2011
was an eventful year! After being away from Singapore for 4 years, I came back
and saw the country in a different light. Much has changed since I left.
Orchard
Road’s changed almost beyond recognition. Marina Bay Sands is completely new to
me. The MRT has gotten more crowded and taxi fares have risen beyond my reach.
The number of eateries has sky rocketed, so has the variety of cuisine, but in
general, quality has suffered, and a certain bland homogeneity or ‘sameness’
seems to be the hallmark of our street and mid-range food these days.
Having
said that, I did have memorable meals in Singapore and elsewhere. They are too numerous to list, so I’ve chosen
a memorable few:
The Ivy : http://www.gastronautdiary.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html
It’s
the setting for many a movie, the haunt of stellar Hollywood, and the rave of
my star-struck friends---and I finally made it there in April this year. The
food was good instead of fantastic, but it was the experience of glam, fun and
people watching that made it all worthwhile.
113N
Robertson Blvd.
Los
Angeles, California 90048
Old
Hong Kong Legend Restaurant – Hangzhou Food Promotion
I’m a
big fan of Chef Ng Sui Hong’s cooking in Hong Kong. In fact, his restaurant is the first
and only Hangzhou restaurant in the world with one Michelin star to its name.
Chef Ng comes from a family of great cooks and he shoulders the family
tradition with pride. Old Hong Kong invited him to their flagship restaurant at
Raffles City for a week-long promotion in May, and I had the opportunity to
savour Chef Ng’s handiwork again.
Raffles City Shopping Center
252
North Bridge Road
#02-18
Raffles Place
Singapore
St Pierre The Restaurant : http://gastronautdiary.blogspot.com/2011/12/chef-in-black-plays-with-his-food.html
Chef
Emmanuel Stroobant is an old friend and I’ve been eating at his restaurant for
years. At the recent launch of his new ‘concept cooking’, we were treated to
his undivided attention as he cooked right in front of guests and ‘played’ with
his ingredients like a maestro in front of the orchestra. The evening was full
of whimsy and surprise, and, most importantly, Chef Stroobant made it a truly
personal experience.
3
Magazine Road
#01-01
Central Mall
Singapore
Mun Kee
Roast Meat Restaurant
An
impromptu dinner organized by my HK food buddies Margaret and Fraz took me to
an unexpected eating spot in Jordan, Hong Kong, for unforgettable roast goose.
Only a limited number of birds are roasted each evening and served at 7.30pm
sharp, to ensure crispy skin and succulent meat. It was great, and so were the
rest of the dishes. Most of all, it was
the company at the table of Hong Kong and Singaporean friends, that made the
meal special.
1A
Reclamation Street
Jordan,
Hong Kong
Fu 1088 :
A trip
to Shanghai in June was especially fruitful because I met some of the nicest
friends from Hong Kong---Amy, Alex and Wai. They chose to include me in their
food escapades and this was one of the great meals they brought me to. Located
in Shanghai’s French concessionary in an old bungalow, this restaurant serves
some of the most exquisite Shanghai dishes in town. The appetisers and main dishes were superb;
just skip their carbohydrates and desserts.
375 Zhenning Lu,
Changning District
Shanghai, China
Teochew
Restaurant Huat Kee (1998) Pte Ltd
It took
a visitor from Hong Kong to introduce me to one of the best Teochew restaurants
in Singapore. As one walks into the restaurant, he will be greeted by
intimidating displays of abalone and sharks’ fin. However, the staff was not at
all pushy; in fact they were helpful in suggesting dishes from the more
affordable sections of the menu. True to Teochew cuisine traditions, the food
was simple but packed with quality ingredients and fine cooking. I became a
total convert after just one bite!
74 Amoy
Street
Singapore
Restaurant Andre
In the
four short years I was away, one star chef was born and grew to own an
eponymous restaurant that’s become one of Singapore’s culinary raves. I was
told it wasn’t easy to get a table, but thanks to some well-connected
journalist friends of mine; six of us were treated to a dinner executed with
sharp creativity and a bold play of ingredients. Although most of Andre’s
cooking techniques were by now familiar on the fine dining landscape, he earned
high marks, in my book, for the youthful, adventurous spirit of his cooking.
41
Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore
