One of the major driving forces in Singapore tourism is their food. Singaporean cuisine ranks number 3 next to shopping and accommodations. On my second day here, I got a sampling of mind-boggling array of dishes from various ethnic groups like the Indian, Arab, Peranakan, and Chinese. I admit that every time I go to Singapore, I shop or eat at the Hawker Centers but never took the time to venture to other eating places that are specific to an ethnic group. I am running out of adjectives to describe each dish I tasted on my second day here at the Singapore Food Festival 2009. I just have one word, and that word is delicious. I mean, what more can I say?
I will just have to show you the photos and let your imagination describe it for you. Oh, and a few videos to see the action and hear sounds of Singapore! Click on the thumbnails for the larger image.
Little India
I skipped breakfast at the hotel when I discovered that my second day involved a lot of eating. Not that I find hotel food boring but I wanted the sights and sounds of these ethnic communities. Our first stop is Little India, the district where many ethnic Indians eventually settled and developed commercial areas like the Tekka Centre and Mustafa Centre. Anything specific to Indian culture, be it saris or Indian cuisine, can be found in Little India. In fact, rice shops in Little India are often frequented by Chinese parents with babies because they have machinery meant to grind rice for congee.
Wee Toon Hee (my ever reliable and friendly tourist guide) brought me to the Tekka temporary market which will be there until July 31. They will move back to the Tekka Centre (Blk 665, Buffalo Road) on August 1.
This is one of their ‘wet’ markets, where the water from melting ice and regularly sprinkled vegetables consistently keeps the floors wet, and discover what food really means to Singaporeans. It reminds me of the wet market in the Philippines. I decided to try the “Roti Prata”, the Singaporean evolution of the Pakistani and Indian paratha, a pancake bread made of dough composed of fat, egg, flour and water. I dipped my Roti Prata with the curry sauce in a separate plate with a cup of warm Milk Tea.
Arab Street
Time to head off for lunch at the Islamic Restaurant at 745 North Bridge Road. The Islamic Restaurant Established since 1921 is run by Third Generation and managed under Mr. Kalil grandson. I loved the vintage look of the restaurant, strewn with old sepia photos, movie reels, cameras. It makes you feel you were eating sometime in the 1920′s.
Toon Hee recommended me the Beryani Set (sometimes I see it spelled as Briyani) which had a selection of chicken, mutton or fish. I chose the chicken which came with an extra bowl of the sauce. The amount of rice was just too much for me to finish but I ate the fragrant saffron rice, chicken and the sauce with gusto.
I washed down my meal with 2 orders of coconut water.
Sweet Heritage Treats at the Malay Centre In Kampong Glam
The next stop is Kampong Glam, a neighborhood that used to be home to Malay aristocracy before the British occupation. Kampong Galam still maintains its strong ties with Singapore’s Muslim and ethnic Malay community, and the government has taken pains to conserve the historic buildings and convert them into commercial areas that house shops and restaurants. Arab Street, Bussorah Street, and Baghdad Street in particular are lively areas often frequented by shoppers looking for curios or diners hungry for Malay cuisine.
Walking down the Malay Centre felt like walking down the memory lane in the Philippines except the delicacies are named differently or the colors are slightly different. The rice delicacies are just so delicious. There I go again. I can’t describe it but just that.
Here is an array of rice delicacies that will remind you so much of our sapin-sapin, the kutsinta and many more.
Their Putu Bambu is probably where our native Puto Bumbong was derived except that our Puto Bumbong is purple.
The Sweet Heritage Treats ’09 is an initiative to allow the public to immerse in Malay food culture. As you can see, there is a showcase of sweet goodies and desserts from various local Malay Ethnic enclaves including the Javanese, Boyanese, Arabs and Minangs.
Preview of Pernakan Dishes at Swissotel Merchant Court
Swissotel Merchant Court invited media from China and myself (representing the Philippines) for dinner to preview the selection of dishes from the Longest Peranakan buffet to be held on July 26 closing ceremony. The hotel has been serving superior Nyonya cuisine for over a decade and has been since synonymous with Nonya cuisine in Singapore. The buffet will span the whole of Read Bridge.
The Peranakan dishes served to us were Bakwan Kepiting (Minced Pork & Crab Meat Balls Soup), Kankong Lemak with Sweet Potato (Water Convolvulus in Coconut Gravy), Kueh Pie Tee, Sambal Udang (Sambal Prawns) and Kueh Dadar.
I love Durian and eat as much as I can here. The hotel also offered other food for us to eat. I chose the Durian Pengat for dessert which is made from Durian flesh, coconut and palm sugar. Hm, I just love the smell of durian when mixed with the sweetness of sugar.
Chinese media from the Zhongshan Broadcast and TV station were so much fun to be with inspite of the language barrier. They once covered a Chinese buffet of 800 dishes. Oh my, the Peranakan Buffet is only 1/8! Having a sampling of 100 dishes is a lot already.
Here is my entry on the Longest Peranakan Buffet to give you an idea of the Peranakan dishes.
Chinatown Food Street- Super Supper Madness
The historically-significant Chinatown was our final stop. It was 10:00 PM by the time we got there, and I had just missed the record breaking event where 431 people at Chilli Crab simultaneously. There were so many diners that the organizers eventually ran out of Chilli Crab, but I managed to take a photo of one remaining dish beside the media table.
Jason Ho, Manager of Destination Communications of the Singapore Board of Tourism mingled with media present in this night of food, laughter, surprises and entertainment.
I felt quite at home in Singapore’s Chinatown. I ate a portion of the Chilli Crab leftover at the other table.
I don’t know if my husband will recognize me. I think I gained so much just eating the whole day! How can I not resist these gastronomic delights? Not only did I get to sample Peranakan cuisine; I also got to try out Indian, Malaysian, and Chinese food in their own lively districts. Besides the cuisines of the four cultures that settled in Singapore, the city is also teeming with Italian, Spanish, French, and Thai restaurants. These foods are not uncommon to me but I like the experience of savoring these dishes in another country.
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You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Multi-Cultural Gastronomic Experience in Singapore is a post from: Pinoy Cuisine
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