When you savour a dish, do you ever wonder how it can taste so good and delectable? You can try to cook the dish based on the same recipe, but it may not taste the same. Just like how you would try cooking a dish with your grandmother’s recipe, you can never capture the same flavours.

The secret lies behind the person cooking the dishes. And for Chilli Manis, it is Madam Serene Hoh.

It’s no secret that the success of Chilli Manis halal buffet catering service in Singapore can be attributed to her passion for serving nothing less than a delectable array of Peranakan food. We share her culinary experiences and what led her to the success of Chilli Manis.

Person Behind Chilli Manis – Madam Serene Hoh

From inspiration to thoughtful execution, the brilliant mind behind the delectable dishes prepared for your enjoyment is none other than Chef Culinarian Madam Serene Hoh who helms the Kitchen at Chilli Manis Catering. We share her passion for Peranakan Cuisine and her pursuit to perfecting each and every Peranakan dish!

Madam Serene’s Culinary Experience

As a veteran of the foodservice industry, Madam Serene has more than 36 years of operational experience managing restaurants and catering businesses. For this reason, she deserves to be applauded for the success of Chilli Manis’ catering services.

Her passion for serving Peranakan cuisine was first inspired in a culinary class by Madam Chua Jim Neo, a doyenne in the fare. This became the seed of many of the modern Peranakan dishes you now see on Chilli Manis’ catering menu.

From there on, Madam Serene has been embarking on the pursuit of perfecting each Peranakan dish, spending countless hours in the kitchen, reinventing the flavours, examining textures, and fine-tuning the visuals – all to capture the essence and signature flavours of Peranakan cuisine while incorporating her exclusive twist into recipes!

Madam Serene’s Specialty

As the Executive Chef of Chilli Manis, Madam Serene has a flair for taking the finest Peranakan recipes and adding her unique touches, giving you nothing less than Authentic Peranakan dishes with a Modern Touch, right here in Singapore.

As you explore our Full Buffet Menus, you will find our signature Peranakan Buffet Menus consisting of the Peranakan Delights Buffet and Peranakan Signature. Each menu comes with a varying number of courses for a minimum of 30 pax onwards.

The two menus differ in the number of dishes served in one sitting. For instance, the Peranakan Delights Buffet offers several choices for eight dishes. This allows you to customise your own Heritage Flavoured Experience.  

The Peranakan Signatures Buffet, on the other hand, offers a total of 12 dishes in one sitting with little customisation. This menu makes it suitable for large social gatherings or even formal events.

Dishes by Madam Serene

There are plenty of dishes by Madam Serene that makes up Chilli Manis’ menu. Among them are the Blue Pea Flower Rice, Signature Ayam Buah Keluak, Nonya Rendang Chicken, Curry Assam Fish, and more! Hear from the Chef Culinarian herself on what is the best way to enjoy Chilli Manis’ Signature Dishes. 

You can taste these amazing dishes by Madam Serene by opting for Chilli Manis’ catering service in Singapore in your next event.

About Chilli Manis

Chilli Manis, which means “sweet chilli” in the Indonesian language, is a halal buffet catering service in Singapore that seeks to showcase the best of Peranakan cuisine – dishes that have amalgamated signature flavours across Chinese, Malay, and Indonesian fares. It is also a subsidiary of Neo Group.

Over the years, Chilli Manis has become one of Singapore’s popular Peranankan Buffet Caterer,  popular Peranankan Buffet Caterer serving a wide array of regular buffet, mini buffet, bento sets and more that combines nostagic Peranakan taste with a touch of modern influence.

Depending on what you order, you can enjoy as many as over ten types of dishes in one seating for your social gatherings or corporate events. You can explore our buffet menus on Chilli Manis’ website.

Are you hosting a Peranakan-themed mini buffet? Well, we’re here to help by providing you with a checklist so that your small gathering will work out as planned. But before that, did you know that Peranakan cuisine is one of the most famous Chinese-Malay cuisines in Singapore?

It is a fusion of Chinese and Malay cooking styles that were developed by the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese immigrants to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, who came from China’s Fujian province around the 10^th century AD.

The Peranakans were traditionally traders who settled along the coastal areas of both Malaysia and Singapore. Today, their cuisine is highly sought-after by many. Some examples of Peranakan food include “kueh” (cakes), “lontong” (rice cake), “nasi lemak” (coconut milk rice) and “asam laksa” (spicy sour soup).

That said, there are many factors to consider when it comes to hosting a small Peranakan gathering. Hence, it is important to have a checklist for your Peranakan mini buffet to ensure you don’t forget anything important.

Here are some things that you should include in your checklist when organising a Peranakan mini buffet:

• Decide on the location and date of the gathering
• Get quotes from different caterers in Singapore
• Ensure that they can provide food catering services for your event
• Choose dishes that fit with your theme and budget
• Consider how many people are attending

Decide on the location and date of the event

Before you host any gathering, it is important that you decide on the location and date of the gathering. This is so that you have adequate space to hold the gathering while catching up with people whom you haven’t seen in a long while. Once you’ve decided on the location and date of the event, you will be able to move on to the next item on your checklist.

Get quotes from different caterers in Singapore

There are many Peranakan food catering services in Singapore and Chilli Manis is one of them. With so many choices, you will find it difficult to decide on which caterer you want to engage for your gathering. Hence, you should first get quotes from different caterers in Singapore so that you can have a general idea about their services and dishes served.

Ensure that they can provide food catering services for your event

Once you’ve got the quotes, you can make a comparison in terms of the catering cost, services included, types of Peranakan food catered, etc. You also need to ensure that the caterer you choose can provide your desired food catering services.

Choose dishes that fit with your theme and budget

If the theme of your event is fusion, then you should opt for Peranakan food. This is because no two Peranakan food is the same as each creation is an interpretation based on the preferred flavours, ingredients of the chef, and region. This is what makes Peranakan food special – the diverse regional interpretation and recipe adaptation.

Consider how many people are attending

In times like these, it is important that you consider how many people are attending your gathering. This is because some Peranakan food catering services have a minimum threshold for a mini buffet. Chilli Manis, for instance, offers 7-8 courses with a minimum of 10-15 pax. Besides, having a proper headcount for your gathering will make it easier to estimate the cost.

 Keen to try Peranakan food catering for your event in Singapore? 

Engaging a Peranakan food catering for your gathering will create a unique experience for your guests. On top of that, you’ll be introducing new flavours that may leave your guest wanting more.

The best caterer can balance the quality as well as the presentation of the food while delivering the best value for your money. When you choose a Peranakan food catering service from Chilli Manis, you’ll have a variety of dishes and side menu items to choose from.

As a halal-certified caterer, we seek to present the best Peranakan food catering service in Singapore. Keen to try our food catering service? Contact us at 6250 1112 or email sales@chillimanis.com.sg.