I had always wanted to give Pangium a try since it’s Chef Malcolm Lee’s second restaurant after Candlenut and we finally made it down one day! You would have received a series of messages before you head down and that’s to prevent you from getting lost though it actually made us more worried about getting lost. lol

There’s an entrance you had to pass and a keypad you need to key in, though the gantry lifted even before I entered the whole series of number into the keypad. And the friend was even more confused since the gantry lifted even before she did anything. HA. It turned out the hostess had remote controlled it from her end

The restaurant was intimate but yet surprisingly full for a weekday lunch and we were the last to reach. Since it was their second anniversary, the menu was specially curated. Named Flavour Reflections, it presents and highlights the favourite dishes from Pangium’s Menu no. 1 to 6, taking diners a journey of discovery and innovation

We went for the smaller lunch menu priced $198++ and the friend went for the tea pairing priced $58++

Snacks to Start

Each snack had a story

Ikan Goreng Berempah, Sambal Tempoyak & Smoked Fish Sambal wrapped in Egg Popiah

A traditional take on popiah which I don’t really like, I thought this egg popiah definitely does not taste like what you would remembered. The egg popiah was so soft and smooth and you could taste the chunkiness of the fish meat in it.

Mum’s Curry w Coin Prata

Inspired by Chef Malcolm’s mum’s curry, he created his own, served with the smallest coin prata you ever find

Ngoh Hiang w Pok Oy Thong Spiced Powder

The ngoh hiang proved to be a popular item. Apparently it left the menu for one season but was brought back again and retained its crown since then. lol. And I really liked it. I could understand why diners requested for the ngoh hiang to be brought back. The crust when you first bite into it, followed by the sweetness and texture of the water chestnut was so satisfying. I do find it a little salty at times but generally this ngoh hiang was pretty well done

Angkar Prawn Cracker

It smelt great, tasted even better. The flavour of the prawn with each crisp really came through. And you could taste it was freshly made

Pang Susi

Iberico Pork, Kampot White Pepper, Candied Wintermelon, Roasted Coriander Seed

This Pang Susi was a traditional snack served in Eurasian homes for afternoon tea and the team gave it a twist by giving a polo-bun outer crust. I’m not a fan of polo bun but if all polo bun tasted like this, I would eat it again and again. It had the right sweetness, fragrance and butter texture when you bite into it, followed by the juicy and flavoured Iberico pork in it. This was really worth remembering

First Tea Pairing – Balonglong and Sour Plums

Before each tea was served, they actually served the ingredients out for you to guess what’s coming. I thought it was quite fun. Well, we definitely had fun with it

Laksa Johor

Spaghetti, Coconut Oil, Laksa Leaf, Longboat, Chai Poh, Ginger Flower, Wing Bean, Silversprout, Cucumber

This dish originated from Johor in the 15th Century; it was traditionally made with rice noodles until Sultan Abu Bakar fell in love with spaghetti during his trip to Italy. Upon his return, he asked his royal chefs to change the noodles to spaghetti and hence we have this on the menu

First Impressions. Not very impressed. HAHA I mean, first it definitely not what I was expecting. We were told to give it all a good mix before eating and it took awhile cos the spaghetti were bundled quite tightly. But when the first bite when into our mouths, oh wow. it was a pleasant surprise. You could really taste the laksa in it and I enjoyed the crunch with the French beans. Also with each bite, I actually craved for more. I say never judge a book by its cover. lol

Second Tea Pairing: All herbs inspired. The funniest was when I guessed (the herb closest to me) it was ginseng and the friend guessed it was ginger and I’m like this doesn’t look like ginger at all. But nope we were both wrong. It was actually Codonopsis

Spicy Mee Sua

Boston Lobster, Chilli Pork, Prawn Oil, Calamansi Lime

Inspired by BCM, Chef Malcolm wanted to make a dry version of the mee sua. This was very tasty. The noodles were well thought of and the lobsters were well cooked. It was so soft and sweet you would enjoyed every bite of it

Bakwan Kepiting Soup

Snow Crab & Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Flower, Bamboo Shoot, Daikon, Old Hen Chicken & Fish

Rich in flavour and the goodness from slow-cooking the soup, a traditional staple in many Nonya homes. What’s different was the chicken-stuffed zucchini flower. First bite, it actually tasted like cabbage. I really liked stuffed meat filling that had very good texture. The snow crab unfortunately did not wow me in any way

And I was full at this point. lol

Third Tea Pairing: Ginger + White Luo Han Guo

Me: That’s alot of ginger. lol

Ikan Kuah Lada

Threadfin, Stingray, Reskinned Korean Eggplant, Koshihikari Rice, Coconut Milk, Tamarind & Sarawak White Peppercorn Gravy

I thought the stingray went really well with the curry but the threadfin.. hmm. wouldn’t be my choice of fish I guess. Though adding some rice at the bottom definitely helped to absorb the flavour of the curry as you chew and savour each rice bits and the vegetables a welcoming addition. Though half of me also wished there was no rice in it cos it was so filling!

Fourth Tea Pairing: Star Anise, Cinnamon, Sichuan Peppercorn

(At some point, the staff decided to help the friend place the tea ingredients so she could have a good shot with clear background of it. LOL)

S.O.S Buah Keluak Beef Stew, Debal Egg Curry & Perfumed Rice

And we were finally down to the mains

Basmati Rice w Japanese Organic Egg, Debal Curry, Iberico Pork & Guanciale

I had a bite of the rice first and wow, I think you can just have the rice on its own. It’s that good. Like the table next to us mentioned to the staffs – you could taste every grain of the rice. (lol). Even the egg was fried well. You could hear the tear of the crisp egg as you slice it open and with the yolk running to the rice, you could savour each grain coated with the yolk

Slow Cooked Westholme Wagyu Beef Short Rib, Banana Shallot, Baby Carrots, Baby Potato

Then I had a taste of the stew. The beef was really tender and the stew cooked so well it was rich and flavourful. I felt that each component stood out on its own but yet also go really well together with each other. I say their version of ‘Tok Panjang’ was really quite impressionable

There was a fifth tea pairing which never made it to the photo gallery. lol

Musk Melon Sago

Japanese Musk Melon, Coconut Shaved Ice

Moving on to palate cleanser, it was a dessert on its own. I enjoyed the sweetness of the musk melon and the refreshing taste of the coconut at the bottom

Ondeh Ondeh, Kueh Dadar, Kuih Sago w Gula Melaka, Sugee Cake

What’s a Peranakan menu without kuehs to end the meal right?

We were told we could eat them in any order. I had the kueh dadar first, followed by the Kuih Sago, Sugee Cake and finished off with the ondeh ondeh. I really liked their version of ondeh ondeh with the addition of sweet potato to make it a little more chewy and the burst of the gula melaka in the end. But I thought there were just too many kuehs with gula melaka on the plate such that it actually overpowered each other. Still, the texture of the kuehs I say were pretty good

I was half hoping to see AKK on the kueh platter cos I spied it on the next table. They served it as a complimentary birthday dessert for the friend so yay we get to have them too. The AKK was chewy yet thin on the outside with the rich and delicious peanut filling inside

It was a very filling meal. I was glad we went for the smaller menu. Though the staffs told us there were guests that actually didn’t feel full and we were like 😮

I thought the experience at Pangium was made memorable not just by the food itself but also by great service. It was a comfortable dining experience and staffs made sure you had a good time there. If Candlenut was about refined Peranakan dishes, Pangium is all about finding lost recipes. So don’t go there expecting too much of a traditional Peranakan menu. Be surprised for what you will find there

PS. The homemade honey (as a complimentary thank you gift) was really good too

Pangium

11 Gallop Road, Gallop Entrance

Singapore Botanic Gardens

S(259015)