True Blue Cuisine

True Blue Cuisine sits next door to the Peranakan Museum on Armenian Street and is run by Benjamin Seck, who treats Peranakan cooking as living heritage. The Peranakans, or Straits Chinese, are descendants of Chinese traders who settled in the Malay archipelago and married into local communities, and their Nyonya cuisine blends Chinese ingredients with Malay spices and techniques. The restaurant holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Singapore.

The dining rooms are as much a part of the visit as the food. They double as a showcase for the family's collection of Peranakan antiques: carved and gilded furniture, beadwork, embroidered kebayas, porcelain, wedding lanterns and jewellery fill every corner, giving the restaurant the feel of a grand family home. Look closely at the details on the walls and in the cabinets while you wait for your dishes.

The kitchen cooks traditional Nyonya dishes, the kind usually prepared at home for family gatherings, and it does not use pork or lard. Expect rich, spice-based curries and stews, many built on rempah, a slow-cooked paste of chillies, shallots, galangal, lemongrass and candlenuts. Classic dishes of the Nyonya kitchen include ayam buah keluak, chicken braised with the earthy black nuts of the kepayang tree, and kueh pie tee, crisp pastry cups filled with braised vegetables, and Nyonya desserts are rich with coconut milk and palm sugar.

Go with a group if you can, so you can share several dishes with rice, as Peranakan food is meant to be eaten family-style. The restaurant closes on Sundays and between lunch and dinner service, so check times and book ahead for dinner, especially at weekends. It suits couples, families and anyone interested in Singapore's cultural history, and it pairs naturally with a visit to the Peranakan Museum next door, which explores the community's history, weddings and crafts.

True Blue is at 47/49 Armenian Street in the Bras Basah area, and Bras Basah and City Hall MRT stations are both within walking distance. Fort Canning Park rises behind the street, and the National Museum of Singapore and Chijmes are a few minutes away, making it an easy lunch stop during a day in the Civic District.