Welcome to Joo Chiat. Looking for Peranakan places?

yummy rice dumplings 🫶🏼

What I had:
- 4 x Nyonya Rice Dumpling 招牌娘惹粽
- 4 x Hokkien Rice Dumpling with Salted Egg Yolk 黄金咸蛋福建鲜肉粽
- 1 x Kueh Salat Cake

I really enjoyed the nyonya rice dumpling the meat was generous and everything was really authentic😌

I tried Joo Chiat Kim Choo's rice dumplings (their Emperor Rice Dumpling, Nyonya Rice Dumpling, salted egg yolk rice dumpling, hakka pork rice dumpling & pulut hitam rice dumpling) delivered right to my doorstep. Shared it with my entire family of 5 and we wolfed down almost all of the dumplings within the day itself. Each rice dumpling has diverse individual tastes and unique flavours, the rice is a perfect amount of sticky and really gives me a throwback to my younger days… it didn’t stick to the packaging, so it was easy to heat up for next day consumption (and still tasted really good!) Most importantly, they are VERY generous with the rice dumpling fillings, offering a delightful mix of textures and flavours in every bite. Whether you crave savoury or sweet, there will be a Joo Chiat Kim Choo rice dumpling that fits your need. Trust me, this is a must-try with family and friends!

Salted egg dumpling
It’s nicely salted and the flavour is completely even throughout :)
The pork is excellent, no weird meat smell and very nice mouth texture - the pork is very tasty!!
The egg yoke is not giving what it’s meant to be giving but other than that ☆

Nonya rice
Rice is nicely cooked through :)
The meat is sweet and well seasoned
Love the mouthfeel and there was no weird chucks of cartilage

Nonya Pulot Hitam
I wish there was more pulot Hitam but I am LOVING the texture of the mixed rices, it’s great!
The meat is tasty and well seasoned - lovely mouthfeel

icy traditional dessert served with rice flour jelly, coconut milk, palm sugar syrup topped with durian puree

fried vermicelli noodles with sambal, taucheo and assam gravy

handmade egg skin popiah rolled with turnips, prawns, lettuce, beansprouts, shredded cucumber & garlic sweet sauce and chilli sauce

🍴DINE OUT🍴
📍Guan Hoe Soon, Joo Chiat 📍
💸 Sotong Sambal
💸 Traditional Nyonya Roast Pork
💸 Ayam Buah Keluak
💸 Hee Peow soup
💸 Ngoh Hiang
...
Had our lunch at Guan Hoe Soon, one of the oldest Peranakan restaurants in Singapore😃! Tried a variety of dishes and our favourite was their Traditional Nonya Roast Pork🍖, a dish we had to call and reserve in advance as it's not on the menu. We liked the combination of the roast pork with pickled veggies, as the slightly sour and refreshing pickles helped to cut through the grease🥒. The other dishes were pretty good as well, but we felt the portion was a little small for it's price. Nevertheless, we had a pretty nice experience there. Definitely a good place for family meals👪!

Of course, I could not just walk away from Chili Padi without a screaming hot claypot of their signature Ikan Assam Pedas. Translated as ‘sour spicy’ from Malay, this fish stew was all that and more. We wanted to order the fish head portion, but alas, they were out of that so we settled for a fillet instead ($16.80++).⠀
⠀
The fish used in the Ikan Assam Pedas is barramundi, which tends to be drier than most other fish. That works out perfectly, as you automatically spoon on more of that irresistible sour & spicy broth onto the fresh fish flesh. While the barramundi was commendably fresh, the only reason this is worth of being a signature dish is that bubbling broth.⠀
⠀
The tartness of the tamarind juice is the first thing to invade your palate, followed by the spicy heat of the chilies & spices in the broth. It’s almost like tom yum, but better, as there is a deeper and more fulfilling depth of flavour to this assam pedas. Salty, spicy, sour and utterly scintillating, the assam pedas compels you to keep going back for sips of that sapid broth amidst bites of fish. Plus, brinjal, ladyfingers and tomatoes are cooked in the brilliant broth as well, so it really is a complete, nutritious meal in a pot.⠀
⠀
While I’m sure that the assam pedas would be utterly world-beating with a fish head, the fish fillet portion was already undeniably sublime in its own right. While the assam pedas bubbles, get down to Chili Padi on the double and you’ll be handsomely rewarded for your troubles.

Sotong (aka squid) is a Peranakan staple, but instead of ordering something traditionally Peranakan like Sotong Hitam, I couldn’t resist the allure of the BBQ Sambal Sotong ($13.80++ for a small serving). Barbecue sambal sotong is a dime a dozen in Singapore, but Chili Paid have absolutely knocked this one outta the park.⠀
⠀
Squid that’s been slathered in Chili Padi’s sambal chili is grilled and ready to wow any tastebuds. The squid is so unbelievably fresh that you’d need to harpoon the squid yourself if you wanted it any fresher. The firm, perfectly textured squid adopts the feisty, fiery flavours of the sambal effortlessly. Chili Padi’s sambal skews toward the salty side, so there is a huge hit of savouriness and spiciness that is supported by undertones of sourness & sweetness from the sambal.⠀
⠀
What makes Chili Padi’s squid exquisite is the smokiness from the grilling. The char acquired from the grilling deepens the sapidity of the sambal, and injects a sensual smokiness that heightens all of the flavour attributes there. All you need is a heaping big plate of rice with a full dish of this sambal sotong, and you’re good to go. Absolutely scintillating sambal sotong, and if you like it, put these sotong rings on it.

Chili Padi’s been in business for a long time, and with absolute screamers like their Ngoh Hiang ($10.80++ per roll), it’s obvious as to how they’ve stayed in the game. Chili Padi’s Ngoh Hiang is probably the best I’ve had in Singapore, so paying more than ten bucks was an easy ask for me. Plus, each roll is an utter behemoth, and each slice is about the same size as the cucumber.⠀
⠀
At it’s core, ngoh hiang is simply a mix of minced pork, prawns & water chestnuts wrapped in a beancurd skin and deep fried. However, Chili Padi does it sensationally thanks to the sublimely seasoned mince & prawn mixture. A generous amount of five spice powder provides most of the aromatics & flavours for this roll along with some oyster sauce. ⠀
⠀
The texture is also spot on, with the minced pork retaining a nice coarseness to it, while the gargantuan chunks of chopped water chestnuts supply an irresistible crunch to the soft roll. The prawns were chopped up so finely they essentially disappeared, which is a bit of a bummer. Still, that did little to detract from the fact that this Ngoh Hiang was nothing short of scrumptious.

I’m sure many would’ve been confused between Kim Choo Kueh Chang & Joo Chiat Kim Choo but Kim Choo Kueh Chang is the OG‼️

I’ve always been getting my dumplings (Ba Zhang) from them!! Was super satisfied cause the Nonya Chang was still as mouthwateringly delicious as I remembered it to be!

Nonya Dumplings uses braised minced meat & is sweeter as candied winter melon strips are incorporated into the dumpling, making it a sweet and savoury rice dumpling!

These plump Nonya Chang from Kim Choo are super fragrant;)) Glad that the glutinous rice was throughly cooked, soft yet satisfyingly dense ; Encasing the generously packed & well-marinated pork. The addition of steamed bamboo leaves, made the Nonya Chang even more aromatic!

Nonya Chang has also always been Kim Choo’s iconic 🌟 dumpling as well as the crowds favv!!!!

Featuring 📸
~ Nonya Chang (pork) $5 each

[Fun Fact: Staying true to heritage, Kim Choo Kueh Chang wraps all their Ba Zhang by hand!!!]

I think dessert, it's quite nice. Not the best but still quite uummy