INDOCAFÉ - Peranakan Dining

As i quote my friend, “the food is only good and better’.. there’s no mediocre substandard dishes! Totally satisfied our craving for good Peranakan food. Special mention of their Emping! 👍🏻 Service from Kalpana was exceptional! Attentive and sincere. Thanks to her, we totally enjoyed the experience last night. 🫶 even our overseas guests from China and Taiwan enjoyed the food and experience. :) totally worth every cent!

IndoCafe Peranakan Dining delivered an unforgettable dining experience with its rich, aromatic, and deeply flavorful Nyonya dishes. From the first bite, it was clear that every dish was prepared with tradition and care. The Ayam Buah Keluak was a standout—tender chicken in a luxuriously thick, earthy sauce that was perfectly balanced. The Chap Chye (stewed mixed vegetables) was comforting and packed with umami, while the Rendang had just the right kick of spice. Don’t miss their Durian Sago —delicate filled with savory goodness—or their Bubur Cha Cha for a sweet, coconutty finish. The restaurant’s ambiance blends Peranakan charm with modern comfort, and the service was warm and attentive. If you’re craving authentic, homestyle Nyonya food, IndoCafe is a must-visit!

Excellent service, food was authentic. The Babi Ponteh and and Assam Golden Pomfret (off menu) were our favourites. Only downside was there was a large party there who were quite loud. Other than that, it was a wonderful experience!

Had a pleasant Mother's Day lunch at INDOCAFE and found ourselves gorging on the "rice-thief" dishes. Our favorites were Babi Pongteh, the classic Buah Keluak and Sayur Lodeh. It's definitely not another home-cooked peranakan meal, it's a tier above. However I was quite surprised that they failed to follow up with my email asking them about wheelchair accessibility to the restaurant.

Food is excellent. Every dish is packed full of flavour and unique. Tried a few more typical items like the beef rendang which is perfectly cooked and just melts in your mouth to a few more unique items that we hadn't tasted before like chicken and pork dishes. Service is equally good with attentive waitstaff hep are friendly and helpful. Literally the only negative was overpriced and limited drink options. Otherwise a perfect dining experience.

Spacious and cosy atmosphere for a good dining experience with friends. Menu was typical Peranakan choices. Best dishes were the wagyu beef rendang and Kueh pie tee but some improvements could be made on the nyonya chap chai (the way it was cooked - ingredients not cooked long enough) and udang nanas (prawns not fresh).

Finally got to dine here … The restaurant is in an iconic black & white colonial bungalow, offering classic Peranakan cuisine. The Signature Tasting Menu was great, with generous portions. Loved the Belingo Crackers with Sambal belacan, Gula Melaka, and Acar—the Sambal belacan was outstanding! It’s a quiet spot away from Orchard, perfect for special dining with family & friends. Service staff were all attentive & pleasant. Will I be back? Yes, of coz! 😋 Premise parking is very limited, though.

Very good Peranakan Experience! Prepared for the spiced!

From 9th June to 13th August 2017, the restaurant would be having Penang a la carte buffet priced at $29++/ adult, $19++/child for lunch and $33++/ adult, $23++/child for dinner. For lunch, there was a total of 18 items on the menu, with of those 3 desserts. It looked limited, but it was more than enough to fill up the appetites for the 3 of us. Surprisingly on a Sunday lunch time, the place was pretty empty. It could because it was raining heavily outside with the place not sheltered to the nearest bus stop or MRT station. Besides us, there was only 2 other occupied tables. So it was pretty easy to get the attentions of the staffs around. Pasember 鲜鱼 Sweet turnips, beancurd & eggs, served with potato dressing It was like traditional rojak, topped with non spicy indian rojak sauce. Lok Bak 卤肉 Deep-fried beancurd, yam, ngoh hiang & fish cake Served with sweet sauce and chilli sauce. The five spice roll was meaty and quite flavourful on its own. The yam roll was quite unique, as it was coated with a thin crispy batter, while soft inside. Belachan Kay 虾酱鸡 Deep-fried chicken marinated with shrimp paste It was actually deep fried chicken wings. The meat was juicy, with hints of the shrimp paste without too salty. Jiu Hu Eng Chye 鱿鱼蕹菜 Blanched cuttlefish with water spinach and shrimp paste One like that young water spinach ( also commonly known as kang kong) was used in this dish which made it easy to chew. The cuttlefish was tender and well flavour without overwhelming. The paste coating the cuttle fish was not spicy, which made it easy for the little ones to enjoy this dish too. Tu Boh Sui 白灼八爪鱼 Blanched baby octopus served with peanut chili dip Simple but addictive dish which we requested for seconds. O'Jian 蚝煎 Oyster omelette with chives & chilli Eggy and gooey texture. Would prefer a more crispy edge. Rojak 槟城啰惹 Fruit rojak with homemade shrimp paste Non spicy but well flavoured. Could not help wishing for some crispy dough fritters to go with it. Stingray Panggang 烧烤方鱼 Grilled stingray marinated with sambal Another favourite which we requested for seconds. Felt the second one was much better, as one could smell char burnt smell from the first one. The sambal paste was shiok to go with meaty juicy meat. Sotong Panggang 烧烤苏东 Grilled squid marinated with sambal This was quite addictive with its chewy texture. One wishing for a glass of beer to go with it. Char Moi 炒粥 Fried porridge served with prawns It was like having teochew style of porridge after given a stir fried. Kueh Pie Tee 娘惹小金杯 Pastry cups with turnips, seafood & chilli dip It tasted not bad with the delicate made in house cups, although it would be better had the vegetables braised longer. Char Kway Teow 炒粿条 Rice noodles with prawns, cockles, sausage & eggs Not bad, although I felt it lacking of wok feel. Char Kway Kar 炒粿角 Rice cake with beansprout, pickled radish & eggs It was the least favourite dish. One felt that it was fried with salt instead of the usual soya sauce, making the dish a tab too salty. Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭 Coconut rice with kapitan chicken One could smell the rich curry from far. The chicken was tender and flavourful. The rice was light and fluffly, just nice with the curry gravy alone. Penang Laksa 阿三叻沙 Spicy fish broth noodles served with spring rolls It was served in a tiny traditional rooster bowl. The soup looked light, was quite flavourful. Bubur Cha Cha 摩摩查查 Yam, sweet potato & banana in coconut milk It was served hot. The soup was rich and creamy. One may felt that it was a tab too sweet. Si Quai Teng 四菓汤 Longan soup with barley, red beans, jelly & lotus seed One remarked that there seems to have chopped sea coconut in the dish too. The soup was light without too sweet. Just nice for a cold wet day. Warming to the stomach. Ice Cream Bread 冰淇淋夹面包 Local ice cream flavour of the day, served with bread The ice cream was raspberry. It was served with rainbow coloured bread, making it felt very old school. Overall most of the dishes were great. Like that most the dishes were not overwhelming or too spicy, which allowed one to add the spicy chilli paste to one's level.

The food is really good. It is a lovely place in the old black and white bungalow along Scotts Road. When it gets crowded, it can be a bit noisy, but when only one or two tables are occupied, it is so quiet you can hear your voice echoing (if you are very loud). The usual dishes are given a makeover by using premium ingredients. Wagyu for beef rendang. Otah with Hokkaido scallop. Cod for ikan masak merah. Even the dessert is a bit modern and fusion with gold jam. The food is cooked perfectly well, the spices complement each dish with no jarring effect. If you love Indonesian food, this is the place to be. The higher prices reflect the ingredients used. The portion is not huge and will probably be good for sharing (2-3 persons). It will be perfect if they have a one-person portion like Violet Oon's Kitchen. There is valet parking so that helps as the place is not very big. The entrance is a bit tricky if you drive as it almost faces the T-Junction of Scotts Road and Cairnhill Road. Otherwise, it is within walking distance from Newton MRT station and the bus stop is right outside.

Even better than before. Delicious Peranakan feast finished off with Chendol ice cream.

The stretch of buildings along Scotts road had always spurred my interest and I could not help turning my heads back over and over again each time as we drove pass there. In fact, I have always thought that it was some private housing since the facade looked like its kind of from the Bristish Colonial times. Another thing that made me think that it was more of residence was that there was usually one or two cars in the compound and I always thought that if it was something commercial, there should be more vehicles in there. Till we went into the compound and understand that parking lots were really limited and valet service is available. INDOCAFE is situated on a raised ground and you have to climb up a few steps through the stair of red carpet. Be welcome by the Peranakan flooring at its alfresco dining and rich culture before you entered into the restaurant. I was enlightened by the cafes lamp hanging down from the ceiling and its pot of flowers as we entered into the restaurant. There then the waiter ushered us to our table. Place was modernly furnished yet still retaining some peranakan culture with its wooden furnitures as well as decorations. At any time if you feel that you need to spice up more on the food, just dig the small spoon into the peranakan style pot for more chilli, The dishes were all served at a go and not according to any sequence as stated in the menu. However, the waiter that served us did mention every dish's name as he placed our sharing portion on the table. "Bok Nee" when translated from Teochew means black fungus. The salad was served cold and rather spicy to me. Salad consisted of Wild "Wood Ear" black fungus with Sambal dressing. Red onions as well as chilli padi can be seen among the cold salad, it really gave our tongue a very good heaty kick for a start. Talking about Peranakan food, Kueh Pie Tee is always my top favourite as snack among the cuisine. Ingredients are served separately from tThe Crispy pastry cups. Get your hands dirty by making your own Kueh Pie Tee now. Ingredients like shredded turnips, prawns, mushroom and even fresh crab meats was given. In fact, I would say that they are more than sufficient for the 4 cups. How generous! Before serving the kueh Pie Tee, do remember adding the garlic chilli on your cup, it does really make a big difference! Don't miss out another staple by the Peranakan's. This homemade 5 spiced pork meat was rolled and wrapped in soy bean curd skin then deep fried. Sweet sauce and sesame seeds were added when served. Color was dark brown which was close to a burnt color, however be rest assured that the meat was moist and overall the bite was crispy bite at exterior and was soft in its fillings. The fattier it is, the more authentic it becomes. Forget about the lean pork you have outside for Babi Pongteh, try this and enjoy the absolute softness from the braised pork belly in fragrant soya bean paste and aromatic spices. The dish was served with potatoes but just too bad that they tasted quite plain, nevertheless they still made a good pairing in making the gravy thicker, looking more scrumptious. Quality beef cheek slow-cooked to perfect softness, easy on the jaws. All was good but the miss was that the Rendang was not strong enough even though the Wagyu was prepared in INDOCAFE's special blend of spices. Kari Ikan was rated the best dish among the rest. The cod fish fillet was fried and even though it is served in authentic Nyonya gravy, the meat still holds on together and would not tear apart easily. Therefore, retaining the texture as it was supposed to be. Stir fried Eggplant dish may be rather simple but its spicy Sambal chilli was something that lift up the entire dish! Chap Chye has a stronger fermented bean curd taste than the usual ones I had elsewhere. The excellent find here is the prawns and pig skin with the standard braised mixed vegetables. As usual the gravy goes well with the refillable plain white rice. Looking at my plate of desserts, I was kind of disappointed as they looked boring to me. In fact, I make a glance over the next table and they had the rainbow lapis which I wold prefer more. Since this portion is individual , it would be good they can served differently for the assorted kuehs for each person. The Peranakan fare we had was above average but it did not have the impressive factor that will imprint a good memory. As far as the restaurant week menu is concern, it will be good to see more selection of Nyonya dishes available like Ayam Buah Keluak, Bakwan Kepiting etc.

As an Indonesian, I approve the food here. We arrived at the restaurant for a very late lunch, and we were literally the only ones there. It was a great escape from the bustling noise of orchard on a Sunday afternoon. The service was great, and the staffs were very knowledgable about the food. To start with, we ordered "Ngoh Hiang" under appetizer which was a five-spiced meat wrapped in soy beancurd. I totally recommend this to you guys because it's hella bomb. The meat is so savory, and oily. Just a great dish to start with. For the main we ordered rendang sapi (beef rendang), sambal kangkung (kind of like spinach with chilli), and udang asam nanas pedas (tiger prawns sautéed with pineapple gravy). First of all, the rendang; the ingredients are perfect. Very tasteful. Although the more proper way to cook rendang in Indonesia is to cook it for hours. The rendang here was tender and soft - and yes my boyfriend thought it was good. It is good, but it's not how a rendang should be. Rendang should be hard and stringy, that's why it is normally cooked for more than 1 hour. As an Indonesian, I prefer how it normally should be cooked, but overall it was pretty good. Sambal kangkung was excellent, very tasty and a little bit spicy. I like how everything tastes with the tiger prawn with pineapple gravy, because the sweet taste of the dish balances the savory taste of the rendang and the kangkung. All the food here are a little bit spicy, but then again I am Indonesian so if any of you guys don't eat spicy that much, some of the food here are going to be a little too spicy for you. Or it may taste a bit spicy at first, but the burn will accumulate throughout the course.. So get your glasses of water ready! As for the desert, we ordered warm banana cake topped with ice cream. It was da bomb, so please give it a try when you make your way to the restaurant.

First time for me to experience high tea. And I'm glad I chose this place for my first time! Before the food, I just love the aesthetic and ambiance of the place. It truly shows off the Peranakan cultural heritage, there is even an art exhibit that you could explore! Also very romantic set up...this is a total date place Service was awesome, the staff were very professional and knowledgeable of the menu items. I had to try the Kopi Luwak (the kind that is eaten by a civet and then pooped out) for the sheer novelty and was not disappointed . The high tea menu was great! A lot of food but was a very interesting assortment. Would definitely come back to this place and try our dinner!

After reading the reviews on the. Menu items decided to give it a try Was as stated in the reviews. Exceptional service. Excellent food. Will visit this again I. The future

I was the only one here for lunch on a Saturday. However, the food is served family style. You order an appetizer, main course with sides. I skipped the side of vegetables. They were "healthy" portions. I went with the servers recommendation on a beef dish and it was very delish.

Hi everyone, visited the restaurant in october with wife and son. Food was excellent quality, service was good and staff well trained and smartly dressed. Overall a fine dining experience for circa SGD70 / head excluding drinks. This was first time my wife and son had a peranakan style meal and it was a treat and surprise. On the night we dined, only a couple of other tables were taken (Saturday night, a big surprise ) this restaurant definitely deserves more custom as the food and service was top quality. We shall be back at Xmas when family arrive from UK and it's walking distance from our apartment. I don't usually write reviews, but have decided to recognise good food and service while exploring the food delights of Singapore. Andrew L.