Inspired by Baba (Peranakan) and a baba (爸爸 in Chinese), Babba is a cafe by day and restaurant by night. The Peranakan establishment is an intersection of the old and new, with Peranakan-influenced brunch menu items during the day, and authentic Peranakan fare at night.
Peranakan Cafe at Jalan Riang
Located in between Serangoon and Lorong Chuan, Babba calls Jalan Riang home. The 40 plus seater was brightly lit, decked in wooden rattan chairs and terrazzo tables. There were also playful splashes of blue along with plants that made us feel like we were in Bali.
Menu at Babba Cafe
As mentioned earlier, Babba is split into two concepts. A cafe during the day, and a restaurant at night. We visited during the day as the night menu was not available then.
From 8am to 4pm, they have a breakfast and lunch menu, with items like Homemade Kaya Butter Toast & Eggs ($12), Smashed Avocado Tartine ($17), Rendang Burger ($24), Truffle Mushroom Tagliatelle ($22) and Cod Fish & Chips ($24).
For dinner, you can expect real Peranakan fare with items like Ayam Buah Keluak ($28), Udang Masak Tauyu ($28), Kueh Pie Tee ($18) and Babi Ponteh ($26).
Coffee is available until 5pm, with items like Black ($4.5), White ($5.5), Mocha ($6.5) and Cold Brew White Oat ($8). They use Oatside here for their oat milk.
Kueh Platter
Apart from the Kueh Platter ($8) that we ordered, you can also find a simple array of bakes such as croissants and kouign amann on display. Since this was a Peranakan Cafe, the kueh platter seemed the most appropriate.
Consisting of Kueh Salat, Kueh Kosui, Kueh Bingka and Ondeh Ondeh, the kuehs are made in-house everyday according to the staff. We especially loved the Ondeh Ondeh, which had a runny gula melaka core that wasn’t overly sweet. Overall, the kuehs were of good quality and were fragrant.
Burrata Tartine
The Burrata Tartine ($18) was part of their breakfast menu and was served with a side of mesclun salad. There was a layer of caramelized onions, topped with burrata cheese, roasted bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and almonds.
We loved how creamy this was, which went well with the complementing sweetness of roasted bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and caramelized onions. Kudos to whoever toasted the sourdough because it was of a perfect crisp.
Dry Laksa Pasta
The Dry Laksa Pasta ($26) came with Hokkaido scallops, tiger prawns and tiny pieces of fried beancurd puffs. The texture of the spaghetti was perfect, and the scallops were not rubbery. Overall, there was a nice fragrance of laksa, which we thought could’ve been a little stronger.
Crab Omelette
We were honestly taken aback by the size of the Crab Omelette ($25), which had sauteed crab meat, hae bi hiam floss and pickled shallots on top of a fluffy, creamy omelette. Special shoutout (again) to whoever is toasting the bread because it was perfectly toasted – one bite of toast, and one bite of the crab omelette = heaven.
Do note that this dish was slightly on the oilier side, at least for us.
Brunch Spot Near Serangoon
While the location for Babba is relatively ulu, we do see ourselves coming back for brunch from time to time as the dishes were well executed. On top of that, we are curious to see what Babba has in store for their dinner menu which features authentic traditional Peranakan fare.
Babba
15-9 Jalan Riang, Singapore 358987
Mon-Sun, 8am-4pm (Brunch), 6pm-10pm (Dinner)
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.sg.
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