Bumbu is a halal Peranakan restaurant next to Farrer Road station. The beautiful restaurant features a simple and rustic interior which resembles the traditional houses of the Peranakan community in Singapore. The menu offers some authentic Peranakan dishes.
Peranakan cuisine originates from the descents of early Chinese migrants who marry with local Malays and combines a wide range of influences in their dishes including spices and cooking techniques. Peranakan is the de-facto cuisine in Singapore with most food tangy, aromatic, spicy and herbal. Hence, many foreign visitors who miscomprehend Singaporeans as merely ethnic Chinese will be surprised by the depth of the Singaporean cuisine and their difference from contemporary Chinese cuisine.
My team and I were here to celebrate our annual lunch. We ordered sambal fish, kang kong, crabs, sambal prawns and chendol. All the dishes were credible and delicious. The seafood were generally fresh and crabs were huge and meaty - They were still alive before we sat down!! The kangkong could be better - I prefer the drier version.
I love this place because it serves one of the best Tom yum in SG. Their peranakan dish buah keluak is a unique experience... The content of the fruit is best eaten with the Ayam. The udang asam is lovely but a bit on the pricey side.
Been here several times. The food is generally delicious but the Tom yum is my favourite.
Was randomly browsing for restaurants to try in the area when we came across Bumbu.
Food
Based on the reviews, two dishes were greatly raved: (1) Fried Kang Kong Salad and (2) Beef Rendang.
We included those in our order alongside the Clear Seafood Tomyum Soup and Tahu Telor with a bowl of rice to share. Unfortunately the Beef Rendang wasn't available, so we opted for the Green Curry Chicken instead.
1. Fried Kangkong Salad
This was the highlight of our meal! It honestly tasted like potato chips, and it came with bits of meat and prawn which was a refreshing combination with the sauce.
2. Clear Tomyum Soup
It's unlike the typical clear tomyum soup. Rather than spicy, it was more savoury and aromatic. Could be due to it being Thai-Indonesian style. It was full of ingredients with fish slices, prawns, and shellfish. Fresh prawns were used. However, it was a little too salty for our liking.
3. Tahu Telor
I quite like this dish. It's a sweeter dish with egg tofu (note: not beancurd) with generous serving of fried egg floss.
4. Green Curry Chicken
Similar to the clear tomyum soup, it was atypical with a strong taste of coconut milk and thinner. Not my personal favourite although my companion quite enjoyed it.
Drinks
We had the Thai Milk Tea and Ice Blended Avocado. They were ok. For the latter, the taste of avocado and gula melaka syrup was distinct.
Service
Staffs were friendly and welcoming.
Ambience
Comfortable and homey. The decor was interesting. It wasn't crowded at all during a Saturday lunch.
All in all, we will be back to try other dishes on the menu! Do note that the portions are generous, so be careful not to over-order like we did.
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