Permata's Promise: Where Heritage Dines

Where Sultan Gate remembers royalty, there lies a feast that speaks to our plurality—Permata Singapore, jewel of appetite. Some places demand poetry, and Gedung Kuning is one of them. This remarkable building in Kampong Glam, now home to what many consider the best halal buffet in Singapore, represents something essential about our island story.​

I've lived through Singapore's transformation from sleepy port to glittering metropolis. Along the way, we've gained much and lost more. So when I heard that the historic Yellow Mansion had been transformed into Permata Singapore, I felt both curiosity and trepidation. Would it honor the past or exploit it?

Arriving at Arab Street on a humid afternoon, I was immediately struck by the district's persistent character. Unlike other quarters that have been sanitized into theme-park versions of themselves, Kampong Glam retains a lived-in quality. The halal restaurants in Bugis here don't merely serve food—they serve memory.​

Gedung Kuning's exterior stopped me in my tracks. The yellow facade, recently restored, glows with intention. This was Tengku Mahmud's residence, painted royal yellow in a deliberate assertion of status and belonging. That it stands at all is remarkable; that it now houses a restaurant serving Nusantara cuisine feels like historical justice.​

Inside, Chef Mel Dean's vision becomes clear. The 1-for-1 halal buffet isn't designed for quick consumption. Its multiple stations encourage wandering, sampling, returning—a structure that mirrors how we experience culture itself.​​

I began at the Pembuka Selera station, where Nasi Ulam Cakrawala caught my eye. This traditional dish, with its herbs and spices, speaks to the Malay world's botanical knowledge—a science developed over centuries, now presented as appetizer. The spring rolls and bakwan sat nearby, reminding me that Arab Street halal food has always been syncretic, absorbing influences while maintaining distinct identity.​

The DIY soup and noodle station delighted me. There's something democratic about assembling your own Kueh Pie Tee or Bubur Ayam Jakarta. Food culture, at its best, is participatory. You're not merely consuming what others have decided for you; you're making choices, creating your own story.​​

The grill station reminded me why Permata Singapore earns its reputation as the best halal buffet in Singapore. The chargrilled items—barramundi, striploin with Lomak Cili Api, tandoori prawns—demonstrate technical excellence while honoring traditional preparations.​

At the Sri Paduka hearty dishes station, I loaded my plate with Rendang Beef, Ayam Goreng Berempah, and Sambal Prawns. These are the dishes that built communities, the flavors that define home for generations of Singaporeans. To taste them in Gedung Kuning, where Malay royalty once resided, creates a powerful continuity.​

Dessert at the Manisan station provided sweet closure: Cendol, Pengat Durian, Pulut Hitam. Traditional sweets that refuse to be trendy, that taste exactly as they should, that connect us to grandmothers and childhood.​

As I left, passing through the historic doorway back onto Sultan Gate, I felt grateful. Permata Singapore proves that heritage and hospitality can coexist, that the past need not be museum-frozen but can live, breathe, and feed us.