Hao Kee Seafood Deluxe: Toa Payoh Wok Master
I recently discovered a young wok master in Toa Payoh! His name is Jeremy, he's Singaporean and he is 38 this year! As you know, Singaporean born zi char chefs are rarer than the Northern hairy nose wombat, so to be able to find one who can infuse serious wok hei into a plate of hor fun is quite a find!
Origin Grill and Bar: Beef from Around the Globe
You've probably heard of craft beer, but have you heard of craft beef? Craft beef is the latest trend to hit the steak industry. Steak connoisseurs are no longer satisfied with commodity beef, ie beef from cattle raised in mega feedlots. Now we want to know where the steak comes from, how the cattle was raised, what it was fed and how the meat was aged after slaughter.
Bizen: Japanese Wagyu at really good prices
I first met Aston when he opened “Astons Specialties” along East Coast Road back in Aug 2006. At the time, he had just taken the bold step of moving from his western food stall in the corner coffeeshop into his own shop space. I would never have imagined that Astons Specialties would grow to become […]
Chef Kang Noodle House: Michelin Star Chef Wanton Mee
What can you expect when a Michelin star chef makes a humble dish like wanton mee? Well, you would expect that every component of the dish to be meticulously sourced and prepared. The noodles, for instance, are specially imported from Hong Kong. They are full egg noodles with very little “kee” smell and when cooked […]
Fook Kin Roasted Meat: Hipster Hawkers Cantonese Roasts
The last decade has been an interesting time for the evolution of Singapore cuisine. Our hawker food is gradually moving out of the hawker centres into their own standalone eateries and our next generation of Singaporean hawkers are doing it in style!
Yaloh! Herbal Roast Duck!
If you are a fan of Dian Xiao Er’s herbal roast duck, then you should be happy to know about this little hawker stall in Golden Mile food centre which serves a similar herbal roast duck! If you have never tried herbal roast duck before, then now you can have a small portion served with […]
Hong Kong Food Trail: Best Eats!
Hong Kong is a well known food paradise, but that doesn’t mean that you can pop into any old shop and expect to eat something amazing! Like any other country, you still need to do some research to find out where all the best eats are! Fortunately for me, I have a local food guru […]
Leslie’s Cendol Recipe
This recipe is something I came up with after several trials using recipes from various chefs* as well as the internet. It isn't difficult to do and will take you about half an hour. The only challenge is in getting your hands on a cendol press which I finally found
Cheng Hoo Thian Restaurant: Old School Teochew!
You can always judge a Teochew restaurant by the quality of its pomfret. If it is anything less than super fresh, you will be able to pick up its fishy odour since it is always served either steamed or in a simple clear soup! That is why passionate restaurateurs like Jimmy Koh, 67, make the effort to buy their fish direct from Senoko every day!
Shi Mei Roasted: Good Charsiu up North
As you may know I have been looking for the perfect charsiu rice for a while now. For a “perfect” charsiu rice, the trio of charsiu, chicken rice and charsiu sauce must all come together in sublime symphony! So far, I haven’t found a stall that excels in all three. Most charsiu rice places don’t […]
Siglap Kueh Chap: The Typical Teochew Man
The adage “Teochew lang haolian” (Teochews love to boast) never fails to validate itself whenever I meet with a (good) Teochew hawker. This time it’s Mr Tay Ah Liat, 73 who has been selling kway chap for almost 50 years! He started his craft as a young 20 something year old at the now defunct […]
Singapore’s Top Ten Zi Char Dishes: The Ultimate Zi Char Trail
Previously I took you on a Food Trail for ten iconic hawker dishes, this time we are going to visit 10 zi char stalls for 10 signature dishes! These are some of the most memorable dishes that I have eaten over the last 12 years while writing this blog. If you wanted a whirlwind tour of the Singapore zi char scene, you could hop on a cab and just visit each stall for the one dish and it could all be done in a day!