Violet Oon: this is my second review of this Peranakan / local dining establishment. For my previous review, written almost 8-9 months ago, check out this other post right here.
Contents
Violet Oon
Love a combination of Nyona, Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisines? Violet Oon Singapore is a local chain of restaurants that carries all of that.
Uniquely Singaporean, one of Violet Oon’s selling points is that diners can enjoy the local Singaporean food scene – BUT in a more elegant and high-end setting.
Within Singapore, there are three main restaurants: at Ion, Jewel, and the National Gallery.
This visitation features my review from the flagship store at Ion Orchard.
Entrance
Seating Area
Assortment of desserts such as: Sugee cake, Mango calamansi tart, Horlicks cake
American Express S$50 Voucher
With the American Express Platinum Charge card, every year, upon payment of the annual fee, American Express sends card holders a lovely stack of vouchers, and two pieces of S$50 Violet Oon vouchers are among the stack.
Note: however that this voucher would be discontinued in in the future. While the reasons are unclear, Violet Oon is currently undergoing some legal battles. Again, whether this is related to the cessation of the Amex voucher or not is unknown – its all rumours and speculation.
Violet Oon S$50 voucher (x2 per Amex Platinum Charge Card Member)
There’s no minimum spend required. However, diners can only use a maximum of ONE voucher per visit.
Previously, this space was dedicated to referral links for American Express credit cards. As mentioned in my blog update, I will no longer be providing referral links going forward. For readers seeking information on Singapore-issued American Express credit cards and their benefits, please refer to the website below: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-sg/
Starters
A highly recommended starter is the Kuay Pie Tee (Or Kueh Pie Ti? I guess it depends on who’s the Hokkien-English translator).
According to the menu, this is a “julienned bamboo shoot and turnip poached in a prawn bisque and served in a deep fried “top hat” cup. Topped with prawn, chilli sauce and a sweet fruit sauce.”
Kuay Pie Tee / Kueh Pie Ti (spelling is disputable/ phonetic)
Close Up
How do they pull it off? I asked the server, who declined to comment. Guess the secret remains a mystery.
Main Dishes
Food was served after a short wait, and oh my gosh, the aroma of laksa spices could not be ignored.
Dry Laksa
Violet Oon goes against this tradition by making the Laksa a dry version, while maintaining all its spicy coconut goodness. Here, fresh rice noodle is tossed in the signature house’s laksa gravy, topped with prawn, tau pok, and bean sprouts, and curry leaves.
With a generous amount of prawns
For me, I had ordered the Club Sandwich with Island Spread and Steak Fries.
Club Sandwich with Island Spread and Steak Fries
I’m seriously glad that this is held together with a paper wrapping – ridiculously huge bites were required to devour the super thick sandwich. Super prone to mess/accidents – but also super good.
a VERY well-filled AND filling sandwich
As if the both of us didn’t eat enough, we also ordered a fish curry dish to share between us.
Fish Curry with Roti Jala
Spicy Fish
First, drown roti in curry.
Overall thoughts
It so happens that all the 3 main dishes we tried today (Dry Laksa, Club Sandwich, Fish Curry) were all on the heavier side. My friend and I definitely left that place sleepy post-lunch.
Nevertheless, awesome quality as far as Pernakan / Local care goes.
I’ve written this before in my previous Violet Oon review, but i think it is worth mentioning again:
“Usually, the stereotype is that local food tends to be served in low-brow areas (e.g. hawkers, food court, neighbourhood places), but Violet Oon has shown that there can be a touch of luxury added in to local cuisine. Which is really refreshing to see – sometimes the perception is that only European / Japanese / Chinese food in hotels are considered upscale, which honestly couldn’t be further from the truth.
Thoroughly enjoyable, unique, and welcoming, I’m definitely going to be back again.”
Prices with American Express
For this Violet Oon review, as a holder of the Amex Platinum charge card – I received the following dining discounts:
- Kuay Pie Tee – $18.00
- Club Sandwich – $26.00
- Fish Curry with Roti Jala – $30.00
- Dry Laksa – $26.00
– Subtotal: $96.00
– 7% GST: $7.39
– 10% Service Charge: $9.60
– Total Bill: $113.00- However, with an S$50 Violet Oon voucher from American Express, our final bill was S$63.00 instead.
Apply for an American Express credit card and get bonus points!
American Express Platinum Charge Card (Image source: American Express)
Previously, this space was dedicated to referral links for American Express credit cards. As mentioned in my blog update, I will no longer be providing referral links going forward. For readers seeking information on Singapore-issued American Express credit cards and their benefits, please refer to the website below: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-sg/
Want more of HappyHighLife? Follow me on Social Media!
Enjoy reading food and restaurant reviews? Click here to navigate to all dining reviews in this blog.
Love reading about hotel stays? For a list of all hotels reviewed on this Happy High Life blog, click here.
Love this post? Share it with others on Social Media!
