Nestled within the heart of the city, Cherki is a modern Peranakan restaurant that artfully bridges the gap between tradition and trend. By day, it caters to the working crowd with Tingkat Lunches; compact, well-balanced meals that deliver comfort and convenience without compromising on flavour.
But as night falls, Cherki transforms into a convivial space for family dinners and gatherings among friends, offering an extensive à la carte menu and indulgent set options that invite diners to linger over shared plates and conversation.
@aveonemag Peranakan food 🍽 + friends 👭? We have the perfect place for you to check out – Cherki! Watch till the end to see what were our favourite 🤤 📍Cherki, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre 🕛 Dinner: 5–10pm (Fri till 11.30pm) #WhereToEat #WhatToEat #PeranakanFood #SCCC #Cherki ♬ original sound – AVENUE ONE
A Modern Take on Peranakan Classics
AVENUE ONE visited and tried a few dishes. These are the ones that we enjoyed.
One standout is the Duck Confit “Itek Sio”, a clever reinterpretation of a traditional dish where crispy duck leg rests on a bed of smooth yam purée, lifted by a tangy tamarind-coriander-onion relish that cuts through the richness beautifully.
Another must-try is the Candlenut Baby Squid, where lightly battered squid is glazed with Nyonya herbs and spice-coated candlenuts – a flavour-packed bite that balances crunch and umami. But the dish that steals the show, without fail, is the Cherki Curried Crab Eggs. Creamy, aromatic, and laced with real crab meat, coconut cream, and ginger flower, this crowd favourite has diners mopping up every last bit with their spoons.
Noodle lovers shouldn’t miss the Signature Kerabu Crab Noodle, a vibrant mix of crab meat, lemongrass, kaffir lime, calamansi, and crispy pork lard. It’s tangy, fresh, and delightfully indulgent, and offers an explosion of textures and flavours that perfectly captures Cherki’s playful yet respectful approach to Peranakan cuisine.
For those who love to sample and share, the Indulgence Set encapsulates Cherki’s philosophy of communal dining. Designed for tasting and conversation, it features a curated selection of the restaurant’s signature creations. Each dish offering a glimpse into the restaurant’s playful take on Peranakan flavours.
Expect a symphony of textures and aromas: crisp, spice-laced small plates to start, hearty meats layered with heritage-inspired sauces, and rich sambals meant to be passed around the table. It even includes a soup and a dessert to round up the entire meal. It’s a modern-day “together meal”, made for rediscovering the joy of eating in good company while getting a true sense of what Cherki does best.
Cocktails with Character
Cherki’s bar programme is just as inventive. At first glance, the cocktails might seem whimsical as each served in unusual vessels and inspired by local flavours, but they’re far from gimmicky.
The Pulut Hitam is a dessert-like “edible cocktail” that combines black rice sake, rum, and Malibu with fried longan, pandan, and coconut sorbet. It’s nostalgic yet potent, blurring the line between drink and dessert.
The Descendants, served in a delicate globe-shaped glass, mixes dark rum with sour plum, apple, and ginger flower features a sweet-tart, aromatic concoction that feels both elegant and cheeky.
And then there’s the Loquat Elixir, inspired by the herbal Pi Pa Gao syrup. Made with dried longan gin and loquat cordial, it’s served in a gourd-shaped vessel with a mini teacup, and offers a throat-soothing, bittersweet complexity that makes it a great conversational companion.
Cherki is located at 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre #01-02, Singapore 018906. Opening hours are from 12pm – 2.30pm (daily for lunch), 5pm – 10pm (Mon to Thu, Sat & Sun, for dinner), and 5pm – 11.30pm (Fri, for dinner).
