Scrumptious Singapore --Margaux Salcedo(inq7.net)

Scrumptious Singapore


By Margaux Salcedo

Inquirer

Last updated 09:46pm (Mla time) 11/29/2006


Published on Page D1 of the November 30, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


SINGAPORE is a small country. Puny. Only 270 square miles and less than five million people. Yet it welcomed almost nine million visitors in 2005.

The last time I visited Singapore was in 1993 (I know, shame). My impression of it was of a boring country that imposed a curfew and where you couldn’t chew gum. I visited again this year and was amazed at how it has become such a hip haven.

Much credit must be given to the Uniquely Singapore campaign, which increased the number of tourists to their country by seven percent from 2004-2005 alone. This must be greatly due to the new leadership of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who, as opposed to his father who made the island state synonymous with discipline and efficiency, is re-labeling the country to make it synonymous with hip and culturally rich.

Thanks to this campaign, visitors the world over are becoming more aware of the culinary treasures that lie in Singapore. Being a multi-regional hub of cultures, it inevitably also becomes a multi-regional hub of cuisines. It would not be uncommon to find a restaurant here with a Chinese chef who cooks with great Indian undertones using a lot of tamarind, turmeric and ghee; or an Indian chef who uses Malaysian influences.

And famous Singaporean dishes, such as laksa, may be appreciated in various Asian ways: Sarawak style, with thin noodles, preserved carrots and sambal; Thai style, with thick noodles, Asian basil, lime and pineapple; or Peranakan style, in porcelain bowls with spoons.

I was especially impressed by the beaming pride with which Singaporeans talked about their food. They have such conviction in their cuisines that hawker areas, which really are nothing but fast-food centers, are marketed as tourist attractions.

Lau Pa Sat, the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia, is now a festival market catering to tourists. It boasts of historical architecture from the 1800s that has a unique octagonal shape and cast-iron support. But the main attraction is the food, which has all the classic Singaporean dishes you can possibly name. (Funny enough, the stall pointed to me for Hainanese chicken rice had a laminated newspaper article on its back wall with an article showing Imelda Marcos eating at that very kiosk!)

What impressed me the most, though, was how restaurateurs have made dining here not only a rich but also a hip experience. The Chinese restaurant at the ground floor of the Majestic Hotel in Chinatown, for instance, has glass cut-outs in its ceiling which give a view of the swimming pool on the second floor of the hotel—a view from underneath, that is, so you can very slyly look up to catch some legs flipping about as you enjoy your noodles. Quite kinky, some may say, but definitely hip.

This Chinese restaurant also has a sommelier, who very amiably introduces guests to French, Australian or South African wines that might go perfectly with each dish, which, by the way, are not your ordinary Chinese food.

Owner-chef Yong Bing Ngen, who opened the Four Seasons, Raffles and Pan Pacific hotels in Singapore, is a master of balance and textures. His appetizer combination of crispy wasabi prawn with foie gras and Peking duck is worth a trip to Singapore on its own. This appetizer has the crunch of the crispy prawns underlining the delicate softness of the foie gras, a bite he punctuates with the juiciness of a surprise ingredient, which I learned later was watermelon.


Hip affair

Another hip affair is Zambuca at the Pan Pacific. Zambuca is an Italian restaurant, but more importantly, it has one of the largest wine cellars in Asia, with around 2,300 labels. The resto usually has events where four-course meals are offered and a new label introduced at each course, with the supplier present to discuss the origins of the new label.

But in spite of the alcohol lover in me, my favorite hip avenue was a little teahouse at the Esplanade Mall —and I’m not even a fan of tea. I think I was taken by the ambiance; it’s one of those places that capitalize on the experience as much as the taste.

I am talking about the V Tea Room (beside Max Brenner, if you’ve been to this mall). It has a generous selection of teas that include such names as Pink Rose Marigold Infusion and Turkish Apple Tea, and an exaggerated biscuit selection that includes almost 50 different flavors, including durian, which is surprisingly a Singaporean favorite.

Now I can’t stand durian. It’s as appealing to me as its smell —blech! I can appreciate fungus taste for cheese but not quite for fruits. Maybe when I’m older. But I did appreciate the savory biscuits: spicy shrimp; laksa rasa, where you taste the chili when you begin the process of swallowing; and hae bee hiam, which is immediately spicy. Very creative.

These are only some of the gastronomic attractions of Singapore. Oh, there are plenty, plenty more; the list is as expansive as it is impressive. It all comes with a culture that thrives on a love for food.

We really should follow this example and have culinary initiatives of our own so that when tourists come over we don’t just point them to Jollibee. (Funny enough, in Singapore there is a Jolli-bean. Same font and letterings, except that it serves different soy drinks instead of fast food!) We should invest in promoting our greatest chefs, invest in research and development to refine our cuisines and food products, and document our food histories.

In the meantime, we can visit Singapore and have some Jolli-bean... or durian-flavored cake and tea!





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