“Peranakan food is something very close to our hearts. It brings back many memories of when chef and owner of Candlenut, Malcolm Lee, was young. ‘I just simply love Peranakan food', Lee says. Authentic Straits Chinese fare brings together the best of the Chinese and Malay culinary worlds – the unabashed rich, spicy flavours of Malay curries with simple, delicate Chinese dishes.”

Crab curry; kueh salat; and buah keluak ice cream.

Peranakan restaurants are usually associated with grandma cooking, old fashioned and traditional, yet Candlenut Chef Malcolm Lee and his youthful team (average age of twenty-five) have made Peranakan cuisine cool and sexy. Lee uses eighty per cent local produce, with “local” in Singapore’s case embracing “regional” products from neighbouring Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Singapore produce includes cow’s and goats milk and comes from Dairyfolks and Hay Dairies respectively, soy sauce products from Kwong Woh Hing Sauce Factory, and vegetables, herbs, and flowers from Farm Delight, Pocket Greens, Edible Garden City, and Citizen Farm, their local farmers community.

“The Singaporean chef here started young, learning from his mother and grandmother. Since then he’s widened his skills and broadened his experience, resulting in a repertoire which is modern and interesting yet respectful of tradition.” – Michelin Guide