There are always those days where you crave a good Ayam buah keluak which is chicken cooked in the buah keluak nut which is often used in Melaka by the straits Chinese better known as Peranakan. I have posted about a few other restaurants specialising in Peranakan cuisine. The best Peranakan food is usually found in traditional Peranakan family kitchens so it is not easy to find a restaurant with good dishes.
Daisy’s Dream kitchen is located within Temasek Club and is highly raved about by many foodies so we decided to head over to try out the food. The restaurant is located within the swimming pool complex of the club and not the main club itself so it is recommended to park your vehicle at the carpark right next to the swimming pool complex. There is no public transport coming into the club so you can only access the area by car. There is an outdoor area available for seating as the indoor seats are limited.
The indoor area is spilt into an L shaped space which is quite tight. The front of the restaurant has only 4 tables
The other length of the restaurant can house another long table or another 4 tables at the most since the kitchen actually occupies most of the area of the indoor space. You can see many of their signature dishes being blown up into portraits decorating the walls of the restaurant.
From our seat, we could see the kitchen and the staff at work with the small service counter where the servers pick up the ready dishes. Every nook and corner is fully utilised with cabinets for sauces, plates and utensils since the entire indoor space is really tiny.
There is also a small side rack squeezed in between the cashier counter and diner’s table for drinks cakes. Plain water is complimentary and servers will have them served to you but you can also help yourself since they are quite understaffed.
The cover of the menu includes a short story of Daisy’s Kitchen and it’s humble beginnings. Daisy’s Kitchen started from a hawker stall in Tiong Bahru in 2011 and have shifted 2 times to the current location. Local celebrity Selena Tan is the sister of the owner of Daisy’s Kitchen so you might just spot some celebrity while you are there.
You can find the typical Peranakan dishes in the menu at pretty reasonable prices.
I totally like the old school nostalgia feel of the restaurant with their marble top tables and metal mug container for utensils. We were also served pickled cucumber ( Achar) and keropok ( crackers) as snacks before the meal. Not forgetting the little pot of belachan chilli which is must at every Peranakan table during meal times.
All dishes were served in old school metal plates which resembles having a home-cooked meal in the olden days. The nonya vegetable ( chap chye) is one of the dishes high on the order list to determine if a Peranakan restaurant is up to standards. The chap chye here is soft and well braised with flavours. Not overly loaded with sauces, you can taste the natural sweetness of the vegetables.
The fish maw soup here is slightly different from the usual ones found outside. It has a very clear soup with strands of cabbage and a huge meatball with a couple of slices of fish maw. The soup is very light and refreshing but I found the serving quite small and the fish maw taste did not really turn out strong enough in the soup
This next dish is also a staple in all Peranakan restaurants and in Daisy’s Kitchen, they cook it with pork instead of the standard chicken. The babi buah keluak is pork ribs cooked till tender with their rempah gravy. There are 2 nuts in each serving and you can purchase additional nuts for those of you who love their nutty flavours. The buah keluak nut is an acquired taste and not many people like it as it has a nutty yet slightly sour taste to the meat of the nut. The pork ribs are soft and tender and melt in your mouth together with the gravy.
This is perhaps my most disappointing dish which is the black ink sotong ( squid). While the sotong was well cooked as it still has a light tender crunch and not too rubbery, the sauce itself was too watery. Overall, the taste of this dish is very mild and bland which is not really a distinct flavour for Peranakan dishes.
Overall, the dishes really resembles simple home-cooked dishes from a Peranakan home and most of the flavours are on the lighter side compared to the heavier flavours we are used to from other Peranakan restaurants. The dishes are nice in flavours but is not mind-blowing enough for me to make another visit to their location which is quite difficult to reach.
Address: 131 #01-01, Rifle Range Rd, Temasek Club, 588396
Operating hours: 11.30 am to 9.30 pm ( 10 pm on Fri- Sun, Closed on Mon)
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