I N V I T E D T A S T I N G
I brought along the harshest critic to this tasting - my mother. She is the best Peranakan cook I know, so if the dishes at Straitsbon were going to be "passed" by her, then clearly, they've got things right. Well, she was pretty happy with the meal overall, so that's a positive sign! 😄
The dish that had us raving non-stop was the "Beef Shin Rendang Tok" ($20++). Besides having a deeply aromatic "rempah", the huge chunks of meat were terrifically tender. As this choice cut of beef has a lot of connective tissue which gets broken down during cooking, what you get is a truly melt-in-the-mouth experience.
Another that we liked a lot was the "StraitsBon Kelinga Gulai Fish Head" ($28++). It's the Head Chef's specialty and is based on a recipe from the olden days of Penang. Big enough to be shared among three to four diners, this had a thick curry that's a little sweet and a little sour. I love that they cut the brinjal and tomatoes in big pieces here, so they weren't too mushy. At some places, you can hardly make out the vegetables 🙄
The "Sambal Petai" ($16++) was the one dish we felt could be slightly improved. Although the "sambal belado" and prawns were tasty, the petai, which we guessed had been parboiled, lacked crunch and intensity of its natural flavour. When we shared our feedback with one of the owners Joey who was hosting us, he promptly tried it for himself and couldn't help but agree. He then assured us he'd inform his head chef to change the cooking method so as to ensure the petai retains its essence. I am sure we'll be enjoying the improved version on our next visit.
The majority of Straitbon's menu comprises of Peranakan dishes using traditional recipes from a true-blue Peranakan lady but they also have a few local dishes like "Har Jiong Gai" ($8++). This item is understandably popular given how the fragrant battered coating of the chicken wings stayed crunchy until the end of our meal. I highly recommend savouring them with a few ice-cold beers! 🍻
Although the ambience is very casual because of the eatery's location in the main lobby of the Oasis building, they do table service. During lunch, it tends to be packed with the office crowd so a good time to check it out is on weekday evenings and Sundays. They are open Sundays to Fridays from 10.30am to 9pm (closed on Saturdays).
Feel free to find out more at www.straitsbon.com
Thanks Jason, Joey and @straitsbon for hosting my parents and I.