Peranakan Buffet Lunch @ Indocafe the White House at Newton

35 Scotts Road, Singapore 228227

Tel: 6733 2656

Website: http://thehouseofindocafe.com/restaurant.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitehouse.indocafe

For years I have been passing by this beautiful, cultural Colonial-style white bungalow located off Scotts Road, and have been wanting to check it out. The day has finally dawned, and thanks for buddy *Zachery for the company. So here we are, immersed in cultural richness and exquisite settings while pondering between a la carte orders or their signature Peranakan buffet.

Anyway, to share a little about this charming two-storied building, it is home to Peranakan fine dining, fine coffee appreciation as well as cultural arts performances. Service crew members are all dressed immaculately, unfailingly polite and the restaurant has a quiet elegance about it that we enjoyed.

We settled on the A La Carte Peranakan Buffet (SGD$29.00 on weekdays / SGD$33.00 on weekends) excluding prevailing charges. There is a list of 20 dishes to choose from, including savoury dishes as well as desserts.

Sotong Panggang (marinated and grilled squid with sambal sauce) graced the table first - rather huge pieces, succulent and mildly spicy with sambal, a dish that pleased our palates immensely.

Stingray Panggang (marinated and grilled stingray with sambal sauce) was served with crunchy string beans - we actually preferred these over the fish ironically. Flavour of stingray was rather good, but we are more accustomed to saucier stingray dishes.

Next, Kueh Pie Tee - tiny crispy pastry cups served separately from bowl of turnips, crabmeat, cuttlefish and shrimps. We inserted the bowl of shredded goodies into the pastry cups with a tiny scoop of garlic chili, and happily bit into the bursts of flavours and textures.

The Hokkien Hae Mee (prawn soup noodle) was a bowl of clear dark broth with yellow noodles, prawns, water spinach, eggs and beansprouts. I thought the broth was a little too sweet for my liking.

Belachan Kay (a type of chili mixture with chicken, "kay" is chicken in Hokkien) marinated with shrimp paste, served with chilli sauce on the side. Rather enjoyed the crackling skin and juicy, tender flesh, but totally loved the taste - it's prawn paste chicken with a different name.

Pasembur was served next, a dish made up of sweet turnips, eggs and crispy deep-fried beancurd cubes served with sweet and sour potato dressing. A light, simple and refreshing dish it was!

Then Otak Klasik -  steamed egg custard a la chawanmushi, with Barramundi fish fillet - the entire dish was flavorful and smooth, filling the palate pleasingly.

Next, Lor Bak, made up of deep-fried beancurd, yam, century egg, Ngoh Hiang, fish cake and sausages, served with chili dip on the side. I quite enjoyed this dish as well, for the assortment of snack-like items.

Following that, Tu Boh Sui - blanched baby octopus served with chili peanut dip. The baby octopus were succulent, even juicy; they were bland in flavour but made tasty by the dip.

Jiu Hu Eng Chye - blanched cuttlefish with water spinach and peanut dip - immersed in a light and tasty gravy. Cuttlefish was chewy, crunchy and vegetables were crisp, making for a lovely dish.

Finally, Iced Chendol being our choice of dessert - coconut milk over crushed ice, rice flour jelly, palm sugar and red beans. The coconut milk was sweet and creamy, a cooling relieve from the heavier dishes we had before. There's less ingredients than the normal Chendol that we are accustomed to, but we enjoyed the taste overall.

Enjoyed our experience here at Indocafe the White House, from the settings to service to food, we were pleased with everything. I shall love to come back soon, maybe for ther a la carte items this time.