Chinese New Year 2026 Collection

A Comprehensive Culinary Journey Through Peranakan Heritage

Restaurant Overview & Ambience

Nestled within the verdant enclave of Dempsey Hill, Violet Oon Singapore stands as a bastion of Peranakan culinary excellence. The restaurant embodies the essence of Straits Chinese heritage, where colonial-era architecture meets contemporary sophistication. For the 2026 Lunar New Year celebrations, the establishment has transformed its private dining rooms into intimate sanctuaries of festivity, offering four meticulously curated set menus designed for gatherings of significance.

The ambience strikes a delicate balance between the ceremonial grandeur befitting the season and the refined elegance characteristic of the Violet Oon brand. Warm wood tones interplay with touches of crimson and gold—subtle nods to auspicious hues—while natural light filters through the Dempsey greenery, creating an atmosphere that is both celebratory and serene. The private dining rooms provide an exclusive setting where conversations flow freely, uninterrupted by the bustle of communal dining, making them ideal for families seeking meaningful reunion or corporate gatherings marking the year’s beginning.

The Prosperity Sharing Set Menu

Priced from S$148++ per person, the Prosperity Sharing Set Menu represents a carefully orchestrated journey through Peranakan festive traditions. This menu serves not merely as sustenance but as a narrative—each course revealing layers of cultural memory, ingredient provenance, and culinary technique honed across generations.

Detailed Dish Analysis: Courses & Compositions

1. VO Fragrant Yu Sheng — The Ceremonial Prelude

Rating: 5/5

Philosophical Context

The yu sheng, or lo hei, transcends its function as mere appetizer; it is ritual made edible, prosperity invoked through the collaborative tossing of ingredients skyward. This dish embodies the Chinese concept of 年年有餘 (nián nián yǒu yú)—abundance year after year—with each component symbolizing aspirations for wealth, health, and happiness.

Ingredients & Symbolism

At Violet Oon, the yu sheng is distinguished by its aromatic architecture. Kaffir lime leaves, applied with uncommon generosity, release their piercing citrus fragrance—a scent that cuts through the richness of accompanying ingredients. Pink ginger flower adds a delicate floral counterpoint, its subtle spiciness awakening the palate. Julienned beetroot, increased in volume, contributes both visual drama (its crimson hue signifying good fortune) and earthy sweetness. The inclusion of ice plant is particularly inspired; this succulent’s crystalline cells burst with mineral-fresh crunch, adding textural dynamism that elevates the dish beyond traditional renditions.

Textural & Aromatic Layers

• Crunch Spectrum: From the shattering snap of crispy crackers to the gentle resistance of raw vegetables, the dish presents a symphonic range of textures.
• Aromatic Intensity: Kaffir lime dominates the olfactory experience, with ginger flower providing ephemeral top notes and sesame oil anchoring the base.
• Visual Appeal: A kaleidoscope of colors—vermillion, jade, ivory, gold—arranged with aesthetic precision.
• Flavor Balance: Sweet plum sauce, tangy lime, nutty sesame, and the umami depth of fish create a harmonious whole.

2. Hee Peow Soup — The Soul-Warming Elixir

Rating: 5/5

Cultural Significance

Hee peow soup holds a revered position within Peranakan Lunar New Year traditions. This is comfort elevated to ceremony, a broth that speaks of maternal care and familial devotion. Its preparation is labor-intensive, requiring hours of patient simmering, and its presence on the table signals commitment to tradition.

Broth Construction: The Foundation of Excellence

The foundation is a superior stock, painstakingly extracted from pork bones and chicken carcasses over slow, sustained heat. This dual-protein base creates a broth of remarkable complexity—the pork lending body and unctuousness, the chicken contributing lighter, more delicate notes. The result is a liquid of amber-gold clarity, its surface glistening with minute fat globules that catch the light like precious metal.

Premium Ingredients: Ocean’s Treasures

• Whole Baby Abalone: These mollusks, prized for their tender-firm texture and oceanic sweetness, have been carefully cooked to avoid toughness. Each morsel delivers a concentrated burst of sea essence.
• Fish Maw: Rehydrated to plump perfection, the fish maw offers a gelatinous-soft texture that absorbs the broth’s flavors while contributing its own subtle brininess.
• Sea Cucumber: Valued for its textural contribution—slippery yet resistant—and believed to possess nourishing properties in traditional Chinese medicine.

House-Made Balls: Artisanal Craftsmanship

The hand-formed prawn, crab, fish, and pork balls represent kitchen artistry at its finest. Each sphere is a study in textural engineering: springy yet yielding, with a satisfying bounce that speaks to meticulous preparation. The prawn balls are particularly noteworthy, their interior astonishingly juicy, releasing sweet crustacean liquor with each bite. This moisture retention is no accident—it requires precise ratios of lean to fat, optimal chopping technique, and careful temperature control during cooking.

Flavor Profile: Umami Depth & Subtle Nuance

The soup achieves what might be termed “transparent complexity”—its flavor is profound yet clean, allowing each ingredient to maintain distinct identity while contributing to the cohesive whole. The umami foundation, built from proteins and natural glutamates, is balanced by subtle sweetness (from the seafood) and a whisper of white pepper heat. Individually portioned, the soup arrives steaming, its aromatic vapors rising to envelop the diner in warmth and anticipation.

3. Kuey Pie Tee & Ngoh Hiang — The Twin Starters

Kuey Pie Tee: The Edible Cup

Rating: 3/5

These delicate pastry cups—also known as top hats—are a technical marvel. The thin, crispy shell is fried to a precise golden-bronze, forming a vessel for spiced filling. While the seasoning is competent and the concept delightful, the execution at this tasting suggested room for enhancement. The filling, though flavorful, could benefit from increased moisture and more pronounced aromatics. The pastry cups themselves, while crisp initially, showed slight sogginess at the base, indicating either premature assembly or insufficient drainage of the filling.

Ngoh Hiang: The Five-Spice Roll

Rating: 4/5

Wrapped in bean curd skin and deep-fried to crackling perfection, the ngoh hiang offers more consistent satisfaction. The filling—a mixture of minced pork, prawns, and water chestnut—is masterfully seasoned with five-spice powder, its warm, aromatic notes of star anise, clove, and cinnamon perfuming each bite. The tenderness of the meat is expertly achieved, avoiding the dense, compact texture that plagues lesser versions. Most critically, the inclusion of diced water chestnut provides bursts of crisp freshness that cut through the richness, preventing palate fatigue.

Textural Analysis

• External Layer: Shatteringly crisp bean curd skin, fried to the threshold of darkness without crossing into bitterness.
• Interior Filling: Juicy, tender meat mixture punctuated by crunchy water chestnut.
• Thermal Contrast: The hot, yielding interior against the cool, crisp exterior creates sensory interest.

Main Course Symphony: Proteins & Vegetables

4. Beef Rendang — The Spice-Laden Masterwork

Rating: 4.5/5

Historical Context & Technique

Rendang traces its lineage to the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, subsequently embraced and adapted by Peranakan communities throughout the Straits. This dish represents the pinnacle of slow-cooking philosophy: meat transformed through patient heat, spices, and time into something transcendent. At Violet Oon, beef shin—a cut chosen for its rich collagen content—is braised for hours in a complex paste of aromatics and spices, then finished with coconut milk to create a sauce of remarkable depth.

Spice Composition & Aromatic Architecture

The spice paste—rempah—is the dish’s soul. It begins with fresh aromatics: shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, and lemongrass, pounded or blended to release essential oils. Dried spices follow: coriander, cumin, turmeric, providing earthy warmth. Kaffir lime leaves, introduced late in the cooking process, contribute their characteristic citrus-herbal perfume. The extended braising allows these flavors to penetrate the meat’s very fiber, while evaporation concentrates the sauce to near-paste consistency.

Textural Transformation: From Tough to Tender

The beef shin, initially sinewy and resistant, undergoes remarkable metamorphosis. Collagen breaks down into gelatin, fat renders and redistributes, muscle fibers separate into tender strands that yield to the mere suggestion of fork pressure. The result is meat that practically dissolves on the tongue, releasing waves of spiced, coconut-enriched flavor. Each morsel is unctuous without being greasy, intensely flavored yet balanced.

Coconut Milk: The Mediator of Richness

Added in the final stages, coconut milk serves multiple functions: it mellows the spices’ heat, adds creamy body, and contributes subtle sweetness. The milk’s natural oils also help carry fat-soluble flavors to the palate more efficiently. The finished sauce clings to the meat, each piece coated in a glistening, mahogany-hued cloak.

5. Ayam Buah Keluak — The Peranakan Treasure

Rating: 4.5/5

The Enigmatic Buah Keluak

Buah keluak—the black nut of the kepayang tree—is perhaps the most distinctive ingredient in Peranakan cuisine. Its preparation is laborious and time-consuming: the nuts must be soaked, boiled, and cleaned to remove naturally occurring toxins, then their flesh is extracted and often enriched with minced meat and aromatics before being returned to the shells. The resulting paste possesses an earthy, almost truffle-like intensity, with subtle bitter-chocolate notes and a texture somewhere between pâté and hummus.

Gravy: The Punchy Protagonist

The chicken is braised in a tamarind-spiked, rempah-rich gravy of formidable character. “Punchy” is the operative descriptor—this is not a timid sauce. Shallots, garlic, candlenuts, and belacan (fermented shrimp paste) form the base, their pungency tempered but not eliminated by cooking. Tamarind juice adds tart complexity, its fruity acidity brightening the darker notes of buah keluak. The gravy is thick enough to coat the chicken pieces and cling to the nut flesh, creating a unified dish of remarkable depth.

Generous Nut Portions: Luxury Signaled

Violet Oon’s rendition is distinguished by the generosity of buah keluak provided. Where lesser versions might offer one or two nuts per serving, this preparation includes substantial chunks, their jet-black color providing dramatic visual contrast against the chicken and russet-brown gravy. This abundance is not merely aesthetic; it ensures that each diner can experience the nut’s unique flavor in meaningful quantity, rather than as a mere accent.

Flavor Layers: From Surface to Soul

• Initial Impact: The sharp tang of tamarind and the funky depth of belacan.
• Mid-Palate: The earthy, complex buah keluak paste, with its truffle-like richness and subtle bitterness.
• Finish: Lingering warmth from spices, subtle sweetness from candlenuts, and a clean, slightly piquant aftertaste.

6. Garam Assam Fish — The Tangy Revelation

Rating: 4.5/5

The Spicy-Sour Paradigm

Garam assam represents a foundational flavor profile in Peranakan cooking: the marriage of salt (garam) and sour (assam, typically tamarind). This dish executes the concept brilliantly, using red snapper as the protein canvas. The fish, chosen for its firm-flaky texture and sweet, delicate flavor, provides an ideal counterpoint to the assertive gravy.

Pineapple: The Fruity Alchemist

The strategic use of pineapple elevates this dish from good to exceptional. Sliced thin, the fruit retains structural integrity while releasing its sweet-tart juices into the sauce. Pineapple’s unique combination of sugars and acids creates a complexity that tamarind alone cannot achieve—there’s a tropical brightness, a rounded fruitiness that makes the dish simultaneously exotic and comforting. The thinness of the slices is critical: thicker pieces would remain too fibrous and dominant, while these delicate slivers integrate seamlessly.

Pink Ginger Flower: The Aromatic Accent

Known as torch ginger or bunga kantan, pink ginger flower contributes a perfumed, slightly medicinal note that is quintessentially Southeast Asian. Its flavor is difficult to describe to the uninitiated—imagine ginger’s warmth crossed with floral essence and a whisper of camphor. In this context, it adds aromatic lift, cutting through the richness and providing olfactory interest that persists through the finish.

The Red Snapper: Protein Perfection

The fish is cooked with precision, its flesh remaining moist and flaky despite the aggressive braising environment. Red snapper’s natural sweetness provides crucial balance to the sour-spicy sauce, while its firm texture prevents disintegration during cooking. Each bite yields clean, white flesh that absorbs the gravy’s flavors while maintaining its own identity.

Appetite Stimulation: The Physiological Effect

The combination of tartness and heat produces a remarkable effect on appetite. The sour notes stimulate salivation, while the spice increases metabolic heat. Rather than sating, this dish energizes, making it an ideal mid-meal course that refreshes the palate and prepares it for subsequent dishes. This is strategic menu planning at its finest.

7. Udang Goreng Chilli — The Prawn Showcase

Rating: 3/5

Angka Prawns: Premium Crustaceans

Angka prawns—large, meaty specimens—are showcased here, their sweet flesh encased in shells that show the burnished caramelization of high-heat cooking. The choice of premium prawns signals commitment to quality, and the crustaceans’ natural flavor shines through despite the bold accompaniment.

Chilli Padi & Garlic Rempah: Fiery Topping

The topping—a potent mixture of bird’s eye chilli (chilli padi) and garlic pounded into rempah—delivers significant heat. This is not timid seasoning; chilli padi ranks among the world’s hottest peppers, and its presence is immediately apparent. The garlic adds pungent depth and helps temper the chilli’s searing intensity.

The Grease Issue: A Textural Concern

While flavorful, the dish suffers from excess oil. The prawns, after being fried, are topped with oil-based rempah, creating cumulative greasiness that coats the palate and fingers. This detracts from the eating experience, particularly in a multi-course meal where palate freshness is essential. Improved drainage post-frying or a lighter application of the rempah would significantly elevate this dish. The greasy quality also tends to mask the prawns’ natural sweetness, which seems counterproductive given their premium status.

8. Chap Chye — The Vegetable Meditation

Rating: 4/5

Philosophical Framework: Buddhist Roots

Chap chye, meaning “mixed vegetables,” has origins in Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, subsequently adopted and enriched by Peranakan cooks. Traditionally served during Chinese New Year, the dish symbolizes abundance and harmony—multiple ingredients coming together in unity. It is, in essence, culinary democracy: no single component dominates, all contribute to the collective goodness.

Prawn Bisque: The Umami Foundation

The defining characteristic of Violet Oon’s version is the braising liquid: a full-bodied prawn bisque of remarkable depth. This is no simple stock; it is a concentrated essence extracted from prawn shells, heads, and aromatics through prolonged cooking and reduction. The result is a sauce that delivers waves of sweet-savory crustacean flavor, transforming humble vegetables into something luxurious. The deep savouriness referenced in the review is genuine—this bisque achieves umami intensity rivaling meat-based stocks.

Vegetable Components: The Supporting Cast

Traditional chap chye includes cabbage, wood ear fungus, glass noodles, tofu puffs, and dried ingredients like lily buds and black moss. Each component contributes unique texture: the cabbage should be silky-soft from long stewing, the fungus providing ear-like crispness, the noodles slippery and absorbent, the tofu puffs spongy and sauce-laden.

The Cabbage Conundrum: A Timing Issue

The review notes that the cabbage required extended stewing to achieve proper tenderness. This is a valid critique; authentic chap chye demands cabbage that practically dissolves, its cellular structure broken down through patient heat. Undercooked cabbage retains unwelcome crunch and vegetal sharpness that disrupts the dish’s harmonious softness. This appears to be a timing miscalculation rather than a fundamental flaw—additional braising would resolve the issue entirely.

9. Nasi Ulam — The Herbaceous Crown Jewel

Rating: 5/5

Herbal Rice: A Nutritional Philosophy

Nasi ulam represents one of Peranakan cuisine’s most health-conscious preparations—a rice salad fortified with an abundance of raw herbs and aromatics. The dish embodies ancient wisdom about food as medicine: these herbs aren’t mere garnish but active ingredients believed to aid digestion, cool internal heat, and promote vitality. Eating nasi ulam is to consume green pharmacy, a concentrated dose of chlorophyll, essential oils, and phytonutrients.

The Herb Arsenal: Aromatic Complexity

A proper nasi ulam incorporates a dizzying array of fresh herbs, each contributing distinct character. Common inclusions: Vietnamese coriander (laksa leaf), with its peppery-citrus bite; kesom (Vietnamese mint), sharply aromatic and slightly numbing; torch ginger flower, adding floral perfume; turmeric leaf, with its musky warmth; wild betel leaf, lending subtle complexity. These are finely shredded and folded into cooked rice, their rawness preserved to maintain maximum flavor intensity and nutritional value.

Prawn Integration: Sweetness & Texture

The addition of diced prawns is a master stroke. Their sweet, succulent flesh provides textural contrast to the herbs’ leafy character and the rice’s starchy softness. More importantly, the prawns’ inherent sweetness balances the herbs’ often-assertive bitterness and pungency, creating harmonious interplay. Each spoonful delivers varied experience: here, a burst of prawn sweetness; there, the sharp jolt of fresh herb; everywhere, the comforting foundation of rice.

Aromatic Profile: Green Intensity

The dominant characteristic is herbaceousness—a word inadequate to capture the dish’s verdant intensity. This is green flavor in its most concentrated form: sharp, fresh, slightly bitter, wonderfully alive. The raw herbs release their volatile oils directly onto the palate, creating aromatic fireworks that stimulate and refresh. In a meal featuring rich, coconut-heavy curries and fried items, nasi ulam serves as palate cleanser and appetite restorer, its freshness cutting through accumulated richness.

The Sweet Conclusion: Handmade Peranakan Kueh

10. Handmade Peranakan Kueh — The Heritage Finale

Rating: 4/5

Kueh Culture: Edible Art

Peranakan kueh—collectively referring to traditional cakes and sweets—represent some of Southeast Asia’s most labor-intensive confections. These are not simple desserts but cultural artifacts, each variety requiring specific techniques passed down through generations. Making kueh demands patience, precision, and an intimate understanding of ingredient behavior. The selection at Violet Oon showcases this heritage admirably.

Ang Ku Kueh: The Tortoise Cake

Translated as “red tortoise cake,” ang ku kueh is instantly recognizable by its oval shape, embossed tortoise shell pattern, and vivid crimson exterior. The tortoise symbolizes longevity and good fortune, making these cakes auspicious for New Year celebrations. The skin is made from glutinous rice flour mixed with sweet potato, creating a texture simultaneously chewy and tender. The filling traditionally features mung bean paste or ground peanuts sweetened with sugar. The review praises the textural execution—achieving the right balance in glutinous rice preparations is notoriously difficult. Too much water yields gummy paste; too little produces crumbly dryness. The ideal ang ku kueh offers gentle resistance before yielding, with skin and filling in perfect proportion.

Kueh Kochi: The Coconut Parcel

Also spelled kuih kochi or kueh kuching, these teardrop-shaped parcels conceal a sweetened coconut filling within a glutinous rice flour wrapper tinted green with pandan or simply left white. The coconut filling—grated coconut mixed with gula melaka (palm sugar) and sometimes pandan—delivers concentrated tropical sweetness with slight caramel notes from the palm sugar. The wrapper, when properly executed, provides a clean, neutral backdrop that allows the filling’s character to shine.

Kueh Ambon: The Honeycomb Cake

Named for Ambon Island in Indonesia’s Maluku archipelago, kueh ambon (also called bingka ambon) is visually distinctive for its honeycomb structure—countless tiny air pockets creating a texture the review accurately describes as “exceptionally spongy.” This unique crumb results from a two-stage fermentation process: tapioca flour, coconut milk, sugar, and yeast are mixed and allowed to ferment overnight, then baking powder or baking soda is added before final baking. The result is a cake that is simultaneously light yet substantial, with a pleasant yeasty aroma and subtle sweetness. The honeycomb structure makes it extremely absorbent—it practically melts on the tongue. The review’s note that the kueh ambon stood out for its texture suggests masterful execution; many versions collapse into dense, gummy mass if fermentation or heat management falters.

The Sweetness Consideration

The review suggests that the overall sweetness could be moderated. This is a common tension in traditional Southeast Asian desserts, which often register as extremely sweet to Western palates or health-conscious modern diners. However, this intense sweetness is not accidental—it reflects historical realities (sugar as preservative and luxury ingredient) and cultural preferences. The suggestion for toning down sweetness is reasonable for contemporary audiences, though traditionalists might argue such adjustment compromises authenticity. A balanced approach might be to offer both traditional and lightly-sweetened versions, acknowledging different preferences.

Culinary Techniques & Cooking Instructions

Beef Rendang: The Long Braise

Ingredients for Spice Paste:

• Shallots (8-10, peeled), Garlic (6 cloves), Fresh ginger (2-inch knob), Fresh galangal (2-inch knob), Lemongrass (3 stalks, white parts only), Fresh turmeric root (1-inch, or 1 tsp powder), Dried red chillies (8-10, soaked), Coriander seeds (2 tbsp, toasted), Cumin seeds (1 tbsp, toasted)

Main Ingredients:

• Beef shin (1.5 kg, cut into 2-inch cubes), Coconut milk (800ml, divided), Kaffir lime leaves (4-5), Tamarind paste (2 tbsp), Palm sugar (2 tbsp), Salt to taste

Method:

Begin by creating the spice paste. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind to powder. Blend all paste ingredients with a small amount of water to create a smooth rempah. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat oil and fry the paste over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly until darkened and fragrant—the oil should separate from the paste.

Add the beef cubes, coating them thoroughly in the paste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add half the coconut milk and enough water to barely cover the meat. Add kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. As the liquid reduces, add more coconut milk gradually.

After 2 hours, the meat should be tender. Remove lid and continue cooking, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add tamarind paste and palm sugar. Continue cooking until the sauce is thick and dark, coating the meat like a glaze. The entire process takes 3-4 hours. The finished rendang should be fork-tender with deeply concentrated flavor.

Hee Peow Soup: The Patient Stock

Stock Ingredients:

• Pork bones (1 kg, preferably with marrow), Chicken carcass (1 whole), Water (4 liters), Ginger (3-inch knob, smashed), White peppercorns (1 tbsp)

For the Balls (500g mixed seafood & meat):

• Prawn paste (200g fresh prawns, minced with 1 tsp cornstarch, ice water, white pepper), Fish paste (150g fish fillet, similar preparation), Pork paste (150g minced pork with water chestnut), Egg white (1, for binding)

Premium Ingredients:

• Baby abalone (8-10, cleaned), Fish maw (soaked overnight, cut), Sea cucumber (1, soaked and cleaned)

Method:

Blanch bones and chicken in boiling water for 3 minutes to remove impurities. Rinse thoroughly. In a large stockpot, combine bones, chicken, ginger, and peppercorns with fresh water. Bring to boil, then reduce to gentle simmer. Skim any foam. Cook for minimum 4 hours, ideally 6-8, adding water as needed to maintain level.

For the balls: Keep all ingredients ice-cold. Mince seafood until paste-like, gradually adding cornstarch and ice water while mixing in one direction to develop springy texture. Form into balls and poach in simmering water until they float. The key to juicy balls is the ice water addition—it creates moisture pockets.

Strain the finished stock through cheesecloth. Season with salt and white pepper. Add the premium ingredients and balls, simmering gently until abalone is tender (30-40 minutes). Serve in individual bowls, ensuring each portion receives a variety of the special ingredients.

Nasi Ulam: The Herbal Assembly

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice (3 cups, preferably day-old and cold), Prawns (200g, peeled and diced small), Herbs bundle: Vietnamese coriander/laksa leaf (1 cup shredded), Kesom/Vietnamese mint (1/2 cup), Torch ginger flower (2 stalks, finely sliced), Turmeric leaf (4 leaves, shredded), Wild betel leaf (optional, 3-4 leaves), Thai basil (1/2 cup), Kaffir lime leaves (3, julienned), Lemongrass (2 stalks, tender parts minced)
• Aromatics: Shallots (4, finely minced), Garlic (2 cloves, minced), Fresh chillies (2-3, sliced)
• Seasoning: Toasted shrimp paste (1 tsp), Lime juice (3 tbsp), Fish sauce (1 tbsp), Palm sugar (1 tsp), Salt to taste

Method:

Critical rule: All herbs must be impeccably fresh and thoroughly washed and dried. Moisture will make the rice soggy. Shred herbs finely—this releases maximum flavor and ensures even distribution. Blanch the diced prawns briefly in boiling water (1 minute), then plunge into ice water. This sets their sweetness and creates firm texture.

In a large bowl, break up the cold rice with your fingers, separating the grains. Add the shredded herbs gradually, tossing constantly. The ratio should be roughly 1 part herbs to 2 parts rice, but adjust to taste. Add the blanched prawns, minced aromatics, and sliced chillies.

Make dressing: Mix shrimp paste, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar until dissolved. Pour over rice mixture and toss thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning—you want bright, herbaceous flavor with underlying sweetness and savory depth. Let rest 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld. The dish should be served at room temperature, never cold or hot.

Menu Architecture & Gastronomic Strategy

The Flow of Flavors: Course Progression

The Prosperity Sharing Set Menu demonstrates sophisticated understanding of progressive dining. The sequence is carefully engineered to build intensity, provide contrast, and maintain interest across ten distinct preparations.

Opening Movement: Ceremony & Comfort

Beginning with yu sheng is culturally appropriate and psychologically astute—the communal tossing creates immediate engagement and festive atmosphere. Following this with soup provides comfort and warmth, transitioning from ceremonial to nurturing. The soup’s individual serving also shifts from shared experience to personal enjoyment, allowing guests to settle into their own pace.

Starters: Textural Awakening

Kuey pie tee and ngoh hiang introduce fried elements, their crispy textures contrasting with the soup’s softness. These are palate primers—moderately flavored, not overly rich, preparing diners for the heavier courses to follow.

Main Courses: The Flavor Crescendo

The three protein mains—rendang, ayam buah keluak, and garam assam fish—are strategically varied. Rendang offers rich, coconut-based comfort. Ayam buah keluak provides earthy complexity and slight bitterness. The fish delivers bright, acidic contrast. This variety prevents monotony and ensures all preferences are addressed. The positioning of the tangy fish course in the middle-to-late sequence is particularly clever—its acidity cuts through accumulated richness and refreshes the palate.

Vegetables & Rice: The Supporting Framework

Chap chye and nasi ulam serve dual purposes: providing vegetable matter for nutritional balance and textural/flavor contrast. The nasi ulam’s herbal intensity is positioned to cleanse and enliven, making it possible to finish strong. These courses prevent protein-heaviness and ensure the meal feels complete rather than overwhelming.

Dessert: The Gentle Landing

The kueh selection provides a sweet conclusion without excessive heaviness. The variety—three different preparations—ensures interest, while the individual portions prevent overindulgence. The use of traditional kueh rather than Western-style desserts maintains cultural coherence throughout the meal.

Critical Analysis: Strengths & Opportunities

Exceptional Achievements

• Ingredient Quality: From baby abalone to angka prawns, the raw materials are premium throughout.
• Cultural Authenticity: The menu respects Peranakan traditions while adapting to contemporary dining standards.
• Technical Mastery: Dishes requiring complex technique—soup balls, rendang, ayam buah keluak—are executed with confidence.
• Menu Balance: The variety of flavors, textures, and cooking methods creates comprehensive experience.
• Aromatic Complexity: Generous use of herbs, spices, and aromatics creates memorable olfactory dimension.

Areas for Refinement

• Grease Management: The udang goreng chilli requires better oil drainage or lighter application of topping.
• Vegetable Timing: Chap chye cabbage needs extended cooking to achieve proper tenderness.
• Kuey Pie Tee Enhancement: These could benefit from improved filling moisture and delayed assembly to maintain shell crispness.
• Dessert Sweetness: A slightly reduced sugar level in the kueh would appeal to modern preferences while maintaining tradition.

Concluding Reflections

Violet Oon Singapore’s Chinese New Year offerings represent more than a meal—they are an edible narrative of Peranakan heritage, executed with reverence for tradition and adaptation to contemporary expectations. The Prosperity Sharing Set Menu successfully balances ceremonial significance with gastronomic excellence, creating an experience worthy of the season’s importance.

The standout dishes—VO Fragrant Yu Sheng, Hee Peow Soup, Nasi Ulam, and the trio of richly-sauced proteins—demonstrate kitchen capability at the highest level. These preparations require not just skill but deep cultural knowledge and commitment to authenticity. The generous use of premium ingredients signals respect for guests and celebration of abundance appropriate to the Lunar New Year.

The minor refinements suggested—oil management, vegetable timing, sweetness modulation—are easily addressable and do not diminish the overall achievement. Indeed, that such specific, targeted improvements can be identified speaks to the general excellence of the execution. When criticism is this granular, it confirms that fundamentals are sound.

At S$148++ per person, the menu positions itself as special-occasion dining rather than casual fare. This pricing is justified by ingredient quality, technical complexity, and the intimate private dining room setting. For families seeking meaningful reunion or corporate groups marking the new year with appropriate ceremony, the value proposition is sound.

Ultimately, dining at Violet Oon Singapore during Chinese New Year is to participate in living tradition—to taste history, honor heritage, and celebrate community through food prepared with care and presented with grace. In a culinary landscape increasingly dominated by fusion confusion and Instagram aesthetics, such commitment to cultural authenticity and technical excellence deserves recognition and support. The meal is not merely consumed; it is experienced, remembered, and—ideally—shared across generations as part of the ongoing story of Peranakan cuisine in Singapore.

Essential Information

Restaurant Name	Violet Oon Singapore
Location	Dempsey Hill
Address	7 Dempsey Road #01-05, Singapore 249671
Contact	+65 9834 9935
Hours	Daily: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest MRT	Napier (Downtown Line)
Menu	Prosperity Sharing Set Menu from S$148++ per person
Cuisine	Peranakan / Straits Chinese

Directions from Napier MRT:

Alight at Napier MRT station. Take Exit 2. Walk to the bus stop at Napier Station (Stop ID 13011). Board bus number 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 123, or 174. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to Dempsey Road and proceed to the destination. Total journey time approximately 10 minutes.

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