wood carving panels, Nyonya furniture pieces and ornaments together with precious photos of yesteryears adds charm and personality to the restaurant ambiance.

Flipping through the menu at Bibiwok, there are certainly many favorite dishes of mine available for order. There are plenty of Nyonya dishes as well as Thai dishes. Both cuisine shares similar flavours so enjoy them together is delicious. Expect lots of robust spice-laden flavours with well-balance sweet, savory, spicy and sour notes.

For drinks, we had their Fresh Cucumber with Calamansi (RM7.90) and Thai Serai Ginger Tea (RM4.90). My Fresh Cucumber with Calamansi is beautifully refreshing and thirst-quenching plus it goes really well with the heavy flavours of the dishes we had.

We had a sharing platter of Nyonya Thai Combination Entrée (RM40) to start off our meal. It was a gorgeous platter of Thai Serai Sticks, Pie Tee, Vegetable Fritters and cucumber salad served with housemade tangy chili sauce.

Thai Serai Sticks of minced chicken wrapped around lemongrass are fried till golden. The skewers are juicy and tasty with a nice aroma from the lemongrass. The golden crispy Pie Tee cups are to be filled with sweet and juicy jicama filling topped with egg omelette and a spoonful of chili sauce. These are delicious with lots of savory and sweet notes while the crispy shells gave the dish its unique texture. The Vegetable Fritters are pretty decent and makes good snacking as we waited for our main dishes to arrive.

To go with steamed rice, we had their Nyonya Chicken Rendang (RM18). A signature of Bibiwok, the Nyonya Chicken Rendang is a spice-rich curry that reminded us of why we love Nyonya cuisine. The Rendang is thick, creamy and beautifully robust in flavours. Simmered slowly, the Rendang ingredients have harmonized well and produced a decadent curry with chicken pieces that goes really well with rice.

We also had their Thai Assam Curry Steamed Fish (RM40 onwards). Steamed Siakap fish is smothered in a pool of spicy and sourish piquant Thai Assam curry. Lots of vegetables such as long beans, cabbage, eggplant, beancurd puff, lady fingers and herbs are added for extra bite. We took our time enjoying the fish as it is kept warm on a heated light. The gravy is utterly moreish and I found myself enjoying the curry gravy a lot. One can also have this with other fishes available.

A testament to a good Thai meal is Tom Yam soup. Our Signature Tom Yam Soup with Seafood (RM24 – small, RM41 – large) looked fiery and inviting. This one passed with flying colors. Super spicy with good notes of sourness, the Tom Yam soup here is what every Tom Yam soup should be. Hints of creamy notes from the addition of coconut milk made the soup even more luscious. Pumped with lots of herbs, chili and seafood, it really whet the appetite that evening.

More seafood treats of Nyonya Chili Garam Prawns (RM26 – small, RM46 - large) was much welcomed by all of us. Large prawns cooked in classic Nyonya chili garam sambal is a sure crowd-pleaser. The prawns have taken on the sambal flavour so well. The pungent sambal oozed with bold spicy notes and has just enough heat to make us want to keep on eating it. Yum!

After the few amazing dishes, the Thai Green Curry Duck (RM26) didn’t live up to the earlier ones. To be fair, the green curry is very delicious together with the vegetables, herbs and lychees. I found the duck pieces a tad dry and didn’t quite soaked up the curry flavour. Other than that, I still enjoyed the green curry gravy with my rice.

I also enjoyed the Otak Omelette (RM13). Fluffy and crispy pieces of Otak Omelette is served with green chili sauce. The omelette has loads of Otak ingredients such as onions, herbs, chili and spices in it. Though it didn’t completely convinced me that it was Otak Otak, I still love the omelette because it was cooked very well and well-seasoned.

Kerabu Belimbing (RM12) is such a pretty dish at sight. Star fruit pieces are tossed in piquant dressing together with onions, chili and crispy small fish before being topped with coriander is additive. This is a kerabu salad that I would enjoy often because there is lots of textures and complex tasty flavours. It makes a great appetizer as well as a main course to be paired with rice.

Sambal Brinjal Special (RM12 – small, RM18 – large) is also pretty delicious. Tender slices of eggplant are cooked separately and served with a thick zesty sambal on the side. Expect heavy rich flavours from the sambal and be prepared to eat lots of rice with this dish.

For desserts, we had their Thai Ruby Jack Fruit (RM5.90), Chendol Gula Melaka (RM4.90), Steamed Banana with Gula Melaka (RM7) and Sago Gula Melaka (RM4.90). A mix from both worlds, the desserts made a nice sweet ending to our robust meal.

Bibiwok has so much more to offer and we barely covered a quarter of their list. I would love to return to try their Thai BBQ, Nynoya Curry Fish Head, Thai Creamy Salted Egg Squid, Buah Keluak Chicken, Nyonya Itik Tim Soup and more. Bibiwok has been around that packed area for a while and the reason is pretty obvious. Good food with affordable pricing is what Bibiwok has to offer to their diners!

RESTORAN BIBIWOK

16 Jalan Persiaran Puteri 1

Bandar Puteri Puchong

47100 Puchong

Tel: 03-8068-6284

Website: www.bibiwok.blogspot.com

Business Hours: 11.00am-4.00pm & 5.30pm-11.00pm

Nyonya Memoirs @ Dataran Pahlawan, Malacca

A Peranakan Love Story

A truly first in Malaysia, Hatten Group presents its fully-interactive live environmental theatre production of Nyonya Memoirs. Featuring a revolutionary new concept of 360 degree Live Peranakan Experience, Nyonya Memoirs is set in the historical city of Malacca at Dataran Pahlawan.

Premiered in May 2015, the theatre production of Nyonya Memoirs runs till 19 July 2015. Hatten Group spared no expense at this RM8million investment, taking on the very best of the production team, the star-studded cast, the theatre set and the costumes. The inspiration for this project is in line with the State Government’s goals to highlight local culture with the main objective of promoting a deeper appreciation for our city’s Peranakan heritage.

It is truly a wondrous theatrical show with musical and dance performances injected into Nyonya Memoirs. The concept centers on the traditions and customs of the Peranakan culture where everything goes by the Baba Nyonya beliefs. Located on Level 3 of Dataran Pahlawan, the Nyonya Memoirs production is amazingly gorgeous. The show is available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with two show times of 4pm and 8pm respectively.

Boasting of a A-list production team of Atlantic Theatre and Production with renowned director, James Lee, winner of the Best ASEAN Film Award with the musical score directed by Tan Yue Hue, who has worked with international artistes while the cast is coached by Pearly Chua, nominee for Best Supporting Actress at the 43^rd Golden Horse Film Festival and the costumes are designed by Beatrice Looi, Malaysia’s top international fashion designer.

My family and I caught a Saturday show in the afternoon at 4pm one weekend. I was really excited when I walked into the theatre. To my surprise, I even met a very good friend, Merryn and her family there too that same day. We were ushered into a long hall decorated with Peranakan heritage.

Showcase displaying Nyonya kebayas with gorgeous embroidery works, hand beaded shoes and intricate jewelry pieces together with a typical Nyonya kitchen and its utensils, intricate wood carvings and finally a typical Nyonya cuisine of Nyonya Kuih had everyone busy clicking their phones and cameras while waiting for the show to start.

We were suddenly greeted by the housekeeper, Tao Jie who boisterously warmed us up with a few information about the cultures of the Peranakan and proceeded to guide us into the set.

Nyonya Memoirs is about a lover’s tale between a wealthy Nyonya girl by the name of Bao Zhu, played by Dorothy Foo and her love for a poor common Baba, Zhang Min, played by Evan Siau. The couple faces the obstacles of the family’s disagreement of their union due to the social differences of their respective lives. Immerse yourselves as the story unfolds through its own magical and musical production through the unusual concept of having viewers watch the show through a moving production set.

Nyonya Memoirs is performed in Mandarin mostly together with a mixture of Peranakan dialect thrown in such as Bahasa Melayu and some local languages. For those who are not well-versed with Mandarin, fear not as there are screen displays all over translating the conversation to English.

As soon as we step into the set, all 600 meters of it cleverly designed to echo the era of a typical Peranakan location, we were drawn to the main area of a garden right in the center of the room. Flanked with a green lawn and trees surrounding the garden, it is the main area of where the show starts off. Surrounding the garden are shops of yesteryears, typical Nyonya household and streets of those good old Peranakan days.

The theatre set is a sight to behold as there were just so many things that really reminded me of my own heritage as my father is a northern Baba himself, whom also just so happen to marry my mother who is actually a  non-Nyonya.

An energetic and smiley storykeeper played by Li Qiang proceeded to gather everyone’s’ attention and rolled out the storytelling of the lovers.

The story kicks off with Zhang Min getting all excited to propose his love and hand in marriage to his beloved Bao Zhu where he even gets the viewer involve by asking them their opinions. As mentioned, this is an interactive production so one may never know if you may just be included in the show!

Here are scenes of the lovers enjoying a serene and happy moment of themselves.

In every family, there will always be a few black sheep of the family whose intent are purely mischievous and malicious. In Nyonya Memoirs, there, they are the uncle and aunt of Bao Zhu, who simply cannot resist to inject their slandering of the couple at every chance they get.

I do have to admire both of Bao Zhu's uncle and aunt, seen here with Bao Zhu's father as they really played their part so well and both are really full of expressions and emotions.

Zhang Min meeting the family for the first time.

A solemn meeting between the lovers...

A scene from a typical Nyonya Tok Panjang in the dining room where Baba Nyonya dines on a feast of sumptuous Peranakan cuisine. This is also where family times were once a must in every household as everyone would gather together for family time. Here it is to celebrate Bao Zhu's mother's birthday.

Here are more scenes of Nyonya Memoirs but there will be no spoilers as one should really go and enjoy the experience yourselves!

Moments of despair from the couples as their family feuds continues with Bao Zhu’s mother, Yue Niang who objects while her father is left with heartache as he see his daughter suffers through the Peranakan beliefs.

The dashing Zhang Min is also left heartbroken…

Moment of hope as the couple tries to elope...

Unfortunately they were caught...

Viewers will be glad to know though that the couple did get their happy ending but you have to watch how they got it yourselves… there are quite a few touching scenes which I omitted here as I was too touch and busy enjoying those moments.

Go with an open mind and soak in the story whole heartedly for an unforgettable experience!

The show ended with the parade of Zhang Min and Bao Zhu’s grand wedding together with all the cast dressed in traditional wedding costumes at the Lover’s Bridge in the mall.

The Cast of Nyonya Memoirs

The 360 degree theatre experience is a lovely and fascinating experience while the cast and costumes are equally amazing. Together with the musical and dance performances plus the interactive parts, Nyonya Memoirs is a theatrical production unlike any others we have here in Malaysia. Don’t miss this truly heart-warming and delightful Nyonya Memoirs by Hatten Group!

NYONYA MEMOIRS

Showtime: Every Friday - Sunday, 4pm & 8pm

Venue: Level 3, Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall @ Melaka

Ticket pricing*

ADULT

RM52 (mykad holder)

RM66 (non-mykad holder)

CHILD (7 - 15 years old) or SENIOR CITIZEN (60 years old and above)

RM26 (mykad holder)

RM33 (non-mykad holder)

* Terms and conditions apply.

For more information or to book your tickets, please log on to www.nyonyamemoirs.com or visit the Nyonya Memoirs ticketing counter at Level 3, Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall or call hotline at + 6018 663 9696. Tickets can also be purchase online or at the concierge of Hatten Hotel & Estadia by Hatten Hotel.