Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Candlenut Kitchen

Some time ago we heard that Malcolm Lee, a bright, savvy culinary school graduate, had finally opened his much anticipated (in foodie circles, at least) Peranakan place on Neil Road. The guy’s got balls alright, we thought then. Opening a Nyonya joint in the Tanjong Pagar area, where there’s a surfeit of kickass Peranakan outlets, is certainly setting the cat among the pigeons. It’s a tidy little place; its dark, wooden floors contrast nicely with whitewashed walls. The contemporary vibe is nicely complemented by the old school wooden beams on the ceiling—it’s in a Straits-style shophouse, after all. This 30 person (or so) establishment was a third full when we trooped in early one weeknight. A sourpuss of a waitress showed us to our table—no smile, no hello, just a sharpish slap of the menu on the table. We got straight in and ordered, and while we didn’t mind the longish wait, the food arrived in dribs and drabs, which was infuriating because a) we didn’t order much b) by this time there was only another table (a party of six) being served. And the food was an utter letdown—possibly one of the most pedestrian dining experiences we’ve had this year. The Java sambal goreng, a curried dish with eggs, prawns and vegetable had none of the spicy, sharp flavors that it’s known for; while the Nyonya otah was lacking in flavor and overpriced. Even the classic chincalok omelet was all egg and possessed hardly a hint of the salty fermented shrimp of the chincalok. The babi pongteh, with its juicy bits of pork belly stewed in a hearty fermented bean sauce, though, was delicious. And while all the dishes were well portioned, we would gladly have traded in quantity for quality. The real saving grace was the la chendol, an exquisitely plated version of the popular local dessert served with fantastically fragrant gula melaka, red beans, attap seeds and chendol ice cream. The unsmiling, indifferent service continued throughout; the dozy staff swiping our credit card against the wrong bill (overcharging us by three fold, before it was sorted out). The question is not so much whether we’ll be back (we won’t), but whether they’ll still be around in the next few months. Quite frankly, we’d like them reincarnated as a hole-in-the wall chendol shack in their next life.