The air was thick with the scent of coconut cream, turmeric, and nostalgia—and in the centre of it all was a woman who has spent her life keeping those flavours alive, Chef Florence Tan. While Peranakan cuisine has never been my personal wheelhouse, I wasn’t about to miss the chance to witness a living legend in action.
ABOVE Dine With Chef Series: Peranakan Lunch Buffet with Chef Florence Tan
As part of Hyatt’s Dine With Chef series, JPteres at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is hosting celebrity chef Chef Florence Tan for three days from 14–16 May 2025. The Peranakan Lunch Buffet features an extensive spread of JPteres signatures such as their ever-famous Chicken Rice, and four incredible dishes by Chef Florence including her Colourful Paradise and Udang Lemak Nenas (spicy prawn curry with pineapples).
Chef Florence Tan, affectionately known as the nation’s sweetheart of Nyonya cuisine is an internationally celebrated ambassador of Peranakan heritage. Chef Florence has spent decades preserving and sharing the intricate flavours and stories behind this deeply rooted culinary tradition.
Recognised by Tourism Malaysia and MATRADE for her cultural advocacy, her influence extends far beyond local kitchens, from television screens on her beloved Dapur Nyonya series, to culinary showcases in Japan, France, Australia, and the United States. With her signature kebaya, disarming warmth, and unmistakable elegance, she is more than a chef; she is a storyteller of ancestry, identity, and the enduring beauty of heritage through food.
For buffets, I always love arriving early before the crowd to appreciate the beauty and presentation of dishes before it is inevitably “destroyed” by ravenous guests. It is my first time at JPteres and the space was wonderfully laid out, with double height windows allowing natural light in to warmly welcome guests. I was assigned an outdoor seat, which was honestly quite warm in our tropical climate but still rather comfortable nonetheless.
The ambience had a luxurious yet inviting charm, probably thanks to the timber flooring, solid wooden furniture, and rows upon rows of familiar Malaysian paraphernalia ranging from the largest Babas spice packets I’ve ever seen to nostalgic iced-gem biscuits, tiffin carriers and a counter dedicated to local-style preserved fruits and pickles. To Malaysians, it feels like home; and for tourists, it is an amazing snapshot of our home.
But enough of admiring the room—it was time to dive into the buffet.
Chef Florence Tan’s Peranakan delicacies were absolute hits, even for a non-aficionado like myself. My favourite among the four was surprisingly the Colourful Paradise kerabu or salad. The tangle of seasoned jellyfish, and a trifecta of julienned cucumbers, carrots and lettuce tossed in a light and refreshing dressing makes this salad one befitting of its name.
The flavours are reminiscent of a home-made yee sang, and the soft white tofu added a tender contrast to the crunchy vegetables. Absolute underdog of a showstopper.
Judging by how fast it runs out every time the wok is refilled, Udang Lemak Nenas was also a crowd favourite. Chef Florence hails from Malacca, a state south of Kuala Lumpur, where the Peranakan flavours skew towards sweet and lemak (rich from coconut cream).
Her mastery of cooking is most present in this spicy prawn curry where the entire dish tasted extraordinarily balanced—sweet from the pineapples, tangy from tamarind, savoury from the prawns, and quietly hot from the bird’s eye chillies. With every excited diner helping themselves to the prawns, Chef Florence had a brilliant smile while telling guests to get a spoonful of the bright yellow gravy over their steamed rice—a match made in heaven.
Another outstanding dish was the Ayam Buah Keras (chicken curry with candlenuts). Candlenuts are a prominent ingredient in Peranakan cooking where it lends body and a mild nuttiness to stews and curries. The vibrant curry of dark chicken meat expertly spiced with a bundle of aromatics made for a great eating experience both texturally and on the palate.
On a regular day at a buffet, I’m a firm advocate of avoiding rice and heavy carbs, but when the gravies are this good, even God’s strongest soldiers succumb to the fluffy grains of temptation.
I honestly have no idea what Ikan Chuan Chuan means other than ikan meaning fish, but what I do know is that it is fried fish served with an earthy and slightly piquant sauce made with taucu (fermented bean paste), lots of slivered ginger, and once again layered with aromatics—the unspoken backbone of all Asian cooking. Chef Florence’s rendition for JPteres is generous with the chunks of firm white fish, prepared for an easy bite with a spoonful of rice.
Chef Florence’s featured menu items sit proudly alongside JPteres’ well-loved buffet staples. Another dish I was most excited to try was JPteres’ Signature Chicken Rice. I’ve seen it countless times on social media, and if Malaysians are willing to pay upwards of RM50 for a plate of this humble street food at the hotel, there must be a certain flair to it that I had to experience for myself. Luckily for me (and you when you dine in at the lunch buffet), it is a perpetual part of the buffet line-up.
To tell you the truth, I get the appeal—the roasted chicken had crisp skin and a juicy interior, the rice was flavourful with schmaltz, and the condiments of special soy sauce, garlic ginger oil and tangy chilli sauce definitely elevated the plate. Would I pay almost sixty ringgit for it on a random weekday? Probably not; but I would gladly break my “no rice” rule again for it at the buffet.
Other memorable buffet highlights were the creamy coconut paneer curry, braised broccoli with layered bean curd, the chicken satay (though I wish it was fattier), cucur udang or prawn fritters with peanut gravy, curry laksa noodles, teh tarik, and the excellent pandan soft serve ice cream.
As a dessert person, I thought the selection of sweets were underwhelming and an afterthought. Clearly, the focus was on Chef Florence’s creations, and rightfully so!
In the end, what made this buffet memorable wasn’t just the exceptional cooking or the variety of dishes—it was the heart behind it all.
Chef Florence Tan didn’t just serve food; she served memories, culture, and a taste of legacy that defines Dine With Chef 2025’s theme of Newstalgia: Memories Reinvented. And that, more than anything, lingered long after the last spoonful.
Dine With Chef’s Peranakan Lunch Buffet at JPteres with Chef Florence Tan is available til this Friday, May 16 from 12–2.30PM and a special Gerai session with the chef on Saturday, May 17 at 6.30PM for a sunset dinner in the city.
Seats are limited. Reserve your Peranakan lunch experience with Chef Florence Tan via WhatsApp or Email.
Nacre. 
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