Singapore's food

The Straits Times explored our local food, in celebrating National Day. Some articles triggered nostalgic thoughts which I would like to share here.

Tan Hsueh Yun gave 44 food loves she has. She mentioned wet markets which remind me of how I used to accompany my mum there to buy ingredients. She would also buy my favourite barbecued pork ribs and mee pok noodles from the adjacent hawker centre. I remember I used to hold my breath upon passing the fish stall in the wet market. This was in the 1980s before supermarkets sprouted up.

Chris Tan focused on Upper Bukit Timah Road's food offerings. He recommended Woori-Nara's Korean-style fried chicken. He describes it as "a thick, crunchy crust enveloping moist meat" with a "mild and crispy" flavour. The picture of the chicken is so alluring! The golden batter and the bright white meat makes it so mouth-watering. I wonder though how the whiteness of the meat can be so positively glaring. Is it the flash from the camera or is it due to air-brushing? He described how Chicken with Basil is made and mentioned that it can be found at Bukit Timah Food Centre. After reading his description, I have learnt how much salt it contains due to the heavy doses of soya sauce or fish sauce.

His other recommendation was Perla's Pastry Boutique. The Strawberry Tart in the picture looks scrumptious but at the same time, I now know many egg yolks are used to make the custard. It looks too yellow to be healthy. He ended his list with durian, the King of fruits. The picture of Ng Kim Lee's durian mousse cake makes me want to eat the cake. It looks so soft such that it seems to melt in the mouth.

Another article traced the popular food trends through the years. Japanese Cheesecake was popular in 1995. I remember buying the Fiesta restaurant's cheesecake which was so soft and fluffy. It did not taste of too much cheese too. I remember Thomson Plaza had this at their mini food court, which was really many different food outlets in a specific area. A similar cheesecake can now be found at Ichiban Boshi outlets. Portuguese Egg Tarts was first popular in 1998. I don't like the flaky pastry they come in. When I went to Macau and Portugal, I was not one of the number of people who queued up for them. I prefer the simple Egg Tarts, which is one of the dim sum items in Chinese restaurants.

Apple Strudel which was popular a year later, puts me off too, for its puff pastry and fattening custard filling. Breadtalk's Floss Bun, first popular in 2000, is not really one of the food items I like anymore. I like floss per se, but after realising it is sweet syrup that allows the floss to stay on the bun, I have stopped eating the bun, for health reasons. Ooo, bubble tea was next on the trail! I still love it, especially the ones with mint syrup. However again, I seldom drink it now, ever since I read that 5 spoons of sugar are used to prepare it. I remember going to those little cafes to drink it. I would order those with green tea, but then I read that red tea helps in weight loss, and switched to those with it. Yes, I remember those in the plastic cups cost at least $2.50 while those in the glasses from the cafes cost at least $4.50. I am happy to note that one cup now costs $1. The cafe at Toa Payoh is really taking a huge risk in charging close to $7 for one of its teas, now that the trend seems to be fading.

Beard Papa's Japanese Cream Puffs has another outlet at Plaza Singapura, if I am not mistaken. I remember buying Coffee Buns from Rotiboy at Ang Mo Kio. I guess they are more for fans of coffee. I'm not one. Ooo, doughnuts are also on the trail! I've loved them since I was a child. I used to buy the doughnut balls on a stick. I still love the old-skool ones which are only sugar-coated. The ones from Glacier at Serangoon Central are worth buying. Then I started to get those coated with nuts and chocolate sauce. With Doughnut Factory and Doughnut Empire entering the market, I was more excited. I love the Apple Cinnamon doughnut from the former, which blends the tart flavour of the apples with the sweetness of the soft and a little crispy doughnut. Now that Dunkin' Donuts has returned too, I can resurrect my childhood. :)

The last article is about durian again. The fruit has been used in new dishes like durian fried rice, which sounds repulsive at the mere thought. So too does this range of skincare products with durian extracts. The most expensive product actually costs $400! I would never part with my money for either of these.