Tay Su-Lyn On Preserving Her Mother’s Legacy, And What’s Next For Violet Oon Singapore

The co-owner of Singapore’s beloved Peranakan restaurant shares her favourite dishes and what to look forward to this year.

Violet Oon, Peranakan cuisine, Singapore restaurants — Photo: Courtesy of Violet Oon Singapore

By Nicole Ng - published 28 Jan 2026

Growing up immersed in her Peranakan heritage, co-owner of Violet Oon Singapore Tay Su-Lyn still finds inspiration for the business from memories of her childhood, where she enjoyed dishes like Hati Babi Bungkus that her mother, Violet Oon, only prepared for special occasions.

Preserving Peranakan cuisine and culture, and spotlighting its beauty and value, has always been at the heart of the restaurant since its beloved founder launched her first restaurant in 1993—but so is adapting to Singapore’s ever-evolving culinary scene and community.

Violet Oon Singapore’s famously opulent black, gold and emerald spaces have seen a number of changes, especially in recent years. For one, joining the popular ION Orchard branch is a gift shop featuring beautifully packaged treats made with Violet Oon’s original recipes. Then there’s Bibik Violet, which launched last year at Temasek Shophouse, which aims to serve its guests the same comfort food they love at affordable prices in a more relaxed, casual setting.

We speak to Tay about her favourite dishes, how the restaurant has changed over the years, what customers can look forward to this year and more.

Related article: 12 Best Peranakan Restaurants In Singapore

When your mother opened her first restaurant, what space in Singapore’s culinary scene was she aiming to fill?

When my mother opened her first restaurant, it was a natural extension of a mission she had through her years as a food critic and Ambassador of Singapore cuisine. While local food was widely loved, it was rarely presented with the same respect and sense of occasion afforded to other cuisines. Her aim was to give Peranakan and Singaporean food a proper home; one that honoured its depth, refinement, and cultural significance while remaining true to its roots.

Having grown up with the restaurant, is there a particular dish served at Violet Oon that you hold dear?

Hati Babi Bungkus, hand-rolled pork liver balls wrapped in caul fat, is especially close to my heart. It’s effortful and laborious to make, and a dish my mother prepared only for special occasions, often around Chinese New Year. You rarely find it on restaurant menus today because it’s so labour-intensive to make. Many guests are surprised when they taste it as the flavour is not overpowering, but rich, comforting, and so delicious. When we opened our Dempsey outlet, I felt it was important to introduce it to the menu as a way of sharing something deeply personal from our family table.

How has the vision for the restaurants changed over the years?

The heart of the vision has never changed. From the beginning, our goal was to preserve my mother’s life’s work, her legacy and our Peranakan culinary heritage by ensuring that her recipes and traditions could be enjoyed by generations to come. We have always believed that Peranakan food has a place on the global culinary stage.

What has evolved is the scale and expression of that vision. From translating her cooking into a single restaurant, Violet Oon Singapore has grown into a platform that expresses heritage through food, design, hospitality, private dining and curated experiences, allowing our heritage flavours to live on not just as memories, but as moments shared around the table.

How do you ensure the buzz around the restaurant persists?

The dream is to keep evolving while staying rooted in our culture and in the goal my mum originally set out to do: preserving our nation’s culinary heritage.

That’s why our menu at Dempsey Hill presents a distinctive selection of dishes that are not available at the other outlets. These dishes such as Kerabu Pucuk Paku, Nasi Ulam, and Hati Babi Bungkus hold personal significance for me and my brother, as they were traditionally enjoyed just once a year during special occasions in our childhood.

These dishes are rarely seen even at Perenakan households today because of how effortful they are to make. By bringing these dishes to the table, we hope to spark curiosity and appreciation among both longtime fans and a new generation of diners.

Aside from that, we also introduce seasonal highlights to keep things fresh through the year, including the recent Christmas, where we had the VO Coconut Log Cake and VO Christmas Sugee Cake; and for the upcoming Chinese New Year, there will be exclusive creations including our VO Pineapple Tart Cake. These seasonal specials that celebrate the flavours of the occasion allow our guests to have something to look forward to.

What are the sources of inspiration for Violet Oon Singapore’s famous interiors?

We approach each of our spaces with great respect, care and intention, designing them to honour their surroundings. Whether at Dempsey Hill or the National Gallery Singapore, each restaurant responds thoughtfully to its setting. At Dempsey, we paid homage to the site’s heritage and lush environment by preserving and enhancing the distinctive character of the building. At the National Gallery, the design reflects a sense of grandeur befitting its historic setting.

Our design ethos is rooted in understanding the depth and quality of my mother’s life’s work, which spans over 50 years. Across our restaurants, we honour her legacy and our Peranakan heritage through recurring elements such as iconic Peranakan tiles and our signature emerald green palette. Emerald is deeply symbolic. It is a colour associated with Peranakan culture, it reflects my mother’s Chinese name, Beautiful Jade, and it is also her birthstone, as she was born in May.

We have proudly amassed over 12 years a collection of original Peranakan tiles salvaged from old shophouses, lovingly restored and given a new home on our walls. These are complemented by a rich gold and black palette, mirrors and beaded chandeliers inspired by traditional Peranakan beaded slippers, paying tribute to craftsmanship and cultural detail.

Our walls also carry deeply personal elements from my mother’s journey. They feature handwritten recipes, pages from her first cookbook and clippings from her earliest publication, The Food Paper. Alongside these are specially commissioned photographs of the leaves, herbs and spices used in our cooking, grounding the spaces with the ingredients and traditions that define our cuisine. Our team takes pride in sharing these stories with guests, offering insight into the significance behind each detail.

Everything is layered to create spaces that feel warm, elegant and timeless, celebrating our culture while honouring my mother’s legacy.

Over the years, the restaurants have incorporated private dining rooms and recently, a gift shop. What do these offer guests?

Most of the private dining rooms (available at each of our three restaurants) offer traditional tok panjang tables—long tables fitting for grand and celebratory banquets.

Each room also incorporates personal touches from my mum’s past, whether it’s a clipping from her first-ever newspaper, pictures from her childhood growing up in Malacca or reproductions of her personal recipe notebook from when she was a teen. My mum wanted to make guests feel like they were stepping into our family’s dining room, and I think that these personal touches definitely lend a bit of intimacy to each space.

At the new Violet Oon Singapore Gift Shop, which is adjacent to the ION Orchard restaurant’s main dining salon, guests can discover a thoughtfully curated range of gourmet items created from my mum’s original recipes. These gourmet selections showcase the flavours and stories of Singapore, and make for meaningful gifts for loved ones or as well-deserved treats for yourself. Some highlights include Violet Oon Singapore’s signature cookies, which come beautifully packaged in Peranakan-tile inspired boxes and span a delightful selection of flavours, making them ideal gifts for visitors or for festive occasions.

In addition, visitors will also be delighted to discover a range of handcrafted jams that feature tropical fruits such as calamansi, guava and pineapple, which are perfect for spreading on toast or pairing with baked goods.

Tell us more about Bibik Violet. What is something different that visitors can expect here, compared to Violet Oon Singapore?

Bibik Violet is an entirely new concept, a more casual everyday expression of my mother’s cooking.

In the Peranakan kitchen, “bibik” is the aunty who knows her way around the pots, pans, and all the stories in between. Bibik Violet is our tribute to that spirit—warm, wise, and always ready with something delicious. Bibik has only one rule: everyone leaves full and happy! While Violet Oon Singapore is designed for celebration and occasion, Bibik Violet is warm, playful, and approachable, inspired by the Peranakan aunty feeding you well, with uncompromising flavours at accessible prices.

It is a more casual space created for daily meals, gatherings, and takeaways, where diners can enjoy comforting dishes, familiar flavours, and the warmth of a bibik’s kitchen.

What can we look forward to from the Violet Oon restaurants this year?

Guests can expect the return of much-loved heritage dishes alongside thoughtful new creations, as well as continued refinement of our private dining experiences and more immersive ways to engage with Singapore’s culinary heritage. A dish to look forward to would be the Hee Peow Soup—an exquisite, classic dish of the Nyonya Lunar New Year that’s available exclusively during this season, and only to our guests who dine in our private dining rooms.

How do you think the food and beverage industry in Singapore is changing?

Diners today are very well-travelled and more aware. They’ve experienced good food in many places, so they’re drawn to things that feel genuine and thoughtfully done. There’s a real appreciation for food that has a story, a sense of place, and care behind it, and something that feels rooted and meaningful.

What are your personal hopes and dreams for your mother’s restaurant?

My hope is that Violet Oon Singapore continues to be a trusted steward of our culinary heritage while preserving my mother’s legacy with integrity and care, so that future generations can continue to enjoy and celebrate our heritage flavours.