Blue Ginger – Let’s Go Peranakan!

It was burak’s birthday yesterday and we brought him to a nice Peranakan restaurant at Tanjong Pagar. It was my idea to check out this place, so the food had better be good! But it calls itself Blue Ginger. A rather cheesy name, don’t ya think?

Tucked into a row of shophouses, the dining area at Blue Ginger is a narrow one. Thankfully it extends to the second level as well, accessible via a long, narrow staircase. The decor is of the typical Peranakan style, with ornate carved doors and wooden furniture.

Kueh Pie Tee
SGD7++

Our appetiser, the kueh pie tee, was a real mouthful. Literally. Don’t get me wrong though, it was excellent! To make up for the petite portion, each one was topped with a big and juicy shrimp. The shredded bamboo shoots and turnip was one mouthful of flavor. Loved those cute little edible pie tee cups!

Sambal Terong Goreng
SGD8++

The sambal terong goreng, strips of deep-fried eggplant topped with fresh sambal and sweet soy sauce, was a real treat. I’m not exactly a fan of eggplants in general, but for the sambal alone, this dish gets four drumsticks!

Otak Otak & Udang Goreng Tauyu Lada
SGD2.80 & $18++

The dishes just kept getting better! The otak otak, made from scratch in the kitchen, was soft and had just the right amount of chili. The prawns were drenched in a sweet dark soy sauce that was deee-licious! (the blurry images are due to the dimly lit surrounding. I never like using flash on food dishes so the pictures turned out blurry this time.)

Ikan Masak Assam Gulai
SGD16.80++

The ikan masak assam gulai however could have been better. Sure, the tamarind gravy was tasty and the spice was zesty, but I didn’t exactly care for the fishy taste of the mackerel. The chef could have done more to mask it. Perhaps throwing in a few ginger slices would have helped.

Chap Chye Masak Titek
SGD9++

The chap chye masak titek, a common Peranakan dish that they cooked in prawn stock, turned out to be rather average. It was just alright for me, I guess. But then again I’m not a fan of the greens.

Taohu Nonya Style & Sambal Sotong
SGD7 & $14.80++

Another two dishes worthy of five drumsticks in my opinion were the taohu and sambal sotong. I usually hate beancurd, tofu, taohu — I don’t care what you call it — this was a dish that I would usually stay away from. But I was an instant fan of the Nonya taohu here. Their homemade concocted paste that came atop the beancurd was absolutely divine!

Loved the sambal sotong (squid) too. Tender and nice and spicy! Most of the dishes we had were above average, and I would absolutely make a return trip to Blue Ginger in future.

Blue Ginger
97 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088518 [map]
(65) 6222 3928
Service:
www.theblueginger.com

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Runner-up for “Best Restaurant of the Year”