Last July the Singapore Tourism Board invited me to Singapore for a food familiarization tour and I was able to try authentic dishes that were new to me.
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Our first stop was at NG AH SIO Bak Kut Teh 黄亚细肉骨茶 which is famous for Bak Kut Teh or pork rib soup, a Singaporean heritage dish.
Before the soup arrived we enjoyed the sweetish stewed beancurd sheet. If you’ve never tried this then you must order it.
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You tiao or Chinese donuts are usually served with congee or soy milk. I’ve never had it with soup before and it was so perfect dunked into bak kut teh. It soaks up the soup and when you eat it there’s still a hint of crispy edges.
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Do you see the whole cloves of garlic in the soup? It’s just one of the many ingredients that make the peppery soup taste so good. The flavor is quite strong and a bit spicy but eating it with you tiao definitely tempers the taste. If you want to have authentic bak kut teh then go to Ng Ah Sio. They’ve been serving this since the 1950s.
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For Peranakan cuisine the place to go is One Michelin starred Candlenut headed by Chef Malcom Lee. Peranakan or Nonya cuisine is a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian influences.
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The kropek and dip were so addicting.
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Some dishes tasted very familiar while some like buah keluak took some getting used to. My favorite was the wagyu beef rib rendang. Everything was really well cooked and delicious.
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It’s no surprise that my most favorite part of lunch were the desserts. I’ve had chendol, a dessert made with flour jelly, coconut milk and gula melaka (palm sugar), before but Chef Malcolm’s version was so sophisticated and tastier than any I’ve tried.
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I didn’t think I would like Buah Keluak ice cream with Valrona chocolate, chili and chocolate espuma but the flavors were so intense and it’s perfect for dark chocolate lover like me.
These two restaurants were just the beginning of my Singapore food experience. I had so much fun exploring hawker centers as well as more Michelin starred restaurants. I’m so thankful to the Singapore Tourism Board for bringing me back to Singapore for an excellent food trip. Check here for my first time with STB five years ago.
Shoot First Eat Later 