Singapore ups its food game with fun experiences
Singapore is home to a great number of awarded and celebrated restaurants and bars. In the most recent Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, seven spots went to the country, including former No. 1 Odette and last year’s One To Watch recipient, Meta. In Asia’s 50 Best Bars roster released last month, there were 11 on the list, including No. 2 Jigger & Pony, which retains its previous ranking.
The hawker culture is another component that makes Singapore’s food scene unique and vibrant. Back in December 2020, it was inscribed as the country’s first element on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Recognized as an essential living heritage, hawkers have become so relevant and vital to the identity and culture of Singapore that safeguarding them has become top priority.
On a recent trip to Singapore, organized by Travel Warehouse Inc., Cebu Pacific and the Singapore Tourism Board, I took a detour from the usual dining route and got involved in the process of making my own food, an experience that proved to be both enlightening and enriching.
‘Kueh’ master class
Located on Kim Yam Road is a multilevel heritage conservation house decked in white and stained glass windows. Inside is a modern bespoke kitchen studio with a huge island that doubles not just as a prep area, but also as a writing table for students to take down culinary notes on. The place is called The Kitchen Society, which was once a retail site and is now used for master classes for groups of 10-12 per session.
Conducted by experienced local and overseas chefs such as Vivian Pei and Celeste Chew, the workshops vary according to cuisine and difficulty. From a handson Nyonya rice dumpling session to European dessert demonstrations, the variety makes it suitable for both amateur and professional cooks.
Our morning class was led by Christopher Tan, author of the bestselling books “The Way of Kueh” and “NerdBaker.”
After a short lecture on the roots of Peranakan cuisine, he proceeded to teach us two of Singapore’s traditional desserts, namely yi bua, which is like the Filipino palitaw, only this time dressed in a gula melaka-sweetened coconut, and the kueh cara manis, a molded pandan pancake.
It was rewarding getting involved in the production, as well as having someone readily available to answer questions and share tips.
Welcome home
I took a detour from the usual dining route and got involved in the making of my own food
Pushing 80, Ng Swee Hiah, more affectionately known as Mummy Soh, was getting ready to sell her family home of almost 50 years and retire to another country when her son Calvin persuaded her to do otherwise. It took him a year to convince her to give new life to the house and allow people, through her delicious food, to relive the good old kampung days. She gave it a try and ended up happy doing it.
The Art Deco house has become a home of sorts, full of lush foliage where Mummy Soh gets to pick vegetables and herbs, art pieces that are generations old as well as newer ones from her children, and
fortunate guests who get the chance to dine in someone’s residence in Singapore. It’s called the One Kind House and they have consistently been a top choice in Airbnb Experiences.
Together with her Filipino helpers Wilma and Evelyn, Mummy Soh offers a multicourse meal, which she and some of the paying customers prepare. Her home-cooked meal includes dishes such as Teochew-style steamed fish, Assam prawns and blue pea flower rice.
On our visit, we enjoyed a feast comprised of a loaded curry yong tau fu, chap chye, fried pomfret with garlic tau cheo, and beef cheeks rendang with dark chocolate.
Mummy Soh is quite a chareries acter, while Calvin is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. He readily shared stories about his family and the food he grew up with. What the House offers is the kind of intimate and personal dining experience no commercial restaurant can provide.
In the kitchen
A promising program that’s been in the works since December and will be launched next month is “Kindred Journeys (KJ),” a national initiative that aims to offer one-of-a-kind F&B-related experiences.
They have a curated lineup of over 60 engagements that will run over 50 weeks. This includes getting up close and personal with some of the world’s best chefs, a visit to beer brewand and crocodile farms, and a behind-the-scenes look at a beloved hawker.
“KJ” was created as part of the Singapore Tourism Board’s Step-Up Experience Fund, which seeks to improve the quality of food tourism experiences in the country.
Our KJ brought us to Sour Bombe, the home of the whimsical sourdough x bombolonis of “Masterchef Singapore” runner-up Genevieve Lee, where we were taken through the whole process of making her pastries—from shaping the Italian donuts to piping lemon curd inside them. We were then treated to a sampling of some of her bestselling flavors, such as the Cinnabombe, the OG variant; Lavender Lime Mascarpone; Basque Burnt Cheesecake.
As an effect of the pandemic, people want to travel with more caution and head to places that will definitely make their trip worthwhile. These offerings are making it easier to choose Singapore. INQ
Cebu Pacific Air has resumed daily flights to Singapore; cebupacificair.com.
For tour packages: Travel Warehouse Inc (tel. 86872490 to 92; email info@twi.com.ph)
For updated travel requirements: visitsingapore.com.