Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Looking Back at 2014 - It's More Than Just Being About Food

It is always more than just being about food. And 2014 has gone a long way to prove this point. What started as a year of exciting food opportunities, turned into something more. And more meaningful as well.

At the beginning of this year, the discovery of social enterprises like Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh led me to learn more about the people behind the scenes.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Smør - Nordic Open-Faced Sandwiches With Heart and Soul

Traveen used to work as a sales executive at Bloomberg, just a shout away from his newly opened sandwich cafe at One Raffles Place.

These days, he can be seen running Smor, the name of his eatery at the basement of the mall. It is a rather small and compact outlet, but boy does he put a lot of heart and soul into it.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Oceans of Seafood at PasarBella - Oceans of Freshness

Oceans of Seafood has the some of the freshest seafood in Singapore. Period. With that said, there is little reason to read this and simply dash down to the old Turf Club area along Bukit Timah Road this very minute.

Nestled at the entrance to PasarBella, it occupies the largest eatery area there and the place is filled with sights of some of the freshest seafood you can see here.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Fishball Story - A Young Hawker Journeyman

He fondly remembers his grandma's fishballs, which were all made by hand. It is this food memory of his that galvanised him to want to set up his own hawker stall to preserve his grandma's food.

It is also his passion that drove him to become a hawker at the tender age of 23. Where many of his peers are more comfortable working in an office, he is slogging away at his kitchen on a daily basis.

Friday, December 12, 2014

PAUL Boulangerie Patisserie - Tempting French Bistro Savoury Fare

I have always frequented PAUL outlets for their tasty pastries, and compared to some of their closest competitors, PAUL has far better breads and desserts.

It is a surprise to discover that with their recent menu revamp, that they do provide a nice alternative for a full meal outing as well.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Laksa Risotto - Chef Chua Yew Hock's Tasty Laksa Paste From Holiday Inn Atrium Restaurant

Everyone loves a good bowl of laksa in Singapore. And my personal favourite for some time now has been Sungei Road Laksa, which is not only delicious, but very affordable.

Most hotels's cafe will also have this delectable dish, but sadly, they tend to use the prima mix to make the soup base. It is good and eatable, but not necessarily spectacular and they tend to taste the same from hotel cafe to hotel cafe.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Shelter In The Woods - A Master Class in French Classics

It is not easy to get French classics done right in Singapore. For one, the produce which is essential to French cooking is hardly the best you can find here.

Secondly, there are many eateries who profess to cook up rustic French home styled cooking, but very few can nail it perfectly. There is nothing worse than a poorly executed French classic dish.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Tenderfresh Classic - Better Than KFC, By Lots

I really cannot stomach KFC's chicken these days. Mainly because of the choice of chicken used. Darkened bones, flavourless meat and inconsistent batter and frying standards.

Therefore, it was such a respite to find Tenderfresh's own version of fried chicken to be such a better, healthier alternative. These guys have been around for awhile, but it has only gotten through my attention during our collaboration during the Ultimate Hawke Fest 2014.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Restaurant HOME with Chef Tan Yong Hua - Lychee Wood Peking Duck

Chef Tan Yong Hua is a familiar face in the Singapore culinary scene. He was most famously known for being the first Singaporean to defeat the Iron Chef of Thailand.

He has also been at the helm of a number of reputable Chinese restaurants and now, he has decided to venture out on his own at the very appropriately named Restaurant HOME at the Rail Mall.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Morganfield's Christmas Feast 2014 - Terrific American Comfort Food

Found in a rather secluded corner of Suntec City, Morganfield's is not just another Outback replica. Rather, it actually dishes up very good American comfort fare.

Although the prices are somewhat on the high side, the portions that are decked out here are huge and frankly, one portion here can easily feed two Singaporeans.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters - Top Notch Cafe

When I first heard that Oz Coffee was closing their doors at Thomson V, I was visibly disappointed as it was one of my favourite coffee joints near my place.

Fortunately, it was because they are resurfacing as Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters just a few minutes away at Upper Thomson, where Liquid Kitchen used to be.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Silver Food News - Foodology Fresh, The Manhattan FISH MARKET and Pie Face

Now that the Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 is over, it is time to catch up on some food happenings in and around town.

First up is Foodology Fresh, a healthy eating concept that has recently revamped its menu. Currently found on the first floor of URA Centre at Maxwell Road, it houses an 800 square feet seating area.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pantler - An Invitingly Fresh Bakery Cafe

Started by Matthias who left his job as a writer to pursue his passion for baking, Pantler is a new kid on the block along Telok Ayer Street. It's main focus is on baked goods, and leading the kitchen is Chef Morita, a veteran baker from Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

The bakery has a zen like decor, simple and elegant. Decked out in darker tones, the mood is cool yet cosy.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - Thank You

November 22nd, 2014 will always be a very special day for me. After months of preparation, the Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 was finally underway at 11am on that morning.

Once the doors to Suntec Expo Halls 401 and 402 were opened and the crowd started to stream in, there was a palpable sense of elation and relief. We had finally done it!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - Remember The Hawkers

Although this gentleman to the right (or top) is not participating in this year's Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014, I think it is still very timely to acknowledge stalwarts like him that have contributed so much to Singapore's food and hawker heritage.

It might seem strange that on the eve of the event that I would focus more on the people than the dishes themselves that would be featured during the event.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - The Prata Place with Prata Benedict and Curry Hollandaise

I have always passed by this recognisable prata shop along Upper Thomson Road, but never had the opportunity to actually drop in to take a look. As things would have it, they are participating in this year's Ultimate Hawker Fest and I was there to sample their dish for this year's event.

Guna, who is the owner boss of this establishment, is such a jovial and passionate man when it comes to prata and food. It is almost infectious talking to him.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest - Ah Hood Burgers with Chef Melvin Lim from Ramada Inn

For this year's Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014, Chef Melvin Lim, who helms Flavours at Ramada Inn, is coming up with not one, but two special versions of his signature Ah Hood Burgers.

These 2 "ultimate" burgers are actually enhanced kong ba baos in disguise. And what a fabulous disguises they are!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - Christmas Treats

This post is written by Pauline Ang.

Times flies when you are busy. Christmas  quietly sneaks up behind you as you go about your ways.

The first hint of the Christmas mood this year is noticeably different from previous years. The Silver Chef, aka my hubby, was invited by Coffee Bean and Tea Leaves for the Christmas party at the Coffee Beanstro at Suntec City to indulge in this year’s Christmas treats and pastries. 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh Midview City

I have had a long affection for Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh. The original Rong Cheng stall was started by Uncle Lim way back in 1976 and has been selling their classic Teochew bak kut teh till this day.

They were also the first to have used the dragon bone, or long gu. Since then, almost every notable Teochew bak kut teh is also selling this dragon bone.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - Crocodile King

It's not often one gets to eat crocodile cuisine here, and it's a pity the sole crocodile hawker stall in Singapore has ceased operations since September 2013.

But Tony Tee, the owner of the previous said stall and crocodile cuisine master is still intent on spreading his crocodile dishes far and wide. And it is for this reason that he has graciously agreed to come out of "retirement" to participate in this year's Ultimate Hawker Fest.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Les Patisseries - A Neighbourhood Cafe Gem

Cafes sprouting out of neighbourhood joints are becoming common these days, but there are only a few rarified ones that actually are worthy of note. And Les Patisseries happens to be one of them.

Situated near Toa Payoh Central, it is started by 3 aspiring young food owners/bakers. Making their own pastries and desserts, it is also one of those that do not rely on outsourced bakes to supplement their menu.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and Anxin Chicken

After our visit to the chicken farm, it was time to put the Anxin Chicken to the test at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice's outlet at Joo Chiat.

Tian Tian has been using Toh Thye San Farm's regular broiler chicken for some time now and has a great run of success with it. Currently, they do not carry Anxin chicken as it is not commercially viable.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 - Toh Thye San Farm and Anxin Chicken

For many of us, we consume chicken almost on a daily basis here in Singapore. And yet, most of us are not aware that we are most likely than not, consuming frozen chicken flown from many miles away.

What is infinitely worse, is that most of the chicken we eat today, be it fried chicken from the famous colonel or your regular chicken rice place, uses chicken that is not naturally bred or fed.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 at Suntec Expo on 22 November 2014

This year's Ultimate Hawker Fest is about to descend upon us again. For those who are not familiar, the Ultimate Hawker Fest was originally started in 2012 by ieatishootipost as a charity event to showcase some of our finest street food in Singapore.

At the same time, it was also an event to raise money for Touch Community's supported charitable organisations. I am delighted to announce that I am one of the 3 curators for this year's event, along with Miss Tam Chiak (www.misstamchiak.com), who is leading this year's event  and Sgfoodonfoot (www.sgfoodonfoot.com), my dependable food buddy.