Charlie's Peranakan Food

We didn't order their more popular Ayam Buah Keluak or Babi Keluak Tulang. Instead, we had the beef rendang and ayam rendang. Although both are rendang dishes, they were cooked completely differently. The beef was close to the rendang we're used to—cooked to a melt-in-the-mouth degree—but it was a bit too gluey for my liking. The chicken rendang resembled chicken curry in appearance. Its thick gravy seemed like it would pair well with bread. The achar was less flavourful than usual. Overall, a decent meal.

Food was amazing. I had the Buah Keluar, Beef Rendang, Chap Chye and Achar. All of the food was amazingly good. Had to order another plate of rice. Auntie was very friendly and will introduce the nyonya specialties. Also came to check in on us regarding the food quality for feedback. Highly recommend.

Underrated Peranakan find. I’ve been eating here for a few years now and it’s taken me this long to write a review because I end up wolfing down everything the moment I get my food. The Babi Buah Keluak is divine. The sauce is full of umami and the pork is rather tender. I always end up finishing the rice with every drop of gravy till the point of regret. And I’d return to do the same thing all over again. Tip: if you’re only eating this dish, dig out the buah keluak and put that into the gravy. Add rice gradually to your buah keluak so you won’t waste a drop of gravy. $13 is a steal for food of this quality.

Highly recommended - the food is absolutely amazing and it’s so reasonably priced – we had Ayam Buah Keluak, Beef Rendang, Sotong Sambal, Chap Chye and 2 rice, all for just $45. If you know Peranakan food, you’ll know that a single buah keluak dish at a restaurant outside would already cost much more because of how much effort goes into making it. The beef rendang is my favourite – super tender and full of flavour. But honestly, the highlight of the whole experience is the sweetest auntie and uncle who run the stall. Auntie was so thoughtful, even gave us containers to pack our leftovers and refused to take any money for them. You can just tell they’re doing this not for profit, but because they genuinely love sharing their cuisine 🥹❤️ I’ll cry when they retire. Please support them while you still can – they’re a treasure.

Food is flavourful and tasty, and prices are moderate, but the portion is on the smaller side. The buah keluak is served rawon style, and yet the dish is still served with the keluak flesh, which is great. Beef rendang is also nice and tender, with a good amount of meat-to-tendon ratio served in a rich coconut gravy. Would also recommend the Lo Kai Yik if you haven't tried it before as Charlie's is one of the few hawker stalls that still sell it. Overall, it is always a pleasant experience eating here. The only gripe is that service can sometimes be a little too friendly when I'm trying to order more food than what they're used to serving per head, given that their portions aren't the largest.

Buahkluak done the way Grammy and Maw used to. The way it’s meant to be done. The magic of food that is able to transport you back in time to the good ol’ days when this food was prepared with pride, no corner cutting.

+ Prices are more affordable than many other Peranakan eateries, which tend to be standalone cafes/restaurants (e.g. Nyonya House by Rempeh, Peramakan, Chilli Padi, Guan Hoe Soon), even if they're not exactly located in fancy expensive locations (unlike Violet Oon's restaurants). For example, Ayam Buah Keluak starts from $13 here, vs $18+ elsewhere. + Ngoh Hiang 2 rolls ($12) - they tend to run out of this by end of day + Ayam Buak Keluak ($13) + Babi Tulang Buak Keluak 4 ribs 5 nuts ($13) + Nangka Lemak (jackfruit curry, no meat) ($10) + Belimbing (Starfruit) Pork/ Chicken ($12) + Beef rendang ($14) + Babi assam ($10) + Ayam Ponteh / Rendang ($10) + Bakwan Kepiting (pork/crab soup) ($10) + Chap chai ($5) @@ + Lo Kai Yik ($14, $20 for 3 pax, simmering chicken wings, pork skin, intestines, cuttlefish, kang kong in sweet taucheo and fermented red bean curd) + Toh Hay (red yeast chicken) $15 Satay Ayam ($8) Sambal Lemak w fish floss ($15) Assam Pedas Chicken ($10) Babi Ponteh, Babi Hong, Babi Assam, Babi Chinchalok ($12) Achar Fish ($13) Ikan Tempra ($12) Sambal Sotong ($13) Sotong Hitam ($12) SMALL rice 50 cents @@ Ask for Sambal belachan side chilli - Portion sizes are somewhat rigid, i.e. customers cannot order bigger portions. Suspect this could be a result of their fixed small serving plate size. Each dish, when ordered as part of a total of 4-5 dishes, tend to be just nice for 5 - 6 pax, which is the table-size limit for Golden Mile Food Centre anyway.

i heard about this place from a class and wanted to try it for the longest time. finally had the opportunity to do so on Sunday. we went there just when they opened so had no need to wait. they were located in a quieter corner of the hawker centre, plenty of options for dishes and all were sized just right for four people. the food came quickly and we enjoyed all the dishes. special call-out for the Pork Rib Buah Keluak (4 big seeds fully stuffed with pure buah keluak filling) and the Nangka Lemak. we loved our lunch there. highly recommended!

This is the only Peranakan food stall I could find in the Golden Mile hawker center. The beef rendang was tender and flavorful with a great coconut flavor to it. Only mildly spicy. At $10 it was a little pricey for hawker food.