True Blue by Peranakan-Baba entrepreneur, Benajamin Seck, started its life in Singapore’s Peranakan heartland, Katong, back in 2003. Benjamin Seck is an avid advocate for our Straits-born Chinese /Baba-Nyonya / Peranakan culture - he’s a collector of Peranakan kebaya, manek shoes, and artworks.
True Blue moved to its current location on Armenian Street, right next to the Peranakan Museum of Singapore when the latter opened in 2008, becoming part of the museum’s offerings of a complete immersion into things Peranakan by providing the culinary experience.
The Peranakan Museum of Singapore on 39 Armenian Street
True Blue restaurant on 47/49 Armenian Street
Benjamin Seck’s mother, Daisy Seah, still rules the kitchen like a traditional Nyonya matriarch, whilst pastry chef, Irene Ong, churns out traditional Nyonya kuehs and pastries.
Our lunch spread:
Kueh Pie Tee (crisp pattie shells with shredded & stewed turnip) - the shells were thicker than the wafer-thin versions we get in Penang. But they held together better when filled with the stewed turnip. The version in Singapore tends to be blander than the Penang ones, where the turnips are stewed with shrimps and pork for added savoriness.
Also, True Blue is a non-pork restaurant - very unusual for a Nyonya set-up in Singapore - perhaps to cater to Muslim diners if they seek to cater for official government functions (Singapore’s current President, Halimah Yacob, is Muslim).
Ayam Buak Keluak (spicy chicken stew with black pangium edule nuts) - this is one of the mainstays of any Singaporean-Nyonya dinner table spread, and a must-order here as it’s done so very well by chief cook, Daisy Seah. The deep, truffle-like flavours of the “buah keluak” carefully balanced by the spices used.
Rendang Sapi (dry beef curry) - a much spicier version than we’d expected. This is Singapore-style “rendang”, and not the dark, deep–flavoured Padang version. “Rendang” is not really a traditional Nyonya dish, but adopted from the Singapore-Malays due to its popularity amongst the Baba-Nyonya community.
Itek Sioh (duck in caramel-coriander sauce) - another Singapore-Nyonya mainstays, and done very well here.
Ayam Pongteh (stewed chicken with fermented soybean paste) - this is a ubiquitous “everyday” dish in Baba-Nyonya homes, but offered in restaurants because of its ease-of-acceptance amongst fussy children diners, as much as adults who yearned for something simple and familiar. Again, another well-executed dish here.
Kerabu Lemo Bali (pomelo salad) - very refreshing, the crushed peanuts provided a nice textural crunch to the juicy fresh pomelo.
Kerabu kachang botor (wing bean salad) - a surprisingly mild version here, rather than the spicy-hot, sambal belachan-laden versions we get elsewhere.
Chap chye (stewed cabbage with glass noodles and shitake mushrooms) - very mild version here. As it’s porkless, I missed the deeper, stronger flavours I’d expected from this dish.
But, I’ve also never been to find really good versions outside of a home here in Singapore.
Sayor beremi masak sambal belachan (purslane leaves with spicy chili-fermented shrimp paste) - this was their daily special for the day, and the very first time I’d seen this dish (and the hard-to-find "sayur beremi leaves) in any restaurant, not just a Nyonya one, in Singapore.
Desserts:
Chendol - we can’t use fresh coconut milk here in Singapore, since strict AVA rules practically made it impossible for restaurants here to fulfil its requirements. Only canned/powdered coconut milk are used here, so the taste would be very different than if we have fresh coconut milk.
But the very good quality Gula Melaka used by True Blue made up for it.
Sago Gula Melaka
Very impressive renditions of Nyonya classics. Unlike 1-Michelin-star Candlenut which tweaked and played around with traditional Nyonya recipes to give its customers deconstructed, and sometimes fusion, pseudo-Nyonya dishes, the way Ferran Adria revolutionize Spanish cooking back in the 1990s/2000s, Bib Gourmand-listed True Blue chose to stay close to home.
Dining at True Blue is akin to being in a traditonal Peranakan home, replete with genuine antiques and collectibles. Benjamin Seck’s brainchild did tick all of the boxes in providing folks with a complete immersive experience into Nyonya dining culture.
Address
True Blue
47/49 Armenian Street, Singapore 179937
Tel: +65 6440 0449
Opening hours: 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm Mon to Fri. Closed on Sundays.
