Many decades in the making, our glittering restaurant scene did not arrive without first standing on the backs of these culinary stalwarts and other notables who have come and gone.
Much has been said about Singapore's glittering restaurant scene. It boasts Michelin stars, celebrity chefs both local and foreign, enviable culinary standards that earned us the championship at the Ika Hoga culinary Olympics, and a heaving body of fantastic dining options which eclipse that of many other cities. But those who have been around the block would know that all this didn't just burst onto the world stage like the Big Bang. Its success was built on the backs of a humbler scenario, when life was not as affluent, the restaurant and general food scene not as vibrant. But there was a real hunger for knowledge, a thirst to experiment and experience, to take risks and sacrifices for it, and a deeply rooted drive to bring our fledgling food scene to a higher level. It was a shared vision that many individual restaurateurs, chefs, culinary educators and students then were committed to, and they were straining on their leashes, so to speak.
Almost 30 years on, and the hard work has all paid off. While many restaurants have faded from centre stage for various reasons, some stalwarts have remained, weathering changes in trends and tastes, economic downturns and other challenges, to emerge still top of their game. No mean feat, they continue to win well-deserved acclaim including in our Singapore's Top Restaurants 2017/2018 this year.
SHINING OLD VETERANS
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New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
