The Tranquerah located at Damansara GLO Kuala Lumpur is imbued with an old world atmosphere, which makes for an enchanting and authentic Nyonya Food Melaka dining experience. The focus in The Tranquerah which was awarded by Malaysia Tatler Dining - Best Top 5 Nyonya Restaurant in KL & PJ 2015 and it is renowned as one of the restaurants to go for its Nyonya delicacies.
The Tranquerah Damansara GLO Kuala Lumpur Address
LG09, Lower Ground Floor, GLO Damansara,
No 699, Jalan Damansara
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
There is a huge difference between the different Peranakan Dishes that are available, you can check out the details on Wikipedia but the 2 most popular are the Nyonya Melaka and Nyonya Penang that are often mistaken as the same by many. The Nyonya Penang has a sourish tone like the popular Assam Laksa, while the Nyonya Melaka has a richer flavour like the Buah Keluak dishes and the Ayam Pongteh.
The menu at The Tranquerah is specially curated by the Nyonya celebrity chef, Florence Tan, which serves authentic Malacca Nyonya Cuisine. A few of their signature dishes are Ayam Buah Keluak, Ayam Pongteh, Gerang Asam Fish, Udang Masak Lemak Nenas, Tamarind Prawns, ltik Tim soup and Pai Tee.
One of the most popular delicacies in the Nyonya Melaka dishes is the Buah Keluak. Little is known about this ingredient as one of the delicious ingredients. We were told that this Buah Keluak (Pangium Edule) is poisonous and needed to be treated in the right way to enjoy this delicious offering.
Buah Keluak is a rather mysterious fruit. The whole plant is poisonous, and yet the seeds are painstakingly prepared and eaten as a Nyonya delicacy. The fresh fruit and seeds contain hydrogen cyanide and are deadly poisonous if consumed without prior preparation. The seeds are first boiled and then buried in ash, banana leaves and earth for forty days. The method relies on the fact that the hydrogen cyanide released by the boiling and fermentation is water-soluble and easily washed out. Check this out on Wikipedia.
So naturally our first dish that we reviewed is the Keluak Pasta (soon to be introduced in the standard menu). From the look of it, our first thought was a black pepper pasta, but once it reaches our mouth, you can taste the Buah Keluak which has a slightly bitter nutty taste that’s almost reminiscent of a good single origin dark chocolate with an added spiciness from the use of some black pepper to prep it out a little. A great taste to start our review.