“It takes passion, You can’t run a restaurant half-heartedly, especially a Peranakan restaurant”.

 

This is a lesson which Adrian Tan, owner of Old Bibik’s Peranakan Kitchen in Joo Chiat Road, has learned after much hardship. 

 

He didn’t always enjoy cooking, making the fact that he now owns a successful Peranakan restaurant even more astonishing! When Adrian’s grandmother passed on due to kidney failure, Adrian did not want his grandmother’s delicious cooking to go to waste, so he collated his grandmother’s recipes to carry on her legacy, which is what started Old Bibik’s Peranakan Kitchen. He started to take an interest in Peranakan cooking when his late grandmother’s health started to fail and was unable to cook the dishes. Adrian was left with a stark hole in his life, one he was determined to fill himself. He started out as a hawker in Lavender Hawker Center 10 years ago, armed with nothing but a few Peranakan recipes and a dream, selling rendang and Peranakan style omelette.

 

All this while, Adrian maintained a strong passion for running a Peranakan restaurant. He believes that if he were to be half-hearted about his decisions, the business would not have sustained this long.

 

Today, his restaurant along Joo Chiat Road stands proud with 10 years of his hard work behind it, and now serves over 40 incredible dishes on their menu. Adrian had one goal in mind: to replicate his grandmother’s cooking. This was not easy to achieve, as Adrian had to learn everything from scratch with no prior experience.

 

 “None of my siblings were interested in continuing her traditions, but I was. I tried to compile all my grandma’s recipes 12 years ago while she was still alive”

Fortunately, Adrian had his mother teach him how to improve his cooking and picked up every little thing along the way, such as how to control the texture, taste, and colour of his food.

 

His specialties are Rendang and Buah Keluak Tofu, which have been featured on television shows and famous Singaporean food guides. Old Bibik’s Peranakan Restaurant is the only Peranakan restaurant in Singapore that serves Buah Keluak with tofu! Buah Keluak is a nut that contains cyanide and is very poisonous but made edible through boiling the seed and fermenting it, which will release the water-soluble hydrogen cyanide which is washed out. The creamy Buah Keluak paste is then mixed together with other seasonings and poured onto the tofu, resulting in a scrumptiously sweet and salty dish. The tofu acts as a sponge, soaking up the Buah Keluak sauce, ensuring that each bite is bursting with flavour.

 

Another signature dish of theirs is their Chinchalok, an omelette made with the distinctive method of dropping eggs from a height into a pan filled with oil. It packs a flavourful bite, and together with its crispy texture, makes for an unforgettable dish. The cooking style is inspired by Thailand cooking, using a large amount of oil to fry the egg, and is a unique twist on a traditional recipe which has made Chinchalok popular with customers, both new and old.

 

However, running a restaurant is not a simple task. Adrian has to juggle between customers and manpower concerns, therefore, Adrian makes it his top priority that his customers and staff are happy and satisfied. He does this by treating his staff well and serves food that appeals to his customers.

 

Depth and layers are two words one would hear often, being around Adrian. “It is not just like a hamburger where you season the meat and fry it after. Peranakan cooking is much more challenging.”

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Adrian attributes his restaurant’s success to his workers’ diligent and unwavering attitude. Arriving at 11 am daily and starting to prepare the multitude of ingredients for their dishes. To him, the happiness and welfare of his staff are at the top of a priority list and will consistently consult his chefs and staff on how they feel they can adapt their signature dishes to further meet consumer demand, such as making his rendang less spicy for children and adding pineapples to his Asam Pedas to break away from the traditional taste. 

 

Old Bibik’s has always concentrated on these few specialties as they felt they were able to do those dishes well, and Adrian believes that one can never be satisfied with just what you have.

Every time he sees customers coming back to patronise, he feels a sense of achievement which is a testament to Old Bibik’s high standards. 

 

To Adrian, mixing various dishes and bringing them together in a new and interesting way is exciting. Having the potential to deliver such unique satisfaction to others through food provides him a personal gratification incomparable to other pursuits. 

 

The story of Old Bibik’s Peranakan Restaurant is a perfect example that nothing is impossible if you have the passion.