Mod Nusantara Cuisine in Heritage Building @ Permata, Singapore (Singapore’s President + Cabinet dined here)
Housed in a heritage building Gedung Kuning (which means Yellow Mansion) in Kampong Glam (you know, near Haji Lane), Permata serves up modern Nusantara Cuisine by Chef Mel Dean.
What is Nusantara Cuisine?
Nusantara is the Indonesian name of Maritime Southeast Asia (or parts of it). It is an old Javanese term which literally means “outer islands”.
Permata Samudera (Nusantara Ceviche) $22
Scallop, black mussel, prawn, salmon Ceviche, ginger flower lime dressing, blue pea gel
The acidity makes this a suitable starter. This dish was inspired by Chef Mel Dean’s late native Sarawakian grandmother’s Umai. Chef Mel Dean has elevated this dish by adding savoury blue pea gel and orange ginger gel to seafood with a ginger flower lime dressing.
Nasi Ulam Cakerwala (Ulam Rice Balls) $16
Herbed rice ball, sambal bajak, salted fish, rice cracker, spicy turmeric gel
This is warm comfort food. It is crispy on the outside, the rice is soft, almost mushy on the inside. It is very flavourful and that elevates the humble, ubiquitous rice ball. The rice cracker adds an element of fun and play of texture.
Soto Banjar (Banjarese Chicken Consomme) $10
Aromatic chicken consomme, rice cakes, potato cutlet, quail egg, vermicelli, sambal oelek
Very flavourful again. The consomme has a base of umami and savoury. Add to that the spices. I like there is a hint of acidity which lends brightness to the consomme. This acidity or brightness helps balance it. I also like the play of texture —- the crispy potato cutlet skin contrasts with the chewy rice cakes. I thought that was quite clever. The kitchen has been attentive to detail — the potato cutlet was warm, like it had been just fried and not taken off some fridge.
Rawon Risotto $28
Beef stew, buah keluak nut, creamy risotto, Raman egg, Tempe chip, sambal belacan, coconut floss, rice cracker
Extremely flavourful. The rice has COMPLETELY soaked up the beef stew juice, so the rice was extremely tasty. The presentation is said to mimic Gardens by the Bay. Instead of hard boiled egg, they used ramen egg, which was a very smart move. The runny egg yolk adds colour, umami and texture. The tempe adds inimitable flavour. There is a burst of spiciness with sambal belacan which is exactly needed to elevate this dish into stratosphere.
Botok Botok Barramundi $32
Steamed Barramundi, chilli, lemongrass, coconut cream, Vietnamese mint, king salad basil, blue pea rice, french beans
A light, healthy dish. The barramundi is steamed but not without flavour. Chef Mel Dean has used the most familiar Ulam to bring out the distinct flavours of Botok Botok. The rice and french beans are also light.
Rusuk Percik (Percik Lamb Ribs) $40
Chargrilled New Zealand lamb Ribs
This is a unique dish as Percik sauce is usually done with chicken but Chef Mel Dean used lamb here. The lamb ribs are braised in the Percik sauce for 3-4 hours then grilled. The Percik sauce is not too heavy. The slight acidity of the Percik works well in a protein-heavy and fat-heavy dish such as this.
Cek Mek Molek $12
Mashed and fried sweet potato, vanilla ice cream, espresso caramel.
Excellent dessert. You get the natural sweetness of the sweet potato which contrasts with the fragrance of the vanilla ice cream. The fried sweet potato is warm which again contrasts with the ice-cold ice cream. The faint bitterness of the espresso caramel is just the right touch to add internet and dimension to this desert.
I am most impressed with the quality of their protein — both the lamb ribs and barramundi feel very fresh.
Permata
73 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198497
