Kebaya Dining Room

Kebaya is a Peranakan fine-dining restaurant worthy of its reputation. Its setting is stunning: antique tables, vintage cabinets and elaborate wood-carvings remind you of the Penang of lore. There was nothing to complain about with regard to service, either: attentive enough, polite enough and swift enough.But this wouldn’t be a restaurant review without discussing the heart of the matter: the food, especially in a place like Penang, where such subjects stir strong emotions. Would the dishes evoke the Peranakan spirit of old? The short answer: yes, they do. My Peranakan husband came expecting to be disappointed, but went away pleasantly surprised, though not without some opinions of his own.The rendang croque monseiur was an interesting pairing of rendang and strong cheese: though not exactly to his liking, he could appreciate the thought that went into its composition. The fish in the gulai pomfret was fresh, without the strong smell that gives away fish left too long in the fridge, and the curry sauce had just the right touch of tangy sourness to accompany it. The spicing of the sayur lodeh was spot on. The drawback, though, was that there was a touch too much sugar in the dishes. While this may be the “Indo-Chinese” touch that was promised, such sweetness imbalanced the food’s flavor slightly.As for my vegetarian selection, it was more hit and miss. Some of the dishes were vegetarian spins of a classic: braised tofu skin, blanched kai-lan, and sweet-and-sour gluten. Alas, one of the dishes, blanched string beans in a coconut sauce, was imbalanced by its sweet touch, as was the blanched cabbage in sesame and chilli oil.Finally, the meal was rounded off with dessert, which was solid but unspectacular. The gula Melaka fredo, though, was a bit too difficult to cut, sending pieces flying across the table! It would be better off pre-cut before serving, avoiding unnecessary hassle or embarrassment to dining companions.Overall, though, the imbalanced flavors are a minor point in an overall satisfactory meal. This place gets a solid four stars, but would benefit from a few tweaks in the recipes.

A memorable dining experience- the Top Hat appetizer a bit cold (better if served warm). The rest of the dishes were fine. I highly recommend the confit beef , lamb and sweet plum duck leg.

Good points: The food portions were generous (each main dish can be shared) and food tasted good. Interior was nice too, think traditional Peranakan architecture and design.Down sides: We waited very long (an hour plus) between the starters and the mains. When we checked on the food status, the staff seemed evasive. In the end we spent 3 hours there though we could have been done in 2 hours.Summary is if you have time then this would be a good place.

We hosted our wedding luncheon and dinner back to back on the same day in March 2022. The event flow was very smooth, the environment is super cozy and the food is exquisitely superb. Highly recommended place for dine in and wedding reception. A big thanks to Mr Syahrul and all the friendly staff over there in Kebaya Dining Room for assisting us and accepting our last minute request. The hotel room is fantastic and it's definitely a nice place for a staycation or vacation. Double thumbs up to Kebaya Dining Room, we definitely will return either to stay or dine in. 👍🏻 Attached are the food tasting photos for our wedding luncheon and dinner.

Food portion was generous as they tried to cater to 8 of us. Service was top notch. Taste for me was just average as i have tasted better and cheaper. But overall for the atmosphere and food was satisfying 👍