My Top 10 Food Moments of 2013 - Singapore and Elsewhere

2013 started slowly, and for awhile, I was wondering if I would continue writing this blog. It was getting into a monotonous state of churning out endless reviews and recipes.

But as the year wore on, there was a renewed vigor and purpose, mainly through the discovery of new faces and new places.

Restoran G Cheong Fun in Johor Bahru - A Playful, Currified Twist on a Simple Classic Hawker Dish

We have come to love and enjoy chee cheong fun in its various guises, from the simplicity of hawker fare with just a thick sweet sauce, to the fine dining flourishes of dim sum restaurants served with shrimp, char siew and even scallops.

But boy, was I totally taken by surprise when JK told me there was a version in Johor that serves this familiar flat rice noodles with curry. I knew I was in for a treat.

District 10 Bar and Restaurant at UE Square - Something Old, Something New

District 10 is a fashionably new bar and restaurant in the corner of UE Square where Bakerinnz used to be. It has also undergone a major makeover and looks ravishing after the revamp.

There is a beautiful private dining room and a very cool looking bar to accompany the new menu that has been dished up.

Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh - A Season of Second Chances

Not everyone gets a second chance in life, and in a society where success comes first, we sometimes forget that there are those who have erred and are seeking redemption, and need all the assistance they can get.

It was two years ago that the Food Canon introduced me to Jabez Tan at Jalan Kayu where he first started the original New Soon Hua BKT there. And I have literally waited two years to write this piece.

Cross Way Bay - Sio Bak This Good Should Be Deemed Illegal

After having a few bites, OFPF remarked, "Eh, maybe you guys should not write about this. We should keep this a secret so we can have this all to ourselves".

He said it with a devilish chuckle that for a second, I actually thought he meant it. And maybe he did. He's right, this is probably the summit of sio bak in Singapore.

Latte E Miele - Giddy Over Gelato

I joked to Marlon that people might nickname him the local Brando, but from certain angles, he does have a profile of Vitto Corleone, haha.

But Marlon, who works at Latte e Miele, is far from a Sicilian Don, and is in fact, one of the most personable F&B staff that I have come across in a long while.

Restoran Tua Thow in Johor Bahru - The Serenity of Homecooked Style Kway Teow Soup

There is always something about homecooked food that has that comforting appeal, something that is seemingly impossible to replicate in a commercial eatery.

There is an undeniable lightness of taste, a sense of hearty comfort that hits home with every spoonful. A sense that it will soothe whatever that has gone awry for that day.

Pelangi City - The One Man Master Zhe Char Chef

The far more famous San Low was doing very brisk business that night, and the bright lights in this establishment seemed to indicate that it was soaking in all the spotlight around this area.

Not many folks would venture just across the road to a far smaller eatery, and with much humbler furnishings. There was literally a table lined up in a parking space, but the energy level was somehow even busier here.