There are at least three reasons not to overeat too early at the Princess Terrace cafe’s historic Penang buffet (it’s been going for 35 years and counting).

And all these reasons are in the assorted Nonya kueh section, where the goodies are made daily.

Reason No. 1 is the pulot tai tai, an indigo glutinous rice cake that is best eaten with as much kaya as you can spoon onto your saucer without looking like an Ugly Singaporean. The salty, sticky cake goes well with the sweet egg-coconut jam, which is viscous enough to be a dish in its own right.

Reason No. 2 is the kueh lapis. Mass-produced nine-layered cakes tend to be so gummy that they are actually only one layer. But not this first-rate kueh lapis, which comes apart in nine layers in your mouth. Seriously.

Reason No. 3 is the tapioca cake. The hard root has been carefully crushed so you get its taste but not too much of its fibrous texture.

Reasons No. 4 to No.11 are, inevitably, all the repeat servings you will have of those kueh and that kaya.

Assorted Nonya kueh are available at the Penang buffet, $33 for adults, $20.80 for children under 12.

PRINCESS TERRACE
Copthorne King’s Hotel
403 Havelock Road, Tel: 6318-3168
Open: noon to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10pm daily

HSBC credit cardholders get 15 per cent off the food bill until Dec 31 2008.

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Oct 14, 2007.