Old Amoy Chendol: Truly Artisanal Chendol
If I asked you what is the quintessential Singaporean dessert, would you have picked chendol? Probably not. In fact, when I did a poll in 2008 to pick Singapore’s favourite dessert, bean curd come up tops, followed by cheng tng and orh nee. Ice kachang, which used to be the posterboy for Singaporean desserts only […]
The Ultimate Singapore Durian Guide
The durian scene is very different from when I was a kid. Durians used to be just durians. We never used to have special names attached to them. Then around the late 2000's, D24 appeared on the scene which started the age of the durian cultivars. The D24 Sultan dominated the scene for a few years before the throne was usurped by the Musang King who currently reigns supreme!
Tree Coconut: Next Gen Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak is not complicated. At its most basic, all you need is a fragrant rice, an addictive sambal tumis, crunchy ikan bilis and peanuts and a perfectly fried egg with crisp edges and flowing egg yolk. The Malaysians will insist that it has to be hard boiled to be authentic, but for me, a perfectly fried egg beats a hard boiled egg any day. The other stuff, like fried Ikan Kuning, chicken wings, luncheon meat etc are bonus extras. Again, some might insist that the fried fish or fried chicken wing is essential or that luncheon meat should not even be mentioned. That's fine! You are free to choose whatever you like so long as you feel shiok after eating your nasi lemak.
Eat 3 Cuts: Cantonese Roast featuring Pipa Duck!
There are three types of roast duck in Chinese cuisine. The most famous is Peking duck where the emphasis is on the crispy skin that is eaten with pancakes, spring onions and cucumber. The most common is roast duck which is the one we find at most Cantonese roast stalls. Here the emphasis is on […]
Yun Nans: As good as chicken soup gets
Yun Nans might have a fancy set up to show you how they steam the chicken in special Jianshui pots for 4 hours but if the chicken is just an ordinary broiler that you can find at the supermarket, then it is simply a waste of steam. Thankfully, the owners of the first franchise restaurant outside of China has really put in the effort to procure good quality chicken, so the end product really is a pot of the proverbial "chicken soup" for the soul.
Joo Chiat 60th Anniversary Carnival: Siglap Food Trail
Joo Chiat Constituency turns 60 this year and will be celebrating it’s birthday with a Carnival with rides, live entertainment, games and, of course, good food which I have helped to curate from around the Joo Chiat area! We did a food trail to visit some of the eateries in Siglap who will be participating […]
Singapore Next Generation Durian Culture: 99 Old Trees, Durian Story, Spike Empire, Bao Jiak
We are in the middle of a durian revolution spearheaded by next generation durianpreneurs that are redefining the durian culture in Singapore! When I started writing about durians in 2012, most durian sellers were known by "Ah" something. So, we met durian uncles like Ah Loon, Ah Seng and Ah Kok. In the last few years however, we are seeing a new wave of durianpreneurs who go by modern English names!
ChaoShan Food Trail: Chaozhou and Shantou
Our trip to Chaoshan was inspired by the Netflix series, "Flavourful Origins". Although, I have always toyed with the idea of visiting my ancestral homeland for a while now, I needed that extra push to make it a reality. Well, the splendid documentary on Chaoshan food was that proverbial straw that broke the camel's back! So, we headed off to the land of the Teochews to look for olives, aged chai poh, beef hotpot, beef balls, marinated crab etc etc.
58 Minced Meat Noodles: Bak Chor Mee Soup!
The stall was started by Mr Sim’s grandfather who sold bak chor mee from a push cart along the streets of Chai Chee years ago when it was still a real kampung. Mr Sim himself has already been helming the stall for 32 years!
Tanoshii: Korean inspired Japanese Fare
Once in a while, you come across a restaurant that can be described as eccentric, and even slightly self serving. It's the type of restaurant that owes its existence to an owner who decides to open his own place because he can't find the food he wants to eat anywhere else!
Good Eats and Hidden Gems: Sin Ming Industrial Estate Food Trail
We continue our exploration into our industrial heartlands to uncover good food and hidden gems! In today's trail, we will uncover a coffeeshop where toast is still done over charcoal and where you can see poh piah skin being made by hand. We will also showcase a stall making blue pea mee hoon kway and a cafe that serves a mean lu rou fan! So hit the play button and let's go!
Zui Yu Xuan: Authentic Teochew Porridge
After coming back, I find myself craving for Teochew muay more than before! But where can you find a good Teochew porridge nowadays? I mean a really good place where you get quality fish and authentic ingredients like the aged chai poh (pickled radish) and Puning fermented soya beans that was featured in the series?
Henry’s Chicken Rice: Old School Flavours!
Most of the “roasted chicken” sold at our hawker centres are not actually roasted but deep fried or at least bathed in hot oil in order to produce that beautiful, bronzed skin color! I actually prefer roasted chicken to white chicken and if given a choice, I would choose it over white chicken anytime! […]