Little Nonya for a Day
by Qian Leung
@ 29 Jun 2018
In the 1400s, men from the Hokkien and Cantonese provinces in China, in search of better prospects, moved south to Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. Some were merchants and traders who married local Malay or Javanese women, and their descendants came to be known as Peranakans, or Baba Nonya. By the 1900s, many Straits-born Chinese were English educated, and acted as intermediaries between locals and the British governors. Following independence, however, Peranakan culture is slowly being lost. Today, we visit Hotel Indigo Katong for a glimpse into this small, close-knit community.
In the neighbourhood of Katong on the east coast of Singapore, you’ll find many old shophouses with bas relief façade, inhibited by Peranakan or Eurasian families. To bring to mind the small courtyard often found in these shophouses, the entrance of
Hotel Indigo Katong features a vertical garden. Pass the wall of air vents, another common feature of shophouses, a two-tiered lacquered basket and several red and black chests greet you. These were traditionally used to carry gifts for marriage proposals. Upon check-in, you’ll be served ice tea or milk coffee in the pavilion, and I find the little work stations behind the partition, set over replica sewing machine stands, irresistibly charming. There is also a small corner where independently published local titles are sold, and at the big round table, artisans from the neighbourhood are sometimes invited. For example, Nonya dumpling shop Kim Choo might present their traditional snacks to guests, who also get to see a demonstration of how fine beads are sewn onto nonya slippers.
With colonial-era Eurasian shophouse tiles underfoot, the lift brings you up to your floor, where arresting scenes of the neighbourhood by photographer Justin Mott holds one spellbound, enticing one to go out and explore the characterful sights. Within the microcosm of your room is the home of a Peranakan family, with a living area indicated by a carom table and sofa over carpeting, the bed over hard wood flooring, and the bath or shower area with intricately patterned ceramic tiles. There may even be a retro woven chair complete with vintage wash basin and foot bath amenities, inviting you to a private foot spa after your walk in the neighbourhood.
Familiar sights such as the local coffee shop, durian store, or dumpling shop are captured in sketches done by artist Don Low, adorning one wall, while on the opposite, a cabinet is stocked with tea, coffee, snacks, and jars of old school candies reminiscent of childhood days and a bygone era. A pair of red clogs, which in the old days were worn when womenfolk did the laundry or cooking, is now a means for make-believe time-travel, or perhaps, to brighten up one’s instagram feed. From some of the rooms you can get a panorama of the Katong skyline. As it is a conservation area, dwellings are kept low rise, and during sunset, the entire landscape glows straw gold – it’s beautiful. You can catch the same view from the infinity pool, which takes on a different character after nightfall, mesmerising and somewhat mysterious.
I think what warm my heart most are the smiles and the superb service I’ve experienced both from the housekeeping team and the waitstaff of the Baba Chews. The modern Peranakan eatery serves breakfast which you can order hot off an a la carte menu, and the curry cheong fun (steamed rice noodles), in particular, is a must-try. Chef Alvin Leong’s iberico pork rib and beef short rib rendang (meat in coconut milk and spices) are also labours of love, requiring the chopping of ingredients such as shallot, garlic, blue ginger, yellow ginger, turmeric leaf, lime leaf, chilli, cinnamon stick, and coriander seed, blending, frying, and stirring for 45 minutes. By the end of my stay, my room genuinely felt like a home, and I didn’t want to leave. I’m now contemplating marrying into a Peranakan family to discover more! Just kidding. I guess I’ll just have to come and visit again. QL
Hotel Indigo Katong
86 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428788
Tel: (65) 6723 7001
Adapted from the
May Jun 18 issue of Cuisine & Wine Asia.
