COCONUTS HOT SPOT — In the hundreds of eateries in Bandar Puteri Puchong, BibiWok Nyonya Thai Cuisine stands out with its striking Nyonya-themed facade. You can’t miss the two traditional nyonya lanterns at the main doorway either.
Nyonya baskets and intricately-carved wooden deco pieces warm up the interior. Richie Yeo’s passion for food and cooking has kept BibiWok going for more than 8 years. With his Peranakan heritage and his love for Thai food, it’s only natural that he combined both cuisines in his restaurant.
A good appetizer to start off the meal was their Thai BBQ Boneless Wings. Boneless and easy to eat, the deliciously marinated chicken wings disappeared in no time. I didn’t need the dipping sauce actually – the wings were so good on their own.
Thai BBQ Boneless Wings
Diners coming to BibiWok must be prepared to order white rice as most of the dishes would need that. Dishes like Buah Keluak Chicken, Dry Paprik Curry Duck, Seafood Tomyum and Pucuk Paku Belacan all need lots of rice.
The Seafood Tomyum here hit all the right spots with just the right level of “umami-ness” balanced with the spicy and tangy nuances.
Seafood Tomyum
The Buah Keluak Chicken and Dry Paprik Curry Duck were redolent with aromatic spices than just being chilli hot. Richie explained how his assistants painstakingly dug out the nutty content of the buah keluak and mixed it with some prawn paste before stuffing it back into the buah keluak just to add on a unique and tasty twist to this Peranakan favourite.
Buah Keluak Chicken
Dry Paprik Curry Duck
The prawn paste also tones down the unique taste of buah keluak, which some swear is an acquired taste.
I love their Pucuk Paku Belacan as only tender shoots were used and I didn’t have to deal with fibrous stems. The sambal belacan in this dish had a nice balance of gentle heat tossed with the crunchy fern fronds.
Pucuk Paku Belacan
The Nyonya Chilli-Garam Fried Fish is impossible to resist, so don’t even try. There’s a choice of garoupa, senangin, siakap or snapper for the diners’ selection.
The deep-fried crunchy fish was topped with their special mixed chilli and spices paste which blended amazingly with the sweet flaky fish. Definitely a must-order dish in BibiWok.
Nyonya Chilli-Garam Fried Fish
There were several desserts on the menu but my favourite was the Steamed Banana Gula Melaka. The steaming process had enhanced the natural fragrance of the bananas and it was heavenly pairing these with gula melaka and coconut milk.
Steamed Banana Gula Melaka
BibiWok Nyonya Thai Cuisine
16 Jalan Persiaran Puteri 1
Bandar Puteri Puchong
47100 Puchong
Tel: 03-8068-6284
Open: 11.00am-4.00pm & 5.30pm-11.00pm
Chris Wan also blogs at Pure Glutton.
