Kebaya Dining Room — Restaurant in George Town

You must first be aware, they only have a set menu where you need to choose a 2 course (without dessert) or 3 course (with dessert) menu. The set will consist of a starter, a protein and vegetables. There's no way to order a la carte. I find this restrictive. The portions are a lot, so the fixed number of dishes can be overwhelming if you are not hungry and are just looking for bites and taste.

There were 4 in our group and we ended up with 4 proteins and 4 veggies. One thing I must tip my hat off to the chef is the variety in the taste. All 8 of them tastes different from each other. There's no noticeable or significant overlap in their flavours. For that, credit where it's due.

However, I must warn you that they are not exactly fully authentic nyonya. There's a bit of fusion and tweak of taste. But food always evolves. Having said that, I still find their base taste using santan, spice and tamarind quite delicious which still reminds you of nyonya food that has a good balance of flavour overall.

Of all of them, a special mention of their grilled brinjal. The skin is perfectly cooked, hint of bitterness while the brinjal itself has an incredible cooked just right texture that combines optimally with the accompanying sambal belacan.

The otak otak is partially deconstructed, and interestingly more pastry than the conventional steamed version in banana leaf I am used to. It looks like a pie with baked pastry, the filling is a little dry and they use seabass as their fish. The accompanying sauce it the one that gives it the moisture, the smell and the taste you associate with otak otak. So, don't skip the sauce. It's an interesting interpretation of how a otak otak should be.

Short mention of the incredibly fresh prawn, fish and clams, with their delicious curry and gravy, each one with a different taste profile. The chicken is also well seasoned and crispy. The kerabu was pretty average but the add on soft shell crab was yummy and I fully recommend you ask for it. The duck was an interesting dish. It's going to be polarizing to most diners. Its cooked with the confit method. To be honest I expected the meat to be a bit more tender than this. It still feels a little tough. As for the sauce, I didn't enjoy it, found it a little jarring with flavours not working well together.

Finally, I must say I loved their decor. Heavily and expectedly influenced by their cuisine, you are left without a doubt of the peranakan heritage.

My final thoughts? They should seriously consider an ala carte option as 3 dishes per person can be exceedingly filling. Unless they allow you to order a less number of sets than the dining group number. I didn't enquire about this. Sometimes we just want to test and taste their options. Not overeat. Their food is generally good, even though a twist of the original flavours, and the surroundings are unique...

It is worth it to come here. Remember to make a reservation in advance because it gets filled up fast. They have two seatings; 6pm and 8pm. Portions are huge, so do come on an empty stomach. It is also nice to explore the hotel area which is of Peranakan heritage. Overall food was super flavorful, with small flaws here and there, but worth the price. Can just do the 2 course per pax, and when you have stomach for desserts, then change it to a 3 course, so no stress over it.

Starters

Crispy Joo Hoo Char Roll (3.5/5) - Sambal was the saver for this, it was a good crispy "popiah", pretty decent.

Kebaya Satay (4.6/5) - Super flavorful chicken satay. Cucumber helps to compliment the flavor bomb. Super enjoyable.

Rendang Croque Monsieur (4.8/5) - I think this is one of the star appetizer, my mum who don't like blue cheese, could still eat this. Felt like a layer of beef rendang, mozzarella cheese, and small bits of blue cheese. Bread flatten and crisp to perfection. Super umami bomb.

Mains

Chef special's duck Itik Sio (4.8/5) - Amazing flavours as a whole, I wish I can keep eating this. Tangy (I assume from the assam) and umami rich fermented bean paste, sweet and soft shallots, duck had a crispy skin, meat was super flavorful roasted but it's a bit rough and dry, if not was done just nice it would have been a perfect 5/5.

Confit Beef Buah Keluak Jam (4.9/5) - Beef oysterblade was super soft and tender, melts. The buah keluak chilli jam on top was superb, sweet, slight tangy, and umami filled. It is usually an acquired taste but I think this is a good introduction for people who have never tried it before, because the buah keluak flavor is there, but quite smooth and mild. The celery ribbons actually compliments it as well, I did not even realize it was celery until I ate it on its own.

Hong Bak Lamb (4/5) - Flavourful sauce, Lamb Shank was a bit gamey, save the sambal from the other dishes as it covers the gameyness well.

Greens

Grilled Eggplant (4/5) - the sambal was the star. Amazing, goes well with anything and everything. The eggplant was grilled to perfection but had not much taste to it, so it compliments the sambal.

Masak Lemak (4.6/5) - Super lemak, rich coconut milk with salty umami dried shrimp flavour. The sweet potato shoots were silky and nice, the crispy sweet potato chips. I am usually not a fan of sweet potato leaves but this shoots is easier to eat.

Sambal Goreng (3.5/5) - The belacan coconut cream sauce was a great sauce as well. However the french bean and other veggies were a bit on the raw side this time, if cooked perfectly I would have...

Kebaya is a Peranakan fine-dining restaurant worthy of its reputation. Its setting is stunning: antique tables, vintage cabinets and elaborate wood-carvings remind you of the Penang of lore. There was nothing to complain about with regard to service, either: attentive enough, polite enough and swift enough.

But this wouldn’t be a restaurant review without discussing the heart of the matter: the food, especially in a place like Penang, where such subjects stir strong emotions. Would the dishes evoke the Peranakan spirit of old? The short answer: yes, they do. My Peranakan husband came expecting to be disappointed, but went away pleasantly surprised, though not without some opinions of his own.

The rendang croque monseiur was an interesting pairing of rendang and strong cheese: though not exactly to his liking, he could appreciate the thought that went into its composition. The fish in the gulai pomfret was fresh, without the strong smell that gives away fish left too long in the fridge, and the curry sauce had just the right touch of tangy sourness to accompany it. The spicing of the sayur lodeh was spot on. The drawback, though, was that there was a touch too much sugar in the dishes. While this may be the “Indo-Chinese” touch that was promised, such sweetness imbalanced the food’s flavor slightly.

As for my vegetarian selection, it was more hit and miss. Some of the dishes were vegetarian spins of a classic: braised tofu skin, blanched kai-lan, and sweet-and-sour gluten. Alas, one of the dishes, blanched string beans in a coconut sauce, was imbalanced by its sweet touch, as was the blanched cabbage in sesame and chilli oil.

Finally, the meal was rounded off with dessert, which was solid but unspectacular. The gula Melaka fredo, though, was a bit too difficult to cut, sending pieces flying across the table! It would be better off pre-cut before serving, avoiding unnecessary hassle or embarrassment to dining companions.

Overall, though, the imbalanced flavors are a minor point in an overall satisfactory meal. This place gets a solid four stars, but would benefit from a few tweaks in...