SEE | Cultural delights | Peranakan Museum
After nearly four years of renovations, the Peranakan Museum reopens its doors to the public this month. The completely refurbished building will feature brand-new permanent galleries presenting exceptional objects from Peranakan material culture and a fresh new exhibition design and museum visitor experience. Guests will gain greater insight into the diverse Peranakan cultures of Singapore and Southeast Asia through new thematic showcases, objects, interactive displays, and programmes.
The museum has worked closely with various Peranakan communities over the last four years to explore lesser-known aspects of Peranakan culture and to contemplate the question “What is Peranakan?” Interviews, stories, and contemporary expressions will showcase living cultures — such as that of the Arab Peranakans, Chinese Peranakans, Chitty Melakans (or Peranakan Indians), and Jawi Peranakans — while anchoring these cultures, with their distinctive customs and practices, within the context of the larger Malay-Indonesian world.
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There will be nine galleries across three floors, each examining three grand themes about facets of Peranakan identity: Origins, Home, and Style. Besides familiar and well-loved artefacts and set pieces, the museum will also premiere an extensive range of new objects acquired or generously given to us in the last decade. There will also be newly commissioned art pieces, including one by contemporary artist Sam Lo. For more information, visit www.acm.org.sg.
Classical evenings | Candlelight Concerts
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Cosy up with your beau under the gentle glow of thousands of candles and the soft tunes of a string quartet on Valentine’s Day at CHIJMES Hall. This Feb 13 and 14, Candlelight Concerts serenades the audience with romantic tunes such as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” (the Crazy Rich Asians version), the “Love Theme” from Romeo and Juliet, “True Love Waits” by Radiohead, “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy, and many more, all beautifully performed by the Vocalise String Quartet. To book, visit feverup.com.
Wheels on show | Porsche
Porsche lovers are in for a treat this month — get up close and personal with your dream cars at the Porsche NOW pop-up store at Guoco Tower, as well as the “Curvistan-Legends” exhibition (now till Feb 19) at Mandala Club.
While the former offers an immersive retail experience that integrates brand and product consultation with lifestyle accessories and the latest models for test drives on-site, the latter will honour the brand’s rich history and classic cars in a first-in-Singapore public showcase.
Curated by Stefan Bogner of Curves Magazine, the temporary experiential space at Mandala Club is a gallery, event space, and hangout all rolled into one, where visitors can discover the most iconic race cars from the storied history of Porsche in motorsport. The Porsche 550 Spyder will be displayed — the actual Carrera Panamericana-winning car piloted by Hans Herrmann in 1954. Elsewhere, a collection of winning visuals from the Porsche Museum Archive adorns the walls of the space, alongside a selection of eight vintage watches from brand partner TAG Heuer. To bolster the eclectic and vintage atmosphere at Curvistan, a specially crafted beverage menu from iconic apéritif Campari with celebrated classics such as the Negroni and its non-alcoholic sibling, the Credino, has been prepared.
These brand events are timed ahead of the launch of the new Porsche Studio Singapore, currently planned for the second half of 2023. Admission to both is free.
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EAT | A first-year feast | Rempapa
Heritage cuisine chef Damian D’Silva celebrates the first anniversary of his restaurant Rempapa with a one-day-only “Rempapa Heritage Food Festival”, serving mouth-watering creations by five local F&B luminaries and D’Silva himself. They include chef Willin Low, the “father” of mod-sin cuisine; Annette Tan, private chef, author, and veteran observer of our dining scene; Pang Kok Keong, leading pâtissier and now champion of Hakka cuisine; Vasunthara Ramasamy, private chef and alumni of Singapore MasterChef Season 2; and Jayce Ho, one of the few pitmasters in Singapore working with traditional wood and charcoal.
Low’s dish — Iberico Pork Satay — is an inspired re-envisioning of old-school Hainanese pork satay. Tan draws from her childhood memories of growing up in Peranakan in her two contributions — Kueh Keledek and Fried Popiah. Pang will present Suan Pan Zi, the dish that started his journey of discovery into his own native Hakka cuisine. The nostalgia of old street food is fondly recalled in the two types of Vadai that Ramasamy has prepared — Masala Vadai and Cashew Nut Vadai. Ho rounds up the spread with Smoked Brisket, in which beef brisket is marinated with Rempapa’s heritage rub for over 1.5 days, smoked low and slow for a day, and then served in a panini with smoked cheese. D’Silva will bring five dishes to the table: Sambal Stingray, Chicken Curry Noodles, Debal with French Loaf, Lamb Korma with Roti, and Vegetarian Kedongdong Salad.
The special event held on Feb 18 (at $68 per person) affirms everything D’Silva and his iconic restaurant stand for — the expression of our multi-ethnic makeup through Singapore heritage cuisine, the call to preserve our cherished food traditions, and the effort to re-invent these for future generations. The dishes they bring will be close to their hearts, some steeped in tradition or personal memories, others featuring local flavours adapted with contemporary techniques.
To book a table, call 9459 1603, email papa@rempapa.sg or visit facebook.com/rempapasg.
