Chilli Manis Review - Perfect Meal for your Get-Together!

Chilli Manis’ is renowned for their delightful Peranakan meals that incorporate Chinese, Malay and Indonesian touches into their dishes. Served to you with the finest herbs, spices and aromas, Chilli Manis turns all the simple Asian flavours into a gastronomic dish, giving you nothing less than a premium quality meal! And that’s exactly what’s needed for a heart-warming Mother’s Day meal!

Recently, Chilli Manis has sent us their Peranakan Mini Buffet C for us to indulge in. Hear what we have to say about these dishes! 

We received a total of 8 items:  

• Signature Kampong Dry Laksa (Main course) 
• Nonya Curry Chicken with Potato 
• Steamed Assam Sambal Fish  
• Nonya Sayur Lodeh  
• Gado Gado Special 
• Pulut Hitam with Coconut Milk 
• Udang Masak Nenas 
• Jumbo Chicken Satay with Cucumber

   Signature Kampong Dry Laksa 

For those who love laksa but tend to avoid it as it can get surfeiting at times, you definitely have to give the Signature Kampong Dry Laksa a try! Chilli Manis’ take of the Laksa done the “dried” way wasn’t overpowering and was in fact quite mild. I think this would be a perfect dish for kids too! The prawns and fishcakes added some bite while the beansprouts gave a good crunch to the dish. This was a dish that I enjoyed quite a bit. However, if I had to nit-pick, I did wish that this dish could have been a tad bit spicier with just a little bit more of gravy used because it did get quite dry for me after a while! The solution to this? Drizzle some curry vegetables (which I’ll talk about later) onto them, yum!  

Taste Rating: 3.5/5

Nonya Curry Chicken with Potato

This has got to be my favourite dish from this mini buffet spread! Being a fan of curry, this was totally a YES from me! Anybody else likes to eat their curry with rice? Because I do! And because this curry was so flavourful, it will go very well with rice. I devoured the chicken and potato so quickly because they were so soft and tender and had absorbed so much flavours from the curry! 

Taste Rating: 4.5/5

Steamed Assam Sambal Fish

Just in this dish alone, you could taste the natural sweetness from the tomatoes, sourness from the tamarind and a little bit of spiciness. Personally, I am not a big fan of the sweet and sour combination so I am not the best judge for this. However, I did gather quite a fair bit of positive comments for this dish from my colleagues! The fish fillets were cooked just nice, soft and tender. There was also capsicums and ladyfingers used in this dish which added vibrancy to this dish in terms of colours and texture! 

Taste Rating: 3/5

Nonya Sayur Lodeh

This curry was milder and milkier as compared to the Nonya Curry Chicken with Potato dish above. I found this dish quite palatable for most because it didn’t feel too heavy. I liked how this curry balanced out the richness from the all the Nonya Curry Chicken with Potato I’ve gorged myself with earlier! Especially for all mums who have a thing for Peranakan food, this dish has brought out the essence of the culture! 

Taste Rating: 4/5

Gado Gado Special

If you feel that the other dishes are too heavy for your liking, try this out! A light-hearted “salad” dish loaded with different kinds of veggies, potatoes, beancurds and eggs. I liked how thoughtful Chilli Manis was by separating the peanut sauce from the veggies and beancurds. To enjoy this dish, simply drizzle (or drench) the veggies and beancurds with the fragrant peanut sauce. The peanut sauce tasted a little creamy and sweet which was a perfect complement to the assorted veggies and beancurds. This was a simple yet very delicious dish to have! 

Taste Rating: 3.5/5

Pulut Hitam with Coconut Milk

I’m always craving for something sweet after a savoury meal and this dessert really satisfied that need in me! Drizzle on some creamy coconut milk on top of the generous amount of black glutinous rice and you’re good to go. This dessert was so tasty, it definitely got me reaching out for another scoop!  

Taste Rating: 4.5/5

Udang Masak Nenas

Succulent, fresh prawn cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce, what’s there not to like about this dish? You get the sourness from the pineapples used and an extra oomph in the flavours from the bay leaves spices. Prawn lovers, you definitely wouldn’t want to miss this dish out! 

Taste Rating: 4/5

Jumbo Chicken Satay with Cucumber

You can never go wrong with skewered meat! I feel like it’s one of those dishes that you can have all day and not feel (too) guilty because of its relatively small portions. These chicken satays, when eaten with the thick peanut sauce, can get so addictive! The satays from Chilli Manis were slightly charred, adding that bit of crisp and smokiness when you dig into them.  

Taste Rating: 3.5/5

With both mild and strong flavours in this Peranakan Mini Buffet set, there are dishes suitable for all! I have got to say this Mini Buffet was so appetizing, it certainly satisfied my hungry tummy and I enjoyed it a lot! 😋

Price: $21.80/pax 
Min. pax: 10

Want to surprise your mum this Mother’s Day? Try it out for yourself here!
*Information accurate as of 4 April 2019.