Babba: Peranakan-Infused Brunch at Serangoon
If you’re looking for a new spot for brunch in Serangoon, you’ll find the Peranakan-influenced Babba tucked away in the middle of a suburb of landed properties in between Serangoon and Lorong Chuan.
The easygoing cafe features terrazzo tables and rattan chairs, with artificial plants dotted all around and hanging from the ceiling.
As they’re a corner unit, they have windows on two sides of the cafe, meaning plenty of natural light pours in during the day.
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@blakerik a new hidden cafe serving peranakan-influenced food (more so for their dinner service i’d say)— nice little find! #tiktoksg ♬ original sound - ASTN
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Food is more of a fusion fare, with the Peranakan influence coming through far more for the dinner menu.
In the day, you can expect to find more standard brunch dishes, with a sprinkling of local influences here and there.
Breakfast dishes like the Burrata Tartine (S$18) and Sausage Platter (S$22) are available from 8am to 4pm, and lunch plates like the Rendang Burger (S$24) and Dry Laksa Pasta (S$26) are served from 12pm to 4pm.
Here, we had the Cod Fish & Chips (S$24) served with Ginger Flower Tartar Sauce, Fries and Salad. You can top up S$4 to get truffle / house fries instead. We enjoyed that the batter was light, as it meant we didn’t tire of it after a couple of bites.
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Moving on to the Crab Omelette (S$25), this dish featured sautéed crab meat, hae bi hiam floss, and pickled shallots, complemented by the pieces of toast and mesclun salad. This dish was flavourful and fragrant, and I loved the little fusion of local flavours to make it just that bit more special. Not going to lie though, the crab omelette in particular was quite oily.
On the drinks menu, you’ll find espresso-based coffee, teas, refreshers, as well as beers, spirits, white and red wine, select soft drinks and sparkling water.
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As mentioned, the dinner menu is when you can find actual Peranakan dishes, like Ayam Buah Kelak (S$28), Babi Ponteh (S$26) and Udang Masak Tauyu (S$28), as well as desserts like Pulut Hitam (S$10) and Homemade Banana Cake (S$13) with salted gula melaka sauce on offer.
Overall, Babba is likely to be the type of cafe that satisfies multiple generations in the family, and not just the younger crowd.
There was a service mishap when the waitress dropped the plate on our table as she was trying to serve it to us, but in all fairness to them they quickly got the dish plated again and did apologise sincerely, so props to them for service recovery.
Despite the lack of accessibility to public transport, there was a pretty long queue outside the restaurant during weekend brunch hours, so it’s safe to say they’re off to a good start.
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WHERE | 15-9 JLN RIANG, SINGAPORE 358987
