Review: Violet Oon’s Kitchen
So, I just had one of my best meals of the year at Violet Oon’s Kitchen.
I’m not even kidding. My gastrorgasm levels are off the charts now because every dish was So. Damn. Good.
But I always tell ET that it’s important not to raise expectations when gushing about food so I wanna set a disclaimer that this could have been due to a variety of factors:
1) we were famished from only having had breakfast,
2) we didn’t have any expectations and didn’t even consult Hungrygowhere
3) maybe even groupthink because we were bouncing off each other’s happiness
In any case, I will try my best to objectively share what I enjoyed about the meal:
Buah Keluak Pasta
This was what enticed me to visit Violet Oon’s Kitchen. I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan of buah keluak, but I’ve always been rather fascinated by its unique flavours and how it’s semi-dangerous coming from a poisonous plant and all. Yes, I’m attracted to weird and dangerous things and the Buah Keluak pasta satisfied both criterion.
The verdict: I found the noodles a little too springy but that’s the worst thing I could say about the dish. There was a generous amount of buah keluak and it complemented the spaghetti beautifully. Each mouthful was intense with the buah keluak’s unique, smokey flavour and the occasional dash of spices. It’s definitely one of the more inventive dishes on the menu. I would recommend it for sharing!
Dry Laksa
This was recommended by the waitress as one of the more popular dishes and it definitely did not disappoint! Imagine a rich bowl of fragrant laksa with that sweet blend of coconut milk, basil and mild chilli. Now imagine that the bee hoon has soaked up all the rich flavours of the broth yet retains its firmness. Even though it was extremely savoury, this dish was actually the mildest of all the dishes we tried. Still highly recommended.
Garam Assam Fish
This was also recommended as one of the more popular dishes. The tangy sweet and sour sauce blended beautifully with the rice and fleshy mackerel. I loved how it was complemented by the juxtaposition of the plump, sweet tomatoes and the crunchy lady’s fingers. This was ET’s favourite of the lot. Yum, yum and yum.
ViO’s Curry Chicken with Roti Jala
I’m a sucker for ordinary dishes that manage to be so good they are surprising, and that’s exactly what the curry chicken and chap chye were like. The curry reminded me of what my Ah Ma used to prepare: just the right consistency and so fragrant, creamy and sweet. My mother-in-law is certain that the sweetness is due to the use of fresh coconuts. I also liked how it was served with the Roti Jala instead of rice (traditionally).For the most part, the chicken was tender and took perfectly to the curry. The potatoes were a little hard, but that’s also me being picky.
Chap Chye
I love chap chye, and since it’s one of the few dishes I can cook, I appreciate it even more knowing how much effort goes into preparing all the individual ingredients. The seemingly innocuous description of the dish on the menu (“Classic festive dish of vegetables braised in a rich prawn bisque”) barely does justice to its extraordinary taste. I don’t know if it’s the deep-fried tau kee, or the juicy mushrooms, or the prawn stock, or some secret ingredient, but it comes together like an explosion of flavours and a party in my mouth. You must order this.
Violet Oon’s Kitchen (Menu)
881 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 279893
+65 64686530
Tues – Thurs: 11.30AM – 10PM
Fri & PH: 11.30AM – 11PM
Sat: 10.30AM – 11PM
Sun: 10.30AM – 10PM
Closed on Mondays
We enjoyed Violet Oon’s Kitchen so much, we’re thinking of going back for seconds on Monday. Did you enjoy your meal there? Do you have other Peranakan restaurants to recommend? We would love to hear from you!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: It appears that Violet Oon’s Kitchen is temporarily closed for renovations ): Stay tuned to their FB page for updates on when they will be open again!
This review was not sponsored by Violet Oon’s Kitchen.
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