The Pinoy Food Photo Blog combines my family's love for eating and amateur photography.
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Wee Toon Hee ,my tour guide in Singapore told me that True Blue Cuisine is part of the list of must-try restaurants. The place is not only beautiful but I felt like being transported in time. Let me give you a brief background of the Peranakans. I first got introduced to the Peranakan culture when I visited the Peranakan museum during my last visit in Singapore on June 16. I was so amazed at the unique cultural heritage of Singapore, something that I only discovered recently through this museum visit.
Peranakan is the term used for the descendants of Chinese immigrants who settled in Singapore, Malaysia, and Penang. Like all societies that migrated and settled in a place far from their homeland, Perenakan cuisine is a rich combination of the spices used by native Malaysians and Indonesians, Chinese cooking techniques, and Chinese ingredients. The result is a tangy, spicy, and aromatic gastronomic experience characterized by key ingredients like coconut milk, tamarind juice, pandan leaves, and egg noodles.
If you’re ever in Singapore, do not leave the country unless you’ve tried out authentic Peranakan food at True Blue Cuisine. Established in 2003 in a pre-war shophouse, True Blue Cuisine aims to serve nothing but authentic Peranakan cuisine to locals and tourists alike. However, True Blue Cuisine is more than just a venue where you can sample Peranakan delights; it’s an entire feast for the senses that allows you to experience Peranakan culture for yourself. Diners can see how Peranakans live, as shown by the chim chae area photographed above. The chim chae area is actually an airwell used to collect rain water and to sun foods like belachan achar for preservation. True Blue Cuisine also has a private collection of antiques, photographs, and old-fashioned jewelry that can be admired and purchased. As if that’s not enough, you can hear the way Peranakans speak and inhale the aromatic fragrance of bunga rampay, a sweet smelling potpourri of shredded pandan leaves that grace most Peranakan homes.
I won’t be around for the Longest Peranakan Buffet slated on July 26, 2009 but I was lucky enough to get a preview of selected dishes when Swissotel Merchant Court invited me and Chinese media from the Zhongshan Broadcast and TV station. The Peranakan dishes served to us were Bakwan Kepiting (Minced Pork & Crab Meat Balls Soup), Kankong Lemak with Sweet Potato (Water Convolvulus in Coconut Gravy), Kueh Pie Tee, Sambal Udang (Sambal Prawns) and Kueh Dadar.
Posted by Noemi | Under Events, Singapore, Travel with 1,459 views
Sunday Jul 19, 2009
One of the major driving forces in Singapore tourism is their food. Singaporean cuisine ranks number 3 next to shopping and accommodations. On my second day here, I got a sampling of mind-boggling array of dishes from various ethnic groups like the Indian, Arab, Peranakan, and Chinese. I admit that every time I go to Singapore, I shop or eat at the Hawker Centers but never took the time to venture to other eating places that are specific to an ethnic group. I am running out of adjectives to describe each dish I tasted on my second day here at the Singapore Food Festival 2009. I just have one word, and that word is delicious. I mean, what more can I say?
I will just have to show you the photos and let your imagination describe it for you. Oh, and a few videos to see the action and hear sounds of Singapore! Click on the thumbnails for the larger image.
Little India
I skipped breakfast at the hotel when I discovered that my second day involved a lot of eating. Not that I find hotel food boring but I wanted the sights and sounds of these ethnic communities. Our first stop is Little India, the district where many ethnic Indians eventually settled and developed commercial areas like the Tekka Centre and Mustafa Centre. Anything specific to Indian culture, be it saris or Indian cuisine, can be found in Little India. In fact, rice shops in Little India are often frequented by Chinese parents with babies because they have machinery meant to grind rice for congee.
Wee Toon Hee (my ever reliable and friendly tourist guide) brought me to the Tekka temporary market which will be there until July 31. They will move back to the Tekka Centre (Blk 665, Buffalo Road) on August 1.
This is one of their ‘wet’ markets, where the water from melting ice and regularly sprinkled vegetables consistently keeps the floors wet, and discover what food really means to Singaporeans. It reminds me of the wet market in the Philippines. I decided to try the “Roti Prata”, the Singaporean evolution of the Pakistani and Indian paratha, a pancake bread made of dough composed of fat, egg, flour and water. I dipped my Roti Prata with the curry sauce in a separate plate with a cup of warm Milk Tea.
Arab Street
Time to head off for lunch at the Islamic Restaurant at 745 North Bridge Road. The Islamic Restaurant Established since 1921 is run by Third Generation and managed under Mr. Kalil grandson. I loved the vintage look of the restaurant, strewn with old sepia photos, movie reels, cameras. It makes you feel you were eating sometime in the 1920’s.
Toon Hee recommended me the Beryani Set (sometimes I see it spelled as Briyani) which had a selection of chicken, mutton or fish. I chose the chicken which came with an extra bowl of the sauce. The amount of rice was just too much for me to finish but I ate the fragrant saffron rice, chicken and the sauce with gusto.
I washed down my meal with 2 orders of coconut water.
Posted by Noemi | Under Singapore, Travel with 1,765 views
Saturday Jul 18, 2009
Video of the Kick Off Festival at the Clarke Quay
I arrived just in time as the organizers of the Peranakan parade pounding on chili to mark the opening ceremonies of the Singapore Food Festival 2009. Clarke Quay at Read Bridge was teeming with eager customers ready to try the lip-smacking food ranging from popular local delicacies to exquisite Peranakan snacks.
It took a popular TV soap opera called “The Little Nyonya” to boost the declining Peranakan culture For the first time, a Peranakan parade where more than 200 Peranakans, elaborately dressed in traditional gear, marched down to Clarke Quay.
I arrived safe and sound in Sunny Singapore around noon time. Am I so relieved! The airplane (Singapore Airlines) couldn’t take off for some quite time due to the heavy rains and wind of stormy Manila! The ride itself was full of air pockets that it made me want to puke but thank goodness, I didn’t have any breakfast.
After checking in at my hotel, Toon Hee (my very reliable and friendly tour guide courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board) took me off for lunch at the Lau Pa Sat (means Old Market in Hokkien), the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia.
The ornate architecture on the posts and ceilings add to the character of this unique Singapore Hawkers Market. Toon Hee told me that it served as a fish and meat market in the past. I love old buildings and upon further research found out that
[This] gazetted national monument [is] the largest Victorian filigree cast-iron structure still standing in Southeast Asia.” Fodors.com adds that “a thriving fish market” existed on the site in 1822, and that “it was redesigned as an octagon by George Coleman in 1834 and redesigned, as we see it today, in 1894.”
The lunch crowd greeted me as I entered Lau Pa. Located in the heart of Singapore’s business district, the former wet market has been restored and is now a favorite food center of the locals working in the nearby offices.
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