Caught up with chef Lionel Chee at his new location at Tom, Dick & Hillary's in Chinatown. I've always enjoyed Lionel's Peranakan and Eurasian cuisine. Lionel is an artisan - at his best, his Peranakan and Eurasian dishes are among the most delicious I've tasted.
I've known Lionel for nearly a decade since when his Casa Bom Vento restaurant was in Joo Chiat, then Casa Bom Vento Express stall at Xin Tekka. Xin Tekka closed in Apr 2021 and Lionel is now at Tom, Dick & Hillary's at Mosque Street in Singapore Chinatown.
Nestled among various Chinese restaurants on Chinatown's historic Mosque Street, Tom, Dick and Hillary's is a well kept little secret among its regulars.
Tom, Dick & Hillary's restobar is a casual, unassuming little hangout with a good selection of whiskies, wines and draught beers. Tom, Dick & Hillary's tagline is Booz, Grub & Merry Making - Lionel provides the grub in TDH's trinity.
Tom, Dick & Hillary's grub menu - everything on one page. It's an eclectic mix of deep fried and baked bites, pastas, pizza, burger, bread, etc, peppered with Lionel's signature Peranakan and Eurasian dishes. It feels like Casa Bom Vento again.
I am Lionel's guest, so he picked the dishes for our dinner 😋
Sambal Petai Prawn $18 nett.
This was really good. The good size meaty prawns were fresh. Shelled, so it was easy to get into the tender-crunchy flesh. (I hate peeling prawns, especially when they are smothered in sauce. I need to take peekture mah... .)
Lionel's sambal chili was sharp and zesty, and just hot enough to bring out the natural sweetness of the prawns.
Babi Pongteh $16 nett.
The pork belly was stewed in fermented soy sauce till tender and juicy, infusing its savoury flavours to balance the pork's natural sweetness.
The lotus buns it was served with weren't fluffy soft. Next time, I shall eat the babi pongteng with Jasmine steamed rice instead.
Oxtail with Focaccia Bread $18 nett.
This is a must order at Tom, Dick & Hillary's. Reservation suggested ☎ +65 6260 0767.
Yeah...., it is not pretty. I pulled the oxtail apart to show you the inside. It was a joint near the butt, so it has a good balance of meat and fat. Lionel stewed the oxtail for five hours with a blend of Peranakan and Western herbs and spices.
The meat and fat were oh... so smooth, soft (but not mushy) and deeply infused with layers of different savoury flavours over the oxtail's beefy sweetness. I love this.
Beef Meatballs $12 nett.
Baked balls of minced wagyu beef topped with melted mozzarella cheese sits in a tomato "boat" on a shallow pool of greasy sauce.
The meatball was soft-tender and fell apart with gentle bites. The flavours from the savoury sauce, tomato and cheese enveloped the gentle beefy taste. The flavours remind me of those Swedish meatballs but much softer, slightly bigger and more cheesy.
I didn't see this Pulut Hitam in the menu but do ask for it - it's really good.
I like the soft-grainy squeaky bite of the black glutinous rice. The dessert was not overly sweet and the addition of dried longan gave it extra texture, flavour and fragrance. The vanilla ice cream topping add more sweetness but overall it was still not overly sweet.
Thanks buddy. It was an excellent dinner.
Next time, Buah Keluak Pizza!
Mosque Street is named after the Jamae Mosque (also known as Chulia Mosque) at the intersection of South Bridge Road. Jamae Mosque was built in the 1830s by Tamil Muslims from the south eastern coast of India (Coromandel Coast). As women migrants were allowed in Singapore (under British rule) only from the 1860s onwards, some Indian migrants married local Malay women. Their offsprings are known as Jawi Peranakans.
Thanks to Tom, Dick and Hillary's and now Lionel, Mosque Street is home again to the flavours, aroma and feel of Peranakan cuisine (albeit Chinese Peranakan).
In the late 1800s to mid 1900s, the shophouses along Mosque Street were occupied by coolie quarters, gambling dens, opium dens and brothels. Today, it is home to well appointed restaurants, happening bars and boutique hotels.
One of the oldest institution here is Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants established in 1925. Helmed today by third generation Kenry Peh who is still at the forefront championing Nanyang tea, a unique Singapore heritage.
Image of Mosque Street courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.
Written by Tony Boey on 3 May 2021
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