Joshua Samuel Brown

Guan Hoe Soon

Located in Singapore’s Joo Chiat district, Guan Hoe Soon is the city’s oldest Peranakan restaurant in Singapore. In a city of where every hawker center has at least half a dozen humble stalls with histories dating back decades, this says a lot. It’s also considered among the best Peranakan restaurants in town, and since everyone in Singapore considers themselves an expert on food, this counts for something as well. Guan Hoe Soon’s head chef, Raymond Ouyeong, regularly ranks among the top ten chefs in Singapore. This, of course, is very important. And finally comes the restaurant’s clientele, Parliamentarians, prime ministers, and even a certain private Singaporean citizen by the name of Lee Kuan Yew

I’m here with Tony Tan, and another guidebook writer by the very cool name of Gemma Sharkey. Tony has taken us here to experience what he considers to be the best Peranakan food in the city, and as Tony is a food tour guide extraordinaire, his opinion in the matter trumps even that (dare I say) of the Minister Mentor himself.

After some appetizers of fresh cut cucumbers with a fresh chili sauce served with shavings of dried fish (The sauces are generally made with chicken innards; however, we are given a special order, as Gemma shuns poultry and I have gout), the first dish comes out. It is Mee Goreng, a fantastic fried noodle dish. Unlike the fried noodle dishes so common in Americanized Chinese food dishes, in which the noodles are a collective mass, in our Mee Goreng, each individual noodle has both texture and flavor. The trick to cooking this dish, according to Tony, is control of the fire, which allows the heat to permeate the center of the noodle so the flavor of the whole noodle is present throughout. “The Cantonese call it Wok Fire,” Tony says, and it’s a skill that comes only with years of handling the wok.

I loved Chef Ouyeong's fish until the end

Our second dish is Sayur Lodeh, a stewed vegetable with a shrimp based curry sauce. “The trick with this dish,” Tony tells us “is that it isn’t allowed to sit on the heat for too long, lest the coconut milk split in two”

Our third dish is Sotong Asam Goreng, fried squid with tamarind sauce. The taste is exquisite, a sour sweetness that takes the tongue in multiple directions simultaneously. Dipped in chili sauce, the effect is even more pronounced. The main course, at least in my eyes, is the Barba Ikam Bakar, or barbequed fish, made with Sambol Belancham chili sauce that’s been layered over the fish as it’s grilled, giving it both a distinctive look and flavor.

“Next time we come back, we need to have chef Ouyeong’s famous roast pork dish,” Tony tells me. It isn’t usually on the menu, but it’s amazing. A favorite of Presidents and prime ministers alike.”

Nearly full, the last thing to come out and delivered by the chef himself is Guan Hoe Soon’s Signature desert, Chen Dool. This bears some visual resemblance to the more commonly available Chendol, but the resemblance stops there. Served with ice, the cocoanut cream based desert is mixed properly has a flavor of molasses and a slight hint of coffee.

Josambro with chef Ouyeong

After a brief chat and photo op with the chef, we leave fully satisfied. Should I decide to tell a Singaporean tomorrow that I’ve eaten in the best Peranakan restaurant in Singapore, I may encounter an argument. But my opinion on the matter will at least be taken seriously. As an Ang Mo, I suppose that’s the best I can hope for.

The Famous Chen Dool

Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant

38/40 Joo Chiat Place

6344 2761