A taste of the brave
I wanted to check out these two hawker stalls that had been beckoning for a while.
So I went food trekking and found both stalls located in the same kopitiam... right next to each other too.
It's a good sign that comforting deliciousness will abound in this new year.
Our very own Michelin food guide will hit our shores this year and so will the 10th edition of the Makansutra guide.
Also, new hawker centres will be launched and it's encouraging to know that a brave new breed of young hawkers are ditching their academic papers to join the street food trade.
To do my part in encouraging the continuity and viability of this meaningful culture of ours, here are two appropriately delicious stories.
One is of a very young chef who set up a hawker stall right after his gig at Shatec, an old and reputable culinary school here.
The other is of a hawker from Ipoh, Malaysia who saw an opportunity here and promptly started offering what no one else is selling.
The stalls are located at Delicious Coffeeshop, 456, MacPherson Road.
DANIEL'S WESTERN DELIGHTS
At 23, Daniel Windsor had an itch to be independent and his own boss.
So, three months ago, he set up his own hawker stall.
His brand of Western fare has a local twist - it comes with rice. That's because he "listened to the feedback of the customers in this area".
He and his wife Jacqueline Wong, 18, are at it seven days a week offering a menu of meat chops, steaks and fish and chips.
A popular dish is the cheese and chicken chop rice. Daniel does the crispy chicken well, thawing it nicely before frying it, and it comes juicy inside.
It's the sauces that come with a twist.
The liquid cheese sauce he slathers over the chop is a kiddie perennial favourite that does not go away even in adulthood.
I like the pan roast chicken with black pepper sauce (above). The Western herb mix was not mild or timid.
All sets come with a blob of coleslaw, topped with a spoon of crispy bacon bits.
It used to be a one-man show but Jacqueline now helps out.
He says: "For now, it's a seven-day week for us, but I will consider one day of rest every two weeks in the near future.
"We take home no more than $2,000 a month, but it's better than having a regular job because of the freedom."
MALAYSIA FAMOUS FRIED PORRIDGE
John Ng's friends in Ipoh told him fried porridge was not available in Singapore and he jumped at the opportunity of being the first to offer the dish here.
The first time I had fried porridge was when I was filming in Chiew Lai, a little town near Kuala Lumpur.
They kept thick rice porridge overnight in a chiller to intensify the flavours before frying it up over high heat with whatever ingredients they had.
It's rice porridge with wok hei.
John's version is much thicker, as he uses the starchier Japanese pearl grains. He tops it with some crab meat and chopped chives.
It can get heavy, so it's best to share this claypot of intensely flavoured rice porridge.
Also, he is looking for bigger premises and will be relocating in the second quarter of the year.
Daniel's Western Delights
Delicious Coffeeshop, 456, MacPherson Road
- 10am-8pm, daily
Malaysia Famous Fried Porridge
Delicious Coffeeshop, 456, MacPherson Road
- 10.30am-9.30pm, one irregular day off every two weeks
Makansutra, founded by KF Seetoh, is a company that celebrates Asian food culture and lifestyle. It publishes food guides in and around the region, produces a food series, develops interactive mobile content and services, operates foodcourts and eateries, organises food tours and events, and consults on culinary concepts.
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