Bakwan kepiting from Guan Hoe Soon and coffee and sandwiches from Coffee Break. The Hainanese community is renowned for its role in Singapore’s food history. From immigrants who found a niche in the service sector as restaurant cooks and domestic help in wealthy European and Peranakan households, they eventually set up their own restaurants in the post-War years.
“My grandfather came from China, Hainan Island. He worked as a housekeeper in a Peranakan family. Later, when he saved enough money, he started his own coffeeshop to make Peranakan food in the Joo Chiat area,” Jenny shared. “You can’t put too much. If you don’t push it in, it will drop out when you cook,” Chef Raymond explained. The stuffed nuts were a key component of ayam buah keluak. Cooked together with chicken pieces and a specially blended rempah the iconic Peranakan dish was a study in complexity. Bringing out depth of flavour required experience, careful adjustments and time.
Chef Melvyn and I swiftly powered through a feast of other dishes including udang nanas pedas, Nyonya chap chye, otak-otak and, my favourite, bakwan kepiting. Named for its ingredients – bakwan means meatball in Chinese and kepiting means crab in Malay – the hand-shaped spheres of minced pork and crab meat were served in a piping hot broth. The crab was sweet and fresh, whilst a generous fat to meat ratio gave the bakwan a luscious texture.
For me, partaking in her family’s brand of Peranakan food was not a matter of comparison. It was different, but no less delicious than my family’s.Bright green squiggles of pandan-perfumed cendol and plump red beans were laced with thick coconut cream, then topped with a globe of crushed ice. Top quality gula melaka that had been boiled for eight hours was the crowning touch. Deep caramel sweetness mingled with hints of salt from the coconut cream for a decadent end to our meal.
While the siblings certainly have updated the Coffee Break menu, Jack credits their father for being an early innovator. “My dad was the one who first started introducing flavours like hazelnut kopi, Irish cream kopi, caramel kopi, so he was the OG of all our newfangled flavours,” he said.Easing us into a selection of their bestsellers, Anna started us off with their sea salt caramel iced latte. “We put real sea salt in the coffee and add a little bit of caramel,” she explained.
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