Together with its romantic oriental ambience and soothing jazz background music, you're definitely in for a good night. As soon as I walked in, I was taken away by the dimly-lit red lanterns, the old Shanghai girl posters and the colourful patchwork cushions on the vintage wooden chairs which gave the place a rather homey feel.
Not to mention that I certainly made a new peng you (aka friend in Chinese) on the night. The restaurant owner, Joyce, was extremely hospitable, and I was fascinated by her strong passion for food. You can even taste that passion in the food. Instead of drenching their dishes in strong Asian sauces, Peng You uses only the freshest ingredients and subtle garnishes to bring out the original flavours in the core ingredient.
The menu features traditional Chinese recipes with a modern twist - including Chinese favourites like the Peking Duck, Gyoza, Sung Choi Bow, just to name a few. You can view the menu here.
The Griddle Cooked Gyoza here is a house specialty, and I can certainly see why. Silky mince and crunchy bits of cabbage housed in thin dumpling pastry, bursting with a subtle yet flavourful pork broth. The Spicy Sichuan Pork was equally enjoyable - the spiciness was just right and the delicate spicy flavours tingled my senses.
I've never really been a fan of vegetables, but Peng You changed my mind. The Baby Bok Choy was sweet and cooked perfectly - giving it an addictively crunchy texture.
The mains were even more impressive than the entrees. Garnished with fresh curry leaves, onions and tender egg plant, the Malaysian style Roast Duck Curry ($35) looked so good that I couldn't wait to dig in! It tasted just as good as it looks - the roast duck was succulent and the spiciness in the curry was perfectly balanced by the creamy flavours in the coconut cream. Super moreish and goes really well with the soft silky eggplant which soaked up the rich curry sauce beautifully.
Unlike any other steamed fish that has been presented to me, our Baby Barramundi ($39.5) showed up tightly wrapped in banana leaves. Inside lay a perfectly steamed barramundi, dressed with bruised lemongrass, sliced red chilli, and Thai basil. The flesh was firm, yet oh-so-delicate, and the subtle flavours in the different garnishes complemented the barramundi very, very well. The best part - the fish is deboned right in front of you as soon as it was ready which means that the barramundi was served steaming hot!
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| Fish right after the banana leaf is unwrapped |
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| How the fish looks exactly the same after it's deboned remains a mystery to me. |
Verdict:
While the prices are a bit upmarket, it's totally worth it as you're in for a wonderful experience - traditional Chinese flavours infused with a modern twist. Not only do you get quality but also quantity as the portions are really quite generous.
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