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I seem to be on quite the roll lately in my journey through the art of Peranakan cuisine. A more refined metaphor would be to call myself a blank canvas, waiting to be painted with flavours and history. But if I’m being honest, I’m more of a Pac-Man — mouth (quite literally) open, roaming around KL and devouring everything this cuisine throws my way.
My next stop after Limapulo Terrace was The Peranakan in Bangsar — a spot boasting 4.6 stars from almost 400 Google reviews (at the time of writing). They specialise in Melaka-style Peranakan cuisine, to be specific.
This particular day, I was stepping into not just one, but several new territories. Peranakan cuisine (which, truthfully, I’ve only ever dipped my toes into), Bangsar itself (a nightmare for both commuters and motorists), and the world of atas dining (well, it is Bangsar, after all). Upon arrival, I was mildly surprised to find the restaurant tucked away upstairs — a move usually reserved for indie cafes and hidden coffee spots. Hm, a curious detail worth noting.
The interior certainly leaned towards atas — though, given the price point, I’d quietly expected a touch more drama. Still, I wasn’t there to critique the decor. The real question was whether the food would make me fall head over heels for Peranakan cuisine… or send me scuttling back to safer culinary waters.
What I tried at The Peranakan
After days of eating everything but rice, my cravings finally staged a protest. And when the body calls for rice, you don’t argue. We decided to go all in with three dishes that felt like the cuisine’s greatest hits: Asam Pedas Fish (RM89), Keluak Chicken (RM49), and Hei Bee Eggplant (RM28). And of course, you have to have rice with all that.
We shared a bowl of Bunga Telang Rice (RM4) — grains tinged blue from the blue pea flowers.
The Asam Pedas Fish was the first to hit the table, and immediately, a wave of sweet pineapple aroma hit me too. It was promising, but I’ll be honest — the gravy was a little thinner than I’d hoped for. The flavour leaned sweet and tangy, but the pineapple was definitely the loudest in the room, slightly overpowering other spices in the dish.
Still, the fish itself was fresh and naturally sweet, and we got 2 huge pieces of snapper, which kind of made it worth the splurge. It’s maybe not the best asam pedas I’ve ever tasted, but still enjoyable in a “I’ll definitely keep spooning more onto my plate” kind of way.
Then came the Keluak Chicken, which was packed with chicken thighs swimming in a rich, dark sauce. Imagine rendang’s cousin who studied abroad and came back with a slightly mysterious accent — that’s this dish.
It had the same kind of depth and spice but with a distinctive earthy aftertaste from the keluak fruit. The sauce was peppery and aromatic, with a flavour that lingered in the best way. My only small gripe was that the chicken itself leaned a little firm, but nothing that ruined the overall experience.
Finally, the scene-stealer — Hei Bee Eggplant. It’s always the unassuming side dish that ends up stealing the show, isn’t it? The eggplant and green beans were charred beautifully and tossed in a shrimp paste mixture that was savoury and impossible to stop eating. I found myself wishing there was more of that magical mixture clinging to the vegetables, but even so, the dish was easily the highlight of the day.
Final thoughts
Honestly, while every dish wasn’t bad by any means, I just didn’t find myself going crazy over what The Peranakan had to offer. It’s a lovely spot for a small gathering — the food presentation is thoughtful, the ambience polished, and the service warm — but would I make a special trip all the way to Bangsar just for it? Probably not. And that’s saying something, coming from someone who has travelled over 3 hours in a day just to chase down a craving.
Expected damage: RM16 – RM89 per pax
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