This place feels like you are in a different country. Actually, Woody Family Cafe is far closer to Johore Bahru than Orchard Road. Located near the tail end of Sembawang Road, Woody is a residential house converted into a restaurant, like the sort you often see up north in Malaysia. Don't know whether this is even legal, but since this restaurant has existed for fourteen years or so, shows it is legit. And it's a legit eating place full of nostalgic atmosphere.
Woody's speciality is Peranakan food, the cuisine of the Straits Chinese, who have settled in Nanyang and assimilated the local cultures including the customs, costumes and eating habits. My wife Janet was thrilled to find Nasi Ulam (rice dish with finely chopped aromatic herbs and vegetables) in the menu, having enjoyed it in Penang, was not going to pass up the chance. And we were not disappointed.
We also had its beef randang, very tasty despite a smallish portion, fried chicken with varying degrees of hotness. We chose a modest level of spiciness and still felt our tongues and lips sizzling after the meal. The chinchalok omelette was a little too mild, but still tasty.
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| Nasi Ulam is definitely an acquired taste. Woody does it very well. |
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| Wish the beef rendang was more generous in helping. |
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| Fiery hot chicken wings. Makes you want to drink more. |
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| Got to imagine the chinchalok in this omelette. |
Woody also serves Western food, probably the Hainanese variety, but it was the Nonya food that caught our fancy most. The decor was retro, with local humour to boot, and boomers are most likely to take to its casual non air-conditioned vibe. Not to worry, there are a lot of ceiling fans in the marquee to prevent the place from becoming too stuffy. We should be back, never mind the travelling distance, this time with more people to enjoy a wider variety of dishes.
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| Who would dream of bringing "outside food" here? |
By the way, Woody is named after that cowboy stuffed toy character in Toy Story and not some pesky woodpecker.
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