Celeb Chow: Gerald Koh is a Disney fanboy

Some guys would never openly acknowledge that they are Disney fans.

Not local DJ Gerald Koh.

Over lunch with M at Waraku Casual Dining at VivoCity, the 29-year-old gamely shared his fascination with all-things House of Mouse.

The affable radio jock recalled his most memorable culinary experience at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, US.

"My fiancee and I stayed at a hotel within the Animal Kingdom theme park," he said.

"It was lovely. In the mornings, when we relaxed at our balcony, we could see real animals roaming outside.

Celeb Chow

Foodie homecoming

Aug 24, 2016

"We dined at a restaurant in the hotel which served authentic African dishes. It featured ingredients like barley and pomegranate.

"The rice was different - rougher than what we have in Singapore. I've never tasted anything like that before."

With a laugh, the host of Itchy Pyjamas with Gerald Koh on 987FM, said his affection for Disney stemmed from his love of family-oriented venues.

"When you're at Walt Disney World and you see old couples holding hands, watching fireworks, it's so heart-warming," he said.

As he tucked into a hearty Japanese spread of maki, miso yuzu pork, ebi tempura and salad, Koh said he keeps in touch with his listeners through Twitter. He has more than 32,000 followers.

"It's the magic of social media. My Twitter followers don't follow me because of my career but because I've become a friend to them," he said.

"I do regular meet-ups and picnics with them for fun."

WHAT DO YOU NEVER TIRE OF EATING?

I love soupy stuff, be it Chinese soups or the Western cream-based types.

I love the fuzzy feeling of coming home to a bowl of piping hot soup. It calms me down. Yes, that's the "old" side of me. (Laughs)

I also love Peranakan food. My grandma grew up in an estate where her neighbours were of different races, so her cooking had a strong Peranakan influence.

DO YOU HAVE A WEDDING DATE SET? ARE YOU PARTICULAR ABOUT WHAT WILL BE SERVED AT YOUR WEDDING BANQUET?

My wedding will possibly be year-end 2015 or early 2016.

It's for practical reasons as my fiancee and I are set to collect our BTO (build-to-order) flat in the third-quarter of 2016. It would be great if our wedding is around the same time, so we don't have to live apart for too long.

Our banquet will be Chinese-style and the dishes have to be plated.

Recently, I attended (radio DJ) Vernon A's wedding. It was my first time trying out a plated experience.

Everyone got a full abalone, everyone was seated comfortably, chatting and we didn't have to rush or shout over the table, "Eh, you want to eat the tail (of the fish) or not?" (Laughs)

DO YOU OR YOUR FIANCEE COOK? ANY SIGNATURE DISHES?

Over the past year, we've been rather active cooking.

In fact, whenever we travel overseas, we'd check into hotels with kitchenettes so that we can cook our own meals.

My fiancee would buy the ingredients and start prepping. Then every time, without fail, I come in midway and take over the actual cooking. I feel bad, as it means she has to wash the dishes later.

I can do a good aglio olio, as well as my grandma's recipe, spam and potato soup.

Oddly, the one thing I cannot cook well is instant noodles. I'll add fishballs, vegetables and char siew, but the taste is never right.

DO YOU LIKE JAPANESE AND KOREAN CUISINE?

Japanese cuisine is right at the top of my list. I'll be going to Japan for the first time in December and I'm super excited.

My friends have been telling me that I have to try the sea urchin and I'm game for it. I love salmon sashimi, handrolls and katsu curry.

I used to like Korean cuisine as I gave tuition to a Korean family many years ago. They would serve me rice cakes and kimchi.

But when they left Singapore, it was sad. Korean food inevitably reminds me of them. I guess that's why I don't eat much of it these days.