Heritage Village Aman Suria: Penang Nyonya Food

It was a beautiful Sunday and my family decided to check out this restaurant in Aman Suria for our Sunday brunch. Of course, coming from a Nyonya heritage from Penang, I am an avid fan of Nyonya cuisine. I grew up with the cuisine as my mom would make these dishes for us all the time. When I heard Heritage Village was serving authentic Nyonya cuisine, I had to check it out myself…J

As soon as we sat down on one of the few vacant tables, more people started to walk in. The customers seem to be a loyal fan of this place as they were immediately greeted by the owner, Edmund who seems to know some of them by names. This is certainly a good sign! I love places where service is personal and friendly.

One can opt for dining al fesco or air conditioned. Décor is elegant and simple in earthy tones. Old fashion marble table tops and stools gave the whole ambience an upgraded ‘kopitiam’ feel. Gorgeous posters of its menu were neatly allocated all over the restaurant.

The house menu features the history of the food in the restaurant. Heritage Village family recipes spanned over 3 generations from its founder’s family, Madam Molly Khoo. The restaurant specialized in perfecting their Nasi Lemak or Coconut Rice through a special blend of different rice grains mixed with fresh coconut milk.

Call me silly but I adore visual menus! Somehow, the beautiful photos just seem to make me want to order everything. It also helps to assist customers on identifying the dishes if one is not familiar with this cuisine.

We ordered a 3 Layer Iced Tea (RM4.90) consisting of a layer each of Gula Melaka, milk, and tea. This icy cold tea was dulcet. All the layers seem to harmonized well and really adds a deep luscious dimension to iced tea. One is not enough!

Honey Serai Tea (RM 3.90) was simply refreshing and lovely. A hint of lemongrass undertone with honey served icy cold certainly perks up my Sunday brunch.

When I saw that they serve Acar Fish, I had to order this. My mom makes it when a certain fish is available and I would just polish up bowls of white rice with this fish and its gravy alone.

Heritage Nasi Lemak with Acar Fish (RM9.90) was such a steal! There is a lovely whole fish fried crisp and pickled in its lovely tumeric and vinegar sauce with lots of shredded ginger and chili. Simply out-of-this-world when paired with fragrant fluffy coconut rice, sambal sauce and crispy peanuts with anchovies. The taste was delicate and well balanced. We feedback to the owner for more sauce please…J

We selected another Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang (RM 7.90). The chicken rending was super scrumptious. Cooked till tender and thicken, the sauce was rich and full bodied with spices and coconut milk. We wiped the plate clean for the sauce. I could polish of the rice alone with the luscious sauce.

Another must-have dish from Penang is char koay teow. Heritage Char Koay Teow is quite good (RM7.90). Subtle hint of wok hei, the koay teow was nicely seasoned with juicy prawns, plenty of crunchy beansprouts and ‘kau choi’.

A good secret to Nyonya cuisine is Sambal Belachan. The one here is lethal and delicious. Beautifully pounded, the color is gorgeous and the taste is superb.

One of my favorite Nyonya dish is Otak Otak. One can really showcase Peranakan skills with this fish mousse. The flavors are complex from all the spices and herbs utilized to make this a well balanced dish.

Heritage makes a magnificient Otak Otak (RM5.50)! Well spiced and wrapped with kadok leaves and banana leaves, this steamed mousse has chunky pieces of fish and was wonderfully aromatic and addictive. Portion is huge for its price and the flavors and texture were perfect. As I was writing this, I am already ordering some from Heritage for an upcoming party of mine!

The Otak Otak was so divine that we cannot resist putting in an order of Otak Otak Toast (RM5.90). Check out the beautiful colors of Otak Otak with crisp cucumber slices sandwiched between toasted bread. Sigh…this is so addictive for me.

Another renowned Penang dish is asam laksa. Heritage Asam Laksa (RM6.90) is amazing. Full of flavors of the tamarind and spices, the fish broth is savory and piquant. I love this unpretentious noodle with its condiments and ‘har ko’ sauce.

Another famous dish from the Peranakan family is Jiu Hu Char (RM12.90). This dish used to be a great testament for Nyonyas’ knife skills as all the ingredients need to be shredded finely as per mom. Jicama or sengkuang, carrots, mushrooms and most important, dried cuttlefish are essential ingredients to this dish. Heritage makes a fabulous Jiu Hu Char equivalent to my mom’s. Warm, sweet and savory, eat this with fresh lettuce and some of its lethal sambal. A perfect match made in heaven…J

I have to confess, I absolutely do not like durian…J. When my family ordered the Durian Cendol (RM7.90), I almost weep because I cannot stand the smell…hehehe. Needless to say, I didn’t try this but my family gave it thumbs up for quality of its ingredients!

Instead, I tried the virgin version Chendol (RM4.90). Large red kidney beans, slivers of green homemade chendol, fresh coconut milk and luscious Gula Melaka topped on shaved ice was heavenly refreshing. After all the strong flavor dishes, this dessert really cleanses my palate. I adore this virgin version. Can’t wait to go back and try the ABC too!

My verdict? Simplicity at its best and there is a great variety of dishes such as Assam Fish, Pong Teh Chicken, Curry Kapitan that I cannot wait to try. There are plenty of hawker dishes from simple Koay Teow Soup, Chee Cheong Fun to Curry Mee, Lam Mee and Hokkien Prawn Mee. They also serve half boiled eggs and toast and various light snacks such as Yam Cake and Lorbak. Authentic desserts like Pulut Hitam to Durian Bubur Cha Cha are also available.

Heritage Village offers a great variety of homemade Nyonya dishes and there is a bit of something for everyone. Owner, Edmund is a nice chap and he really brings a touch of personal feeling to the restaurant. Bring your family here to enjoy it for yourselves. I am coming back for sure!

Heritage Village Nyonya Food

D-G-31, Jalan PJU 1/45,

Aman Suria, 47301 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: 03 7880 8891

Business Hours: 7 days a week from 8.00am to 10.30pm

* Halal