STI: Taxi drivers' guide to great makan

Dec 29, 2004
Taxi drivers' guide to great makan

For a yummy breakfast or lunch

WHERE: Block 22A Havelock Road
WHAT: hawker fare, about 25 stalls
WHY: carpark visible from hawker centre, can keep a lookout for parking warden

FAVOURITE DAY PLACE

Block 22A Havelock Road for easy parking

CABS of all colours, from the various taxi companies, greet you as you turn into the carpark at Block 22A Havelock Road at about 10.30am each weekday morning.

The hawker centre there is clearly a favourite haunt with cabbies if the close to 100 taxis parked there every mid-morning are anything to go by.

One big plus: The hawker centre overlooks the spacious carpark so drivers scrimping on parking coupons can watch out for the dreaded wardens.

The food centre, which is more than 30 years old, dishes up a wide range of fare from porridge to yong towfoo, carrot cake, nasi lemak, fish soup, desserts, and of course, coffee and canned drinks. One stall also sells turtle soup.

Most of the hawkers get an early start, opening at the crack of dawn. They pack up only at 8pm or 10pm. A few drinks stalls serve past midnight.

'The food here is quite nice and cheap,' says Mr Steven Lee, 55, who has plied the roads for more than 20 years.

'Parking here is also almost free... I don't have to display a parking coupon, as I can see the warden when she comes and I can rush to move my taxi.'

Besides easy - read 'free' - parking, meeting his pals is another reason Mr Toh Tiau Chai, 48, a taxi driver for more than 10 years, frequents this place.

Mr Toh, who has three sons and whose wife is a part-time vegetable seller, likes to tuck into yong towfoo and char kway teow whenever he comes.

'Taxi drivers love this place. See for yourself, there are about 100 taxis parked here,' he says.

OTHER NOMINEES

Bukit Timah Market hawker centre near Beauty World - chwee kueh, satay beehoon

Ghim Moh hawker centre - char kway teow, you tiao (deep-fried dough sticks)

Coffee shop at Block 40 Beo Crescent, near Tiong Bahru Plaza - curry rice

Coffee shop at Block 86 Zion Road - kway chap (pig innards soup), prawn noodles

Coffee shop in Kellock Road - coffee, toast, eggs, wonton noodles, minced meat noodles

Coffee shop at the former Rex Theatre off Selegie Road - Chinese food

 

Custom-made tastes

Adding some Indian spice to life

WHERE: Spice Central Stall, 10 Whampoa Road
WHAT: For when you want your chapati, thosai or curry
WHY: Good parking, personalised menus, and peace and quiet

IT MAY be an unassuming place, but things can get hot at this Indian food stall in Whampoa Road, thanks to its spicy fare.

Located in Whampoa Coffee Shop beside St Michael's Bus Terminal, Spice Central has, in two years, built up a devoted fan base of taxi drivers for its fish curry, masala chicken and thosai.

A carpark in front lets drivers keep an eye on their cabs.

But that's only a small part of Spice Central's charm.

Open Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 10pm, the stall offers Indian cuisine ranging from putu mayam to mutton beriani.

Owner Seghar Gopal, 37, says the menu will accommodate all customers' preferences.

'Even if they come at 10pm, they will be able to have food here. Most of the time, we will also customise the food to their tastes,' he says.

Says Mr Dennis Tan, 39, who has been driving a taxi for six years: 'The service is good. Seghar will personally cook for me, so when I order in advance, the food will be waiting for me when I get there.'

The Indian food lover especially likes the thosai, which costs from 80 cents to $1.50, $4 beriani and $2.50 mee goreng.

The stall has become so popular, Mr Gopal plans to open another stall in a different part of Singapore next year.

'Seghar goes the extra mile to make his food nice,' agrees cabby Jeffrey Tan, 40, who likes Spice Central's fried rice with extra ikan bilis. 'He knows what the customer wants and makes it accordingly.'

OTHER NOMINEES

Ali Nacha Special Beriani Dam Stall, at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Railway Food Court - as the name of the stall suggests, beriani

Blue Diamond Restaurant in Buffalo Road, Little India - for chapati, thosai and poori, plus fancier fare such as claypot beriani

Chetty Vilas restaurant, 10 Norris Road, where thosais and other affordable dishes are served

ABC Restaurant, 365 Joo Chiat Road

Railway Food Court, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, 30 Keppel Road

Jalan Kayu Roti Prata

Corner Shop coffee shop located at the corner of a row of shophouses in Norris Road

 

Yummy, clean and dirt-cheap

The cheapest hawker centre?

WHERE: Jalan Benaan Kapal, near the National Stadium
WHAT: Malay, Indian and Chinese hawker fare
WHY: Possibly the cheapest hawker food in Singapore

YOU are almost certain to miss this eating place, even if you keep your eyes peeled for it.

But the bargain basement prices make it worth sniffing out, even though it is open only during office hours.

Near the National Stadium in Kallang, the small hawker centre has just seven stalls serving Malay and Chinese food, noodles and pig's organ soup at prices ranging from $1.50 to more than $3.

The hawker centre has been around for more than 30 years, from the time when the area was a shipyard, according to coffee shop stall vendor Quek Soon Kok, 50.

Besides regular cabbies, it now serves mainly staff from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and its subcontractors working on the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway and the MRT Circle Line nearby.

If you are coming from Old Airport Road or Mountbatten, turn left at the KFC restaurant and look out for a sign to Jalan Benaan Kapal.

Then follow the right bend in the road until you are flanked by the offices of the LTA and its subcontractors.

Look out on your right for an open gate that leads into a small compound.

Be warned, the hawker centre faces inwards and bears no resemblance to an eating place.

Parking is free and hassle-free.

Toilets are free and kept reasonably clean. The hawker centre itself is clean, airy and its floors are kept dry.

Stalls are open from 6am to 5pm on weekdays and most serve till noon on Saturdays.

'It's quite breezy here and it's not so stuffy, so you don't come out smelling of oil,' says cabby Steve Lee, 34.

Madam Kamisah, 53, who runs the most popular stall there - Muslim stall No. 9 - charges $2.50 for fish, vegetables, egg and rice, while Kang Siang Coffee Stall serves piping hot coffee for a mere 40 cents a cup.

Mr Mihai Chirescu, a French engineer with an LTA subcontractor, and his three French colleagues recently paid $5 for a lunch for three.

'It's one of the cheapest hawker centres around,' says Mr Chirescu's colleague, who has been working in Singapore for four years and did not want to be named.

Mr Mohd Khalid, 47, a cabby for more than 10 years who stumbled on the place while driving around, agrees: 'The food is not bad and it is very cheap.'

OTHER NOMINEES

Old coffee shop near the market in Commonwealth Drive, known to taxi drivers as Tanglin Halt 10 Storey, after the 10-storey blocks of flats in the area - chicken rice.

Coffee shop at Block 65 Tiong Poh Road: Fish porridge

Hawker centre in industrial Kallang Place, in the middle of factory blocks 16, 26 and 28 - economy rice

Hawker centre in Loyang Industrial Estate

 

Jalan Masjid for al fresco dining

For supper till the wee hours

WHERE: Row of eateries at the junction of Jalan Masjid and Changi Road, opposite Shell petrol station
WHAT:  Malay and Indian food, Chinese seafood, barbecue seafood
WHY: Good food till late. The barbecue seafood stall, Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup, closes at 4am. The Malay stall, JM Restaurant, is open 24 hours.

A ROW of taxis lines Changi Road, near Jalan Masjid, at night, with patrons dining al fresco in a closed section of the street.

Chinese seafood, halal Muslim and Cantonese cuisine, Indian food and even an Italian pizza eatery line the road. Taxi drivers on the night shift come in droves to the 24-hour Malay stall and a Chinese seafood place that stays open till 4am to serve them.

Convenience and good food are the draws. Parking along Changi Road is free after 5pm from Monday to Saturday and all day on Sundays and public holidays.

Never mind that its signboard says Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup, the stall which is open from 5pm to 4am daily, is more popular for its seafood.

Mr Lee Thiam Hock, 34, the owner, says four years ago he started to sell black chicken soup, but over time customers mostly prefer his seafood.

There is no printed menu. Choice of food and cooking style are left to customers, who dine under the stars outside the stall. They can choose from a selection of fish, ranging from $6 for red snapper to $28 to $30 for threadfin, on display.

'The food is cheap and good, and the outdoor breeze is nice,' says cabby of five years Sng Bock Chong, 33, who dines there several times a month.

Those looking for something more spicy can head some 20m down the road to the 24-hour halal JM Restaurant in Kheng Nam Heng Eating House for Malay and Indian chow.

There is sambal goreng, nasi lemak and roti prata, but Thai seafood is a favourite.

'Our Thai seafood dishes are our most popular dishes,' says restaurant supervisor Mohd Rizal, 25.

Across the road is Seng Wah Eating House, which has a stall that specialises in halal Cantonese food. The bosses are Chinese Muslim chef Abdool Shakoor Razack, 50, and his Hong Kong wife. Their menu includes wonton mee, chicken char siew noodles and beef noodles.

'Parking by the roadside is quite convenient and the food is good,' says cabby of more than 10 years Ronald Chia, 45.

OTHER NOMINEES

Row of eateries along Lim Teck Kim Road, near Keppel Road - late night Chinese and 24-hour Indian food

Coffee shop at Block 29 Havelock Road - Chinese food, open till 4am

Gold Scissors coffee shop at junction of Jalan Besar and Kitchener Road - curry rice

Hawker centre at Kallang Place, between factory blocks 16 and 26 - Malay and Chinese food

Kopitiam foodcourt at corner of Bras Basah Road and Bencoolen Street

 

'The best and cheapest tea in town'

For that quick bite in between rides

When your tummy rumbles or you need a quick thirst quencher with no more than a few minutes to spare, what you need is fast food. And we're not talking Burger King or KFC.

WHERE: sarabat drink stall in Baghdad Street, Kampong Glam
WHAT: Best tea in town, samosas, malay kueh and Indian snack vadai
WHY:  Affordable prices, convenient parking and proximity to Sultan Mosque

SOMETIMES, the best places have no name.

Proof of this are taxi drivers who swear that the best tea in town isn't found at Starbucks or Coffee Bean but a non-descript sarabat stall in Baghdad Street.

Furthermore, this stall, opposite the Kampong Glam Cafe, has the best bang for your buck - or less. A teh tarik - 'pulled tea' - will set you back just 60 cents.

The stall is hidden in the maze of shophouses in the area. A few foldable tables and stools make up the seating area, with the stall itself taking up a corner of the shophouse.

Parking is quick, affordable and easy. Just slide your car right beside the stall - and don't forget your parking coupon.

'It has convenient parking, toilet facilities and the best and cheapest tea in town,' says Mr Harun Anand, 47, who has been driving a cab for 14 years.

It is especially crowded near the time for Friday prayers, as Sultan Mosque is close by. The stall opens at 6am and closes at midnight.

Besides regular and ginger teas, samosas, malay kueh and Indian snack vadai are what keep cabbies coming back.

Heavier meals such as nasi lemak and mee siam are also available, with prices ranging from $1.50 to $2.

OTHER NOMINEES

603 Tau Sar Piah in Balestier Road - bean paste biscuits

Maxwell Market Food Centre at 2 Murray Street

Old Airport Road Market at 51 Old Airport Road

 

Good food aside, it's a chummy hangout

It serves halal Chinese food too

WHERE: Mukmin Restaurant, Block 129 #01-26, Bedok North Street 2
WHAT: If Malay food or halal Chinese grub is your thing, just follow that cab to the haunt of Muslim - and non-Muslim - taxi drivers
WHY: Nice place to hang out, accessible parking, good Muslim food

FOR some good nasi padang with your kawan kawan (friends), the Mukmin restaurant with its stalls selling halal food is the place to be.

Their specialities include traditional Malay fare such as nasi padang and halal Chinese food.

The eatery in Bedok North is also well ventilated with abundant seating, making it an ideal hangout for those looking for a place to sit, eat and relax. Most of its charm stems from the sense of camaraderie among the cabbies who flock there.

Mr Osman Mohd, 61, says drivers 'come from as far as Jurong East to eat here. It's good for a friendly gathering. There's convenient parking too'.

Some, like cabby Syed Rithman, 55, go there 'almost every day'.

Says Mr Mohamed Yusoff, 58, who has been driving a taxi for 12 years: 'The location is good, there's always parking space and you can relax here.'

Mr Syed Munir, 24, who runs the drinks stall, says of Mukmin's appeal: 'They can sit there as long as they like to enjoy the ambience.'

OTHER NOMINEES

Kampong Glam Cafe, at the junction between Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street - affordable lontong, nasi jeganan and nasi rawon.

Hajah Maimunah, in Jalan Pisang, near Arab Street - the 20-year-old restaurant serves nasi padang (rice with assorted dishes). It has a new outlet at 20 Joo Chiat Road.

Banquet Food Court, 20 Cross Street, #02-09

Mckenzie Rex, 66 Prinsep Street, #01-01

Warong Nasi Pariaman, 738 Kandahar Street, near the Sultan Mosque

Pagi Sore, 88/90 Telok Ayer Street

Adam Road Food Centre, 2 Adam Road

STI: I can't live without Asian food

Dec 19, 2004
I can't live without Asian food
by Teo Pau Lin

MS CLAIRE Beswick is the general manager of Gulf Air's South-east Asian operations.

The airline is owned by the Middle Eastern states of Oman, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. It won several industry awards this year, including the prestigious SkyTrax Excellence Award for most improved airline.

Born in Britain, Ms Beswick grew up in Singapore in the late 1960s. Her father was a flight engineer for the British Royal Air Force so her family was based here for five years.

The family then moved on to live in Africa, Malta and New Zealand. In the latter, she worked as a country manager for the BBC World Service from 1994 for two years.

Poised and elegant, the 37-year-old has 12 years of experience in the airline industry, having started her career with British Airways and moving on to Air New Zealand.

She is married to a British shipbroker and describes her marriage as a 'packaged deal' as she is stepmother to three girls aged 13, 16 and 18.

What do you remember most about Singapore food in the 1960s?

My family lived in Taman Siglap in the East Coast area. Every day, there was this kueh tutu seller who would push his cart down our street, and I remember rushing out to buy them because I absolutely adored them. I could eat 10 at a go. Whenever I smell it now, it takes me right back 30 plus years.

How has being weaned on Asian food affected your palate?

I can't go three days without Asian food. When I was younger, I used to drive my mother crazy because I'd make her cook sweet and sour anything with rice. But somehow it's never the same when your mother makes it.

Outside of Singapore, which city serves the best Singapore food?

Poon's in London's Covent Garden served Singapore food but it used to be very posh, which was odd for hawker fare. But it's since moved downmarket to Chinatown, which I think is better. In Wellington, you can find genuine samosas, mee goreng and the best satay in Singara restaurant in Manners Mall.

Can you cook Singapore food?

You bet. I can do laksa, and I just did beef rendang recently. It took me two whole days, but it was fabulous, even if I say so myself.

What do you serve when you entertain friends?

A few old favourites like Stilton cheese, martini and spinach soup, and pan-fried foie gras. My husband can do it really well. I think it's that caveman instinct, you know? Men just know what to do with meat.

Which eateries do you take your foreignvisitors to?

Liang Seah Eating Place in Liang Seah Street. I know the owner so well, I don't even need to order. The food just comes. They would serve hotplate beancurd, which just melts in your mouth, crunchy stir-fried kailan and Hong Kong mee, which is the best.

Where are your other eating haunts?

Senso in Club Street, which serves absolutely reliable Italian food. I love The Cliff in Sentosa because no matter what seafood you order, it's always great. And Lingzhi vegetarian restaurant in Far East Square. It has one of the best hot and sour soups.

What's your most sinful indulgence?

I'm a chocoholic. I can eat a 1kg bar of chocolate in one sitting if I'm left alone.

Which restaurant in the world would you fly to specially to eat?

Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxford. Six years ago, my husband and I were on holiday in England when he surprised me by getting a reservation there, which usually has a month-long waiting list. It has two Michelin stars, and was terribly civilised with black dresses and lapels everywhere. I ordered the tomato soup, and when it arrived, it was incredible - a clear liquid with no skin, no pips. It was literally juice from God-knows-how-many tomatoes. The foie gras was mind-blowingly superb, and the dessert was amazing. I would fly back there just to eat.

How much did the meal cost?

Oh, I wouldn't even dare ask my husband. All I know is, he didn't buy me any diamonds that year.

WHAT WOULD YOUR LAST MEAL BE?

'It'll be a toss-up between hot and sour soup with steamed rice or mee siam. If I may, I'll get dessert from Blanc's Le Manoir restaurant flown in - a platter of sorbet that's designed like an artist's palette. It's such a work of art that I'd probably just look at it and not eat it.'

STI: Christmas turkey

Dec 19, 2004
Christmas turkey
(with orange and cranberry marmalade)

TURKEY

 

1 turkey, about 3.5 to 4kg

2 Tbs paprika

1 Tbs onion powder

1 Tbs garlic powder

2 Tbs salt

2 Tbs melted butter

3 Tbs oil

2 large onions, thickly sliced

2 medium carrots, cut into wedges

3 stalks celery, roughly chopped

Method:

 

1. Mix spices, seasoning, butter and oil together and rub all over the turkey.

 

2. Preheat oven at 160 deg C. Line baking tray with foil. Toss vegetables with some olive oil and salt. Spread the vegetables on a tray and place the turkey on a rack above the greens.

 

3. Roast the bird for about 1 hour 45 minutes, basting it with pan juices every 20 minutes. In the last 20 minutes, increase the temperature to 180 deg C to brown the skin.

 

4. Check if it is cooked by piercing it with a roasting pin at the thickest point of the meat. If juices run clear, the turkey is cooked. Otherwise return to the oven and check every 10 to 15 minutes.

 

5. Once cooked, allow turkey to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 8-10.

MUSHROOM STUFFING:

 

500g chicken breast meat, skinless, diced

250ml cream

1 egg white

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp coarse black pepper

150g smoked ham, diced

30g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked, diced

Method:

 

1. Blend chicken meat with cream and add egg white. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

 

2. Mix ham and mushrooms with the blended chicken meat.

 

3. On a working top, spread a sheet of cling wrap and place a portion (about one-third) of the stuffing on it. Spread it out and roll up the plastic like a sausage. Secure both ends and wrap around with aluminum foil. Repeat till stuffing is used up.

 

4. Steam stuffing for 20 minutes until cooked. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

GRAVY:

 

500ml demi glace (brown sauce)

100ml pan juices from turkey

100g onions

100ml red wine

50ml cream

1 Tbs butter

Method:

 

1. Saute onions with butter. Add red wine and reduce by half. Pour in demi glace and pan juices and bring to a boil.

 

2. Simmer for 5 minutes, strain and add in the cream. Mix well and use for turkey.

ORANGE AND CRANBERRY MARMALADE

200g sugar

1 piece cinnamon stick

8 pcs cloves

150g onions, finely chopped

100ml red wine

50ml red wine vinegar

100g dried cranberries

200ml orange juice

Method:

 

1. Caramelise sugar with spices. Add onions and pour in red wine and red wine vinegar.

 

2. Add cranberries and pour in orange juice. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes over slow heat until thick. Remove spices before serving.

STI: Sabai is truly fine

Dec 19, 2004
Sabai is truly fine
by Wong Ah Yoke

WHEN Ms Jongkolnee Thoboonme left Thanying Restaurant at the Amara Hotel early this year, it was a shock for fans of the popular Thai eatery.

Ms Thoboonme - or Ms Noo as she is affectionately known as - opened the restaurant together with the hotel in 1988, and is largely credited for bringing royal Thai cuisine to Singapore.

Thanying is now managed solely by Amara with new chefs and a new menu. A branch of the restaurant that was opened in Clarke Quay in 1992 closed down a few months ago.

Thanying Express, a three-year-old casual eatery at Basement Two of Ngee Ann City which serves noodles and light dishes, is also managed by the hotel.

If you had missed the old Thanying, well, Ms Noo is back. Her new restaurant Sabai, which opened on the fourth floor of Ngee Ann City on Nov 26, serves all the old dishes from her previous eatery and then some.

It was with a sense of deva ju that I bit into a plump stuffed chicken wing ($16.50 for four wings). The deep-fried wing was juicy with succulent meat, but what the Thanying version had left strongest on the mind was the aromatic marinade. It was reproduced perfectly here.

I have tried this dish many times in Bangkok restaurants, but while most are pretty succulent, none can match the flavour.

Similarly, Sabai's red roast duck curry ($17.50) beats that of many Bangkok restaurants.

Cooked with chunks of pineapple and whole lychees or grapes, it is slightly less sweet than most versions there. It is also aromatic with coconut milk, with the spices adding flavour instead of being fiery hot.

The duck meat, which is cut into bite-sized pieces, is tender and juicy. And each piece is lined with delicious roasted skin.

What makes Sabai more exciting than the old Thanying are the new dishes on the menu. Some, like the bitter gourd salad ($15), are rather original.

The bitter gourd is sliced thinly and tossed in a lime chilli dressing with cooked prawn, shredded chicken and mint leaves. The result is an interesting mix of bitter, sweet and sour flavours that get your tastebuds working overtime.

I don't expect everyone to take to it, as the dressing is much sharper than other Thai salads. But I find it a refreshing start to the meal, and the flavours are intriguing.

The stir-fried coconut shoots ($18) will find more ready fans. They have the crisp texture of bamboo shoots but with a hint of coconut.

The dish is not on the menu, though. It was recommended by Ms Noo as a new dish that the restaurant was trying out. Another dish that you have to ask for is stir-fried lotus stems, which have a slightly green taste and a crunchy texture.

In terms of ambience, Sabai, which took over the premises of Renn Thai, another Thai restaurant that has moved to Suntec City, is even more elegant than the two Thanyings. The stunning red entrance greets the diner with a sense of luxury that extends into the dining room. There are also two private rooms lit by glittering chandeliers.

Despite being open for only a month, Sabai is clearly the best Thai restaurant in town. And there are many good ones here. It is even better than most that I've tried in Thailand, although allowance must be given for my 'foreign' palate.

Sabai is Thai for 'fine' or 'very well'. From all appearances, you can certainly expect things to go very well with this excellent restaurant. 

STI: Consuming passions

Dec 12, 2004
Consuming passions
by Teo Pau Lin

Green piece in a Pod

Vanilla Pod
200 Mandai Lake Road
Tel: 6368-0672
Opens: Noon to 2.30pm, 7 to 9.30pm; closed on Mondays

IT'S so pretty here, you might end up looking more at the view than at your food.

This two-month-old Italian restaurant is a plant-lover's paradise. Plonked in the heart of Mandai Orchid Garden, its greenhouse-like glass walls offer soothing views of its 4 ha greenery and over 200 species of orchids.

The garden has been a tourist attraction for over 30 years, and its owners decided this year to open a restaurant here.

'There was the initial worry that it's a bit out of the way, but we think Singaporeans would like some place new where they needn't grapple with traffic,' says Ms Monique Heah, 38, the daughter of one of the shareholders.

The garden is located on the road leading up to the Singapore Zoological Gardens and the Night Safari.

Favourite dishes include lobster pasta ($35), lamb shank ($26), and crabmeat tagliatelle ($18).

Former CEO is at your service

Poison Ivy
100 Neo Tiew Road
Tel: 6898-5001
Opens: 9am to 6pm; Wednesdays to Sundays only

APART from the vast blue skies and its 4 ha organic fruit and vegetable farm, the biggest attraction here is probably the co-owner herself, Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim.

Flamboyant and feisty, the 55-year-old president of the Netball Association is pointed about why people should visit her bistro, Poison Ivy, in faraway Kranji.

'Why leave Singapore to holiday in the countryside when we have our own right here?' she says.

Tucked along the vegetable and fish farming belt of Neo Tiew Road, her Bollywood Veggies farm is near the Sungei Buloh nature reserve, which she calls Singapore's 'national treasure'.

 Her 50-seat bistro sits right at the entrance of the farm and overlooks the expansive vegetation.

'This is an extension of our farm business. We want to create a place where people can drive to, stay and just have coffee. In developed countries, city people all want to return to nature,' she says.

The menu offers simple curries, snacks and cakes. Customers will be served by none other than Mrs Singh-Lim herself and her husband, former chief executive of NTUC FairPrice, Mr Lim Ho Seng, 61.

'That's the charm of this place, to have a former CEO serve you. Don't you think it's fabulous?' she says with a chuckle.

As many as 50 families troop in over the weekends. The bistro has played host to singer-composer Dick Lee's birthday party, as well as a wedding between two young architects.

Order the curry ($5), banana cake ($2), vadai ($1) and, Mrs Singh-Lim insists, the coffee, 'because it's made by yours truly'.

Galley is making waves

Galley By The Straits
SAF Yacht Club
43 Admiralty Road West
Tel: 6757-9026
Opens: 11am to 10pm daily

TO GET here, you first have to drive past Sembawang army camp, over a few bumpy dirt tracks and past an unappetising stretch of steel containers.

But once inside the SAF Yacht Club, you'd be rewarded with a startling view of the sea, and across it, the Johor Baru skyline.

Claiming to be the 'northern-most' restaurant in Singapore, this seafood joint spans two floors and a boardwalk that allows you to eat romantically close to the waves.

Owner Jimmy Sim, 54, took over the space two years ago, believing that despite its little-known address, customers would be lured by the waterfront.

And true enough, it is now frequented by corporate types who work in the Sembawang area and families over the weekends.

'They came to know about us, and just kept coming,' he says.

He adds that the best time to come is between 7 and 7.30pm, when the sun sets and the waters slowly get illuminated by lights on the ships.

Try the fish head curry (from $20), marsala fish and chips ($13) and soft-shell crab (from $12).

Eat under an Angsana

Sunset Grill & Pub
140B Piccadilly, Seletar Airbase (from Piccadilly, turn into Lambeth Walk, Hampstead Gardens, Western Avenue, into East Camp, all the way to Singapore Flying Club)
Tel: 6482-0244
Opens: 4 to 10pm; closed on Tuesdays

THIS place is so remote that some sections of the road are not paved. Other parts have no street lamps so at night, you have to turn on your car's high beams.

If you're taken here on a first date, you might even be suspicious enough to jump out of the car mid-way should your date reveal himself to be a serial killer.

But once you get to the restaurant, it is really quite a treat.

You sit on a wooden deck under a huge Angsana tree and tuck into steak and pasta with 1980s music playing on Gold 90.5FM.

The affable husband-and-wife owners are likely to say hi and chit-chat. And as the restaurant sits at one end of Seletar Airbase, you might even catch the odd plane taking off.

American Jerry Griffis, 71, set up shop here in March, after selling off his previous outlet, Buckaroos Grill, in Andrews Avenue in Sembawang, two years ago.

His choice of locales is offbeat because 'I like greenery and there's not much of it left in Singapore', he says.

The food, while hearty and amply portioned, is not cheap. A two-course meal for two can come to more than $80, without wine.

We loved the buffalo wings, which come in three levels of spiciness (from $14.50 for six wings), Caesar salad ($10.50) and lamb chops ($22.50).

STI: Flaunting Fuenti

Dec 12, 2004
Flaunting Fuenti
by WONG AH YOKE

IT'S not a name that comes up often when one asks around for a good Italian restaurant. But over the past two years, Fuenti has quietly grown into one of the best in town.

The elegant restaurant in UE Square across the road from the bars in Mohammed Sultan Road is a bit out of sync with its neighbours which attract a more relaxed, even rowdier crowd.

That perhaps explains why it remains off the radar for foodies who do not frequent the area.

More's the pity. But it's not too late to discover it.

In fact, the restaurant launched a new menu last month that is amazing. Everything I've tried from it has been good, with some even exceptional.

My favourite is the pan-fried US beef tenderloin with goose liver ($39). Order it medium rare and you will be rewarded with a melt-in-the-mouth, juicy, fragrant piece of meat that is full of flavour. The slab of pan-fried goose liver on top provides the icing.

The pasta is just as excellent. The ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese ($28) are neat little pillows of pasta that are bursting with the creamy cheese inside.

Providing more punch are the butter and truffles they are tossed in. Sinful, yes, but heavenly too.

Even the simple spaghetti with fresh seafood ($22), which normally comes in a tomato-based homemade sauce but which I tried tossed with just olive oil and garlic, is heavenly.

The pasta is cooked just right with a hint of firmness and the sweetness of the clams and mussels is well incorporated into the olive oil.

There are also lots of great appetisers to choose from.

What stands out, however, is the combination of pan-fried foie gras with grenadine and portobello mushroom ($22).

The mushroom goes very well with the smooth foie gras and both come covered in a delicious creamy sauce.

If all these dishes sound too rich for you, Fuenti has also come up with a healthy set lunch menu ($28) for those who are watching their waistline.

The four-course meal is cooked with no salt, pepper, butter, wine, cream or cheese.

A typical menu consists of dishes like a clear veal soup; grilled vegetables dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette; thin tagliatelle tossed with olive oil and shaved truffles or grilled fish fillet with olive oil and lemon; and oven-baked apple.

So whether you are a weight-watcher or someone who could not care less about calories as long as the food is good, you will find something to like here.

BTO: Tried and true wins the day at new Thai openings

Business Times – 04 Dec 2004

Tried and true wins the day at new Thai openings

By Jaime Ee

Sticky etiquette question of the week: If you are in a Thai restaurant in Singapore, and the staff - mostly non-Thai - greet you with the traditional 'sawasdee' hands-clasped-and-bow-of-head gesture, how do you respond? Do the same and feel silly in a me-Singaporean-you-not-Thai so-why-must-pretend-like-that manner, or avoid them by pretending your contact lens fell out and grope your way across the floor to your table?

This social dilemma confronted me at two new Thai restaurants in town, where I was sawasdee-d more times in five minutes than I am in five days in Bangkok. I decided the best way to avoid returning the greeting was to startle them by demanding, 'where's your dessert buffet?' whereupon they would get so flustered they would forget to bow their heads.  

The two new restaurants are named Sabai and Rung Rueng - both high-end Thai eateries that come with a certain pedigree.

Sabai
#04-23 Ngee Ann City. Tel: 6333 8492
Rating: 6.5/10

Sabai is actually the old Thanying given a new name but run by the same people behind the original restaurant at Amara Hotel. Having swopped dated premises for spanking new upmarket digs at Ngee Ann
City, Sabai is dressed in starched linens and priced to match.

It wasn't cheap to eat at Thanying in its old place, and the new prices you're paying are definitely in line with its higher rent. But if you remind yourself that this is royal Thai cuisine, you will stop doing calculations to see if you can squeeze a budget air ticket to Bangkok and a meal at Bangkok's own Thanying for the price of a meal here.

For starters, we were a trifle disappointed that mien kam - the Thai complimentary snack of diced dried shrimp, coconut, peanuts and other condiments wrapped in a muang leaf and dipped in a sweet sauce - was not available that day. Instead, we got slices of sour green mango to be dipped in a sweet spicy sauce - which wasn't so fun to eat.

Sabai's menu features everything in the old Thanying menu, and lots more. But if you don't want any surprises, then stick to the tried and tested. We would never fail to order its deep fried grouper with
sweet/spicy sauce, stuffed chicken wings, papaya salad and tom yam soup. But opting for the new dishes, we had hit and miss results.

The bittergourd salad ($15) sounded intriguing and was a refreshing concoction of paper thin slices of gourd mixed with chicken and prawn bits in a tart lime-chilli dressing adorned with two whole prawns. A
few bites later, though, and the tartness became a little overpowering. Something was a bit off in the sweet-sour-salty-spicy combination the day we were there, possibly attributable to opening jitters - even
so, for veterans in the business, you wonder what jitters they could possibly have. For some reason, there was a sense of coyness or hesitance in the food that we couldn't quite put a finger on.

An attempt to create Thai dimsum remained just that - an attempt. The intriguingly described but non-descript sago balls stuffed with either minced chicken and peanuts or minced fish basically confirms
why dimsum is best left to the Cantonese.  

The Chiangmai sausage, or Sai Ouah ($12.50) is a worthy opponent to its counterpart back home - this exciting combination of minced meat and herbs brought back instant memories of hunting down the best sai ouah in the northern Thai region. Soups like tom yam and fish maw were solid - no surprises here, although the tom yam was slightly watered down. And if you're really not into spicy Thai - Sabai does a lovely steamed cod ($28) fragrant with fish sauce, lime juice and herbs, and you have the option of ladling a yummy chilli dressing on the fish which is garlicky good.

If you want to reprise your Thanying memories of old, stick to the classic dishes. Finally, if you've had sneaky suspicions that Thanying's famous dessert buffet has been getting smaller and smaller, your
fears are confirmed here as $7.50 gets you little more than fruit, a small selection of Thai sticky cakes, its famous candied tapioca with coconut cream, a warm bubur cha cha like dessert and attap seeds. Gone are the days of platters overflowing with Thai fruit and groaning plates of jellies and assorted icy concoctions.

As they say, nostalgia comes at a price, and it's up to you to decide if Sabai is worth it. 

Rung Rueng
#01-05 One Fullerton. Tel: 6423-1063.
Rating: 7/10

At Rung Rueng, the Thai sister to Tatsuya Sushi, prices are similar to Sabai, but you do get an opening discount of 15 per cent thanks to hastily printed vouchers shoved at you when you're walking through One Fullerton.

The food there is consistently good, and so is the service - despite the countless sawasdee greetings.

The green mango salad ($14) is a deliciously sweet and crunchy mound of shredded mango and crispy dried shrimp in a creamy coconut dressing, while the stuffed chicken wings are just like Thanying's - crispy skin with generous stuffing of minced meat and prawn.

Check out too the deep fried king prawns ($24) featuring four giant specimens deep-fried in crispy batter (they must have got tips from Tatsuya's tempura chef for this) such that you can even crunch down on the whole prawn head without having to retrieve bits of shell from between your teeth. They are generous with their dips, filling the table with a different combination for almost every dish. Also good and
garlicky (extremely) is the stir-fried sliced pork. And it also serves a good rich green curry.

But don't go peering all over the restaurant to look for the dessert buffet that's listed in the menu. It's been taken off the menu. Maybe they assume that people will just go for the widely acclaimed sticky rice with durian, or mango. If you're less ambitious, the simple water chestnut and coconut flesh in iced coconut milk ends the meal on a predictable note. Which is what this restaurant is in terms of menu - you get no surprises, but you do get what you expect. Overall, if you're a fan of Aroy Thai's East Coast branch, you'll appreciate Rung Rueng for its finer touches and - given its all-woman kitchen team - feminine approach to Thai cuisine.

STI: Colourful kids on the block

Nov 21, 2004
Colourful kids on the block
by Teo Pau Lin

IT HAS only 36 stalls and is tucked deep in the sleepy heartland but Block 75 in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 has become quite a dream hawker destination.

Renovated three years ago, it is clean, breezy, has lots of parking space and boasts some of the best hawker food gathered under one roof.

Visit on weekends and you will find long queues at the stalls selling fishball noodles, claypot chicken rice and Hokkien prawn mee.

Unless you don't mind waiting for up to an hour for a meal, the better option is to visit on weekday evenings, since only about half the stalls are open for weekday lunch.

Built in the 1960s to house pushcart hawkers making a living in the nearby areas, the revamped hawker centre is home to a few colourful characters.

There is the white-haired fishball noodles cook, Mr Neo Joo Yong, 54, who whips up bowl after bowl before a huge stove like a charismatic star.

There are the two char kway teow hawkers who, despite having side-by-side stalls, insist there is no animosity between them.

And there is Mr Nelson Lee, 39, the claypot chicken rice stallowner, who boasts one of the clearest, rosiest complexions around, from toiling over his sauna-like charcoal stoves day in, day out.

LifeStyle recommends that you try the eight dishes on this page.

EIGHT DISHES YOU MUST TRY

BARBECUE STINGRAY
$8 to $12
The grilled stingray comes in a sizzling hotplate so expect some sparks to fly when you tuck in. The meat is tender while the sambal sauce is of the drier type with a robust belacan taste. As much as 60kg of stingray is served each day.

Toa Payoh Hot Plate BBQ Fish, #01-342M
Opens: 4.45pm to midnight daily

CHAR KWAY TEOW
$2, $3
There are two stalls here, located side by side. But owners Tham Buk Beng, 44, of Soon Lee Cooked Food and Goh Poh Kwe, 54, of Fried Cockles Kway Teow Stall insist they are not competitive and are on friendly terms. Each has his fare share of customers. We found the former's food tastier and the latter's less grimy.

Soon Lee Cooked Food, #01-338N
Opens: 3pm to midnight, closed on Sundays

Fried Cockles Kway Teow Stall, #01-336N
Opens: 5pm to midnight, closed on Mondays

CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE
$5, $8, $12, $15
Be ready to wait for at least 20 minutes because each claypot is cooked individually over a charcoal flame upon order. Found in the rice are chunks of salted fish, Chinese sausage and liver sausage, and you mix a good dose of thick soya sauce and lard into it. The chicken pieces are amazingly tender.

Sha Guo Ji Fan, #01-330M
Opens: 5.30 to 11pm, closed on alternate Wednesdays

FISHBALL NOODLES
$2.50, $3
There is always a queue at this corner stall. What sells are the huge, bouncy fishballs, juicy pork balls and noodles that are firm and slightly chewy. The cook throws health-consciousness to the wind as he adds loads of lard bits. But the taste is so good it's worth the occasional risk.

Song Kee Fishball Noodles, #01-354M
Opens: 10am to midnight, closed on alternate Wednesdays

HOKKIEN PRAWN NOODLES
$3, $5, $8, $10
In business for close to 40 years, this stall miraculously whips up Hokkien mee that is neither too oily nor mushy. Owner Yap Sow Tee, 61, says there is nothing special about his recipe. But his customers, who wait for as long as an hour on weekends, would disagree.

Huat Heng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, #01-336M
Opens: 5pm to midnight, closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays

MINCED PORK NOODLES
$3
The secret is all in the sauce. When you order the dry noodles, they come covered with a yummy dark soya sauce gravy which was stewed over charcoal flame for at least two hours. If you order the soup noodles, the soup is a rich, cloudy concoction made from boiling pork bones, garlic and ginger. Truly delicious.

Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Minced Meat Noodles, #01-328M
Opens: 11.30am to 12.30am daily

ROJAK
$3, $5
Fresh taupok (fried beancurd) and youtiao (dough fritters) are grilled on order so expect a nice crispiness in every bite. Slivers of chewy jellyfish are thrown in too. What is unusual is that the stall also offers vegetarian rojak, using a vegetarian sauce instead of prawn paste.

Mei Ji Rojak, #01-328N
Opens: Noon to 12.30am, closed on Mondays

OYSTER OMELETTE
$3, $5, $8
The stall also sells carrot cake and fried oysters but its oyster omelette is the winner. It is not oily, has big, juicy oysters, and the egg is fried till slightly crispy. Neatly presented without any charred bits, it also comes with a tangy chilli sauce.

Xing Xing, #01-326N
Opens: 3pm to 2am daily

STI: Yes, Seri, to racial harmony

Nov 1, 2004

Yes, Seri, to racial harmony
BY WONG AH YOKE

RECENTLY, I asked a Malay friend who had just visited Kuala Lumpur what her favourite Malay restaurant there was. Her reply was that she did not eat Malay food at all during her trip.

With so many halal non-Malay restaurants there, she was too busy trying out things she had never been able to eat before.

She should be happy to know about Seri Kampung Restaurant, which opened in Geylang Serai in June.

Though located inside the Malay Village, its hefty menu is made up of mainly Chinese dishes with just about a dozen Malay dishes. All halal, of course.

Many dishes are familiar Chinese restaurant fare such as seafood in yam pot ($15). But some, such as seafood tom yam soup ($16) or prawn curry ($20), are borrowed from other cuisines.

The result is a hotchpotch of popular Singaporean dishes that are now available to Muslims as well.

The cooking is good, especially when it comes to spicy dishes like the prawn curry. The gravy, which is flavoured with dried shrimp, is delicious. It tastes like a cross between a rich curry and a laksa, and goes wonderfully with white rice.

The oyster omelette ($10) is another dish that will have you reaching for the rice. It comes drenched in chilli sauce and has plenty of plump baby oysters dotting the fluffy egg.

The non-spicy dishes tend to be more run-of-the-mill. The seafood in yam pot looks professionally done but needs a bit more flavour to leave a stronger impression. Ditto the steamed broccoli with crabmeat ($16), which tastes like a standard issue from your average zhi-char stall.

I did not get to taste the Malay dishes from the a la carte menu as they are not available during the current fasting month. Instead, the restaurant has a dinner buffet at $18.90 per person which incorporates some of these dishes, which include rendang and seashell fried in sambal.

The racial harmony in the menu is reflected in the restaurant's staff as well. In the kitchen are both Chinese and Malay cooks, and the Chinese waiter - who was dressed in traditional Malay costume - took my order in fluent Mandarin.

What is also commendable about the restaurant is that it keeps its prices reasonable. Those quoted for the dishes mentioned here are for medium-sized servings, which are enough for six to seven people.

Earlier restaurants inside the Malay Village have failed to attract local diners because they were perceived as tourist traps. It's a label that Seri Kampung does not deserve.

It caters to local palates at reasonable prices. And for tourists, it offers an example of how many Singaporeans eat at home - mixing and matching dishes from different races at the dinner table.

SERI KAMPUNG RESTAURANT
1 Engku Aman Road, Malay Village #01-01, Tel: 6846-9401
Opening hours: For the fasting month, the restaurant opens only for dinner from 6pm to midnight. After Hari Raya Puasa, the hours are 11.30am to 2.30pm for lunch and 6 to 11.30pm for dinner
Price: Affordable at around $20 per person

STI: Great zhi-char in this Wok

Oct 26, 2004

Great zhi-char in this Wok
by Wong Ah Yoke

MOST people would expect a well-known chef who is opening his own eatery to look for a space in the latest trendy spot or a posh hotel.

But if he is really smart, he will open a zhi-char or stir-fry stall in an HDB estate.

Rentals are affordable and renovation costs are minimal. And once word spreads that the food is good, business is constant.

Also, while it is cheaper to eat in a coffee shop than in a restaurant, the difference may not be as big as you think. And with only cash payments, there is no commission to pay to credit card companies.

Chef Ang Song Kang probably had those sums worked out when he opened Canton Wok by Chef Kang in 2002 in Havelock Road.

The eatery moved to Serangoon Central 10 months ago where it retains its no-frills coffee shop setting. The white-tiled walls are left bare and tables spill out onto the pavement like your average zhi-char stall.

But the 40-year-old chef is no ordinary zhi-char cook. A Singaporean, he had learnt his craft in Sai Kung Seafood Restaurant in Hong Kong before coming home to work in Lei Garden and East Ocean here.

Canton Wok's menu reflects his Hong Kong-style restaurant training. Instead of the usual sweet and sour pork or prawn paste chicken, you find dishes that would have been more at home in an air-conditioned Cantonese restaurant.

The fried eggplant with pork floss ($10) is a signature dish that you should not miss. The vegetable is cut into strips and deep-fried in a light batter like tempura. It is then tossed with pork floss to add flavour to the bland eggplant. The result is excellent, and goes especially well with beer.

I also really like the homemade beancurd with dried scallop and mushroom ($10). The beancurd is so soft and smooth that it simply melts in the mouth. The oyster sauce-based gravy gives it just the right flavour.

Another signature dish is the red wine chicken ($10). Contrary to the wet dish I had envisioned, the small pieces of meat come totally without gravy. The fragrance of the wine has been infused completely into the chicken, which is juicy and tender.

Another dish that Chef Kang recommended - pork chop in Portuguese sauce ($10) - however, was disappointing. It is deep-fried pork chop that is further baked in a cheesy sauce. The meat itself tastes fine, but the sauce has a strong taste that reminds me of canned creamy soups.

Still, Canton Wok is a good place for dishes that you do not find anywhere else. And what you see on the menu, which is rather limited, is not all. The affable chef, who takes orders himself, has a lot more dishes up his sleeve.

If you have trouble recognising him, he is the one with the smile.

CANTON WOK
By Chef Kang
Block 204 Serangoon Central #01-112, Tel: 6286-2070
Opening hours: 10am to 3pm, 5.30 to 11pm.Closed on Mondays
Price: At about $25 per head, it is not cheap considering its ambience

STI: Dial a diet

Sep 27, 2004

Dial a diet
by Teo Pau Lin

Meals follow heart-friendly diets

Magic Meal Mobile
Delivers: All-day meals that follow the South Beach, Zone and Ornish diets, at $35 a day
Contact: 9145-6660 or www.magicmealmobile.com

WITH lipsmacking aplomb, this month-old operator proves that eating healthy doesn't mean nibbling like a rabbit.

It delivers daily meals that follow the South Beach, Zone and Ornish diets. But its menu is so deliciously inventive, you'd forget it's actually skinny food.

While the diets were created by American cardiologists primarily to help people with heart problems, founder Jonathan Chan says customers will probably take it up more for its side-effect - weight loss.

In the South Beach diet, you eat all the 'good' carbohydrates and fats (leafy vegetables, brown rice and extra virgin olive oil) but exclude the 'bad' ones (white rice, bread and butter).

The Zone diet helps to keep your insulin levels within an optimal range by moderating your hormonal balance. It stresses eating meals that contain 40-30-30 per cent proportion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins respectively.

The Ornish diet, which caters more to heart patients, emphasises meals that are strictly vegetarian and very low in fat, such as green salads and pasta with white bean and sun-dried tomato sauce.

Mr Chan, 29, started the business after his father's heart bypass surgery early this year woke him up to the importance of healthy eating.

Faced with a dearth of healthy restaurants here, the former venture capitalist began reading up on healthy diets and cooking for himself and his father.

'These three diets are the only ones I know that are heart-friendly. And if they worked for me, they'll probably work for other people too,' says the 56kg, 1.75m tall entrepreneur.

So far, almost all his customers have reported losing weight after going on the programme for a week, he says.

I tried the South Beach diet for three days and lost 1kg.

The food is delicious. Every morning, a cooler bag arrives carrying five meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and dessert) you are to eat for the day.

For example, you get smoked salmon omelette for breakfast, tuna salad with arrabiata salsa for lunch, portobello mushroom with herbs for afternoon snack, beef tenderloin for dinner, and peach and strawberry yogurt for dessert. All are amply portioned and bursting with flavour.

Mr Chan, who works with a Ritz-Carlton hotel trained chef in his industrial kitchen in Woodlands, uses chilled beef, local vegetables for their freshness, and, as far as possible, organic produce.

For now, the service is available only in districts 9, 10 and 11, and deliveries can also be made during lunch-time in the CBD area.

While he is working towards offering it to more areas, his catering service is ready islandwide. He also plans to open a restaurant and cooking school in Bukit Timah by December.

No msg is used and no item is deep-fried

Nature Vegetarian Health Food
Delivers: Vegetarian dinners at $180 for 20 days for two people
Contact: 6897-7370 or www.natureveg.com

THIS vegetarian caterer has seen business shoot up by 20 per cent over the past two months, especially during the bird flu scare.

Owner Edmund Toh, 36, says: 'It's good to eat vegetarian. No matter what the food scare is, you're not worried.'

He started the business four years ago and was one of the first caterers to go the healthy, vegetarian way.

'I had trouble finding one, so I started one myself,' says Mr Toh, a vegetarian.

His dishes contain no MSG and are low in salt and oil. No item is deep-fried.

He says that his set-up is now the largest here, and offers tempting tingkat dinners (metal meal-boxes) for individual diners.

Meals are mostly Chinese or Thai-style, including mock chicken with dry chilli, mock sweet and sour pork and braised beancurd.

His two chefs whip up the dishes in an industrial kitchen in Tuas. Four delivery vans drop them off to customers all over the island.

Only 30 per cent of his clientele are vegetarians.

'The rest order vegetarian occasionally to keep healthy,' he says.

'With all these food scares going on, more people are becoming aware of the need to eat healthy.'

Prices six times as high but some are biting

SkyOrganic
Delivers: Over 40 types of organic vegetables and 1,400 organic products
Contact: 6288-3326 or www.skyorganic.com

ORGANIC food is no longer hard to find. Call or order online and you get it at your doorstep.

SkyOrganic offers over 40 types of organic vegetables and 1,400 organic products from rice to pasta sauces and salad dressing.

Organic foods are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilisers or chemical additives.

Owner Tommy Soon, 45, says the organic business here is still in its infancy.

Singaporeans are not willing to pay its high prices, which can be six times as much as non-organic equivalents, he adds. For example, organic beansprouts cost $3 per kg while non-organic ones cost only 60 cents per kg.

He has 600 customers, 80 per cent of whom are cancer patients.

The rest are the 'wealthier' and more health-conscious set, he says.

His vegetables are mainly grown on his farms in Indonesia and Malaysia, and he imports other products from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

He has two vans which deliver the goods to customers islandwide.

The company was founded in 2000, but it was only in the past two years that he has managed to break even.

Mr Soon, whose main business is in metal scrapping, started the service after seeing many friends succumb to cancer.

'There's meaning in helping sick people get well. You can't make a lot of money in this business,' he says.

STI: Staying the Course

Aug 1, 2004

Staying the Course
by Clara Chow

THE curry war in Race Course Road has got hotter.

The area famous for its fish-head curry restaurants since the 1970s is serving up new eateries, both from the expansion of old players and the infusion of some new ones.

The two big players - Muthu's Curry and Banana Leaf Apolo Restaurant - are not holding back.

Muthu's spent $7 million to open a 6,386sq-ft place at No. 138 in June. This includes $5.2 million to buy the unit. It is just down the road from its 35-year-old premises at No. 76 and 78.

The new Muthu's boasts contemporary chic decor, an open kitchen concept with steaming tandoor ovens and an artificially misted alfresco dining area.

It has been a hit, judging from the robust lunch crowds.

Managing director Kasivisanathan. A, 33, says: 'It's more modern, more Zen.'

Over at Banana Leaf at No. 54, 56 and 58, renovation plans are afoot for next year.

Having been in Race Course Road for 30 years, it opened a branch with standard Indian-flavoured decor at No. 66 and 68 two years ago.

The eatery's general manager, Mr C. Sankar, 32, says: 'There is more human traffic now because of the opening of the Little India train station in June last year.'

He and Mr Kasivisanathan, first cousins who have both taken over the separate businesses from their fathers, are sticking to their secret family recipes but buzzing with new marketing ideas.

Business has also benefited from the reopening of Race Course Road - site of Singapore's first turf club in the 1900s - as a 980m, two-way road in May 2002. It had been turned into a one-way street in 1998 to facilitate the building of the North-East MRT line, making it harder for motorists to navigate their way there.

New players have moved in to stir up their own pot of opportunity.

Gayatri Restaurant opened in December last year in a 4,000sq ft unit at No. 122.

Owner G. Shanmugam, 41, has a hot arsenal of customer-wooing tactics, such as $10 curry fish-head promotions on Mondays and Wednesdays. It usually goes for $18 upwards.

He tacitly acknowledges a 'curry war' of sorts as he nods towards his restaurant's manager standing outside, inviting passers-by to enter.

When LifeStyle visited the road on two consecutive afternoons, none of the other restaurants was doing this.

But Mr Bala Sundram, 29, owner of the three-year-old KP Pillai Curry Inn at No. 72, plans to hand out curry on spatulas to passers-by next month to entice them.

He says: 'My friends ask me why I've come here, sitting between Banana Leaf and Muthu's. But this is the big league - you only get recognised when you play here.'

Business is doing 'fairly well' although he admits that it has declined over the last six months. He puts it down to the sluggish economy.

Mr Clifford Tan, 53, owner of Delhi Restaurant at No. 60, says business is still good although it pales in comparison to the boomtime of the early 1990s.

'There were long queues then. Customers were willing to wait for an hour for a table,' he says.

He opened D' Delhi Pubb & Restaurant in 1993 at No. 48.

Customers, meanwhile, are pleased at how busy the street has become for those in need of a curry fix.

Marketing director Jacke Chye, 37, who has visited the new Muthu's Curry, remarks that the area is shaping up to look like the 'new Tanjong Pagar or Siglap restaurant stretch'.

'It's good that there are more choices available in this quaint part of town,' he says.

On this Race track

EATERIES you can find along Race Course Road:

Andhra's Spice
28 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 3.30pm, 6 - 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6296-9386

This cosy, six-month-old restaurant has a rustic feel, with mango leaves hanging above the door.
The food is a mix of north Indian cuisine and dishes from the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Hyderabadi chicken dum briyani ($6), steamed in a metal pot, is fragrant and tasty. However, the Chinese dishes 'adapted' by its Indian chefs are a strange experience. The tomyam prawns ($4) hit hard with a strong peppery taste. And the chicken manchurian ($6) is essentially sweet-and-sour chicken with a curry after-taste.

Jaggi's Northern Indian Cuisine
34/36 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 3pm,
6.30 - 10.30pm (Mon - Sat); 11am - 3.30pm (Sun)
Tel: 6296-6141

A popular eatery that serves Punjabi food like plain, butter, garlic and cheese naan ($1 - $1.50). Patrons wolf down their divine-smelling food under a fluorescent glare in the spartan surroundings.

Banana Leaf Apolo
54-58 Race Course Road
Opens: 10.30am - 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6293-8682

One of two stalwarts - the other being Muthu's Curry - in the area, this outfit's signature dish is its fish-head curry, at $18 (small), $21 (medium) and $25 (large). The dish is less spicy compared to decades ago, which probably suits the tourists who drop in just fine.

Delhi Restaurant
60 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 11.30pm daily
Tel: 6296-4585

Mention Delhi Restaurant and most people will say: 'The posh one, right?'

When the North Indian restaurant opened in 1988, its 'bow-tie and dim-light concept' - as owner Clifford Tan describes it - was considered new in the area.

Inside, Moghul-style and Hindu art hang on the walls, contrasting with the Chinese bamboo-motif tiles. Glass goblets sparkle on pink tablecloths. The most popular item on its menu is the tender, smoky-flavoured, mixed grill tandoori items - best washed down with Kingfisher beer.

KP Pillai Curry Inn
72 Race Course Road
Opens: 11am - 10.30pm (Mon, Wed - Sun), 11am - 4pm (Tues)
Tel: 6293-8559

This is a cafeteria-like place which dishes out South Indian cuisine. Specialities include hot-plate tiger-prawns masala ($8, $10, $12), dum briyani ($5.50 to $6.50) and duck masala ($3.50).

Our Makan Shop
74 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 4pm
Tel: 6292-9475

Owner Tony Ng won't reveal the ingredients he leaves out of his Chinese-style fish-head curry to make it different from the version sold at Indian restaurants.

And never mind that the fluctuating prices are slightly higher - averaging at $26, $32 and $42 for small, medium and large respectively. Regulars still fill the eatery, which has retained many of the features of the 1970s, such as wooden booths and jade-green mosaic tiles.

Gayatri Restaurant
122 Race Course Road
Opens: 12.30 - 2pm, 6 - 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6291-1011

The fish-head curry, at $18 (small), $22 (medium) and $24 (large), offers soft morsels of meat swimming in a pale yellow gravy. It's strong with the sourish-bitter flavour of turmeric, but could be spicier. The friendly waiters in this dining hall-like space will teach you how to dig out the eye from a fish-head with panache.

Muthu's Curry
138 Race Course Road
Opens: 10am - 10pm daily
Tel: 6392-1722

The fish-head curry is undoubtedly enjoyable. Priced at $18, $23 and $28 (small, medium and large respectively), it boasts nice flavours - sweet and salty before blooming into a spicy sting in the mouth.

The mark of a cool restaurant is often in how swanky its toilets are, and Muthu's certainly has the best-looking ones on this stretch. A minimalist, black-tiled area equipped with sinks and automatic taps leads to the loos, which are new and clean. 

STI: Insides story

May 24, 2004

Insides story
by Teo Pau Lin

FIRST, it was Katong laksa. Then, it was Jalan Kayu roti prata.

Now, it's Blanco Court kway chap.

A rash of stalls has sprouted in recent years, claiming to be the famous outlets from the now-defunct Blanco Court.

Like some stalls that are capitalising on the Katong style of laksa or the Jalan Kayu style of prata, the Blanco Court copycats are riding on a famous name to get rich quick.

Now the site of Raffles Hospital in North Bridge Road, the two-storey hawker centre was home to two legendary stalls in the 1980s and 1990s.

To-Ricos Guo Shi, on the third floor, was owned by Mr Phua Gek Sia, now 50, and Garden Street Kway Chap, on the fourth floor, was run by Mr Koh Ah Soon, now 66.

For a taste of their tender stewed pig's innards, delicate flat noodles and tangy chilli sauce, customers had to queue at the stalls for at least 30 minutes.

The hawker centre was closed when the building was retrofitted into a hospital in 1998.

To-Ricos moved to Old Airport Road hawker centre and continues to operate there today.

Garden Street set up shop at Block 209, Hougang Street 21, for three years. It took a 30-month break before it re-emerged in Serangoon Gardens Food Centre last year.

With many customers losing track of the pair, kway chap stalls claiming Blanco Court links have sprung up in Bedok North and Holland Drive.

When LifeStyle visited Blanco Court Famous Teochew Guo Zhi in Block 3018, Bedok North Street 5, owner Heng Joo Chuan said it was the original one on Blanco Court's third floor.

'We were there for more than 20 years,' claimed the 42-year-old man with a tight perm. He added that his stall was founded by his father in the Beach Road area.

It is unclear which stall's identity Mr Heng is trying to assume. To-Ricos was on the third floor of Blanco Court but Garden Street is the one with a history that dates back to the Beach Road area more than 50 years ago.

In the April 14 issue of the Chinese daily, Shin Min Daily News, he told a reporter that he is the third generation in a family business specialising in kway chap.

However, the owners of To-Ricos and Garden Street say Mr Heng is not related to them.

Over in Holland Drive Food Centre in Block 44, a stall advertises itself as Blanco Court Kway Chap.

Hawker Tan Eng Hwee, 52, is the brother-in-law of Garden Street's owner, Mr Koh.

Mr Tan told LifeStyle that he learnt his cooking skills from Mr Koh during his Blanco Court days, and that he continued the business after Mr Koh retired in 2001.

But Mr Koh clarifies that his brother-in-law had only helped wash dishes after the stall moved to Hougang. Also, he did not pass his skills to Mr Tan until he took a break from working in 2001.

Even though To-Ricos and Garden Street customers have apparently reported sightings of 'Blanco Court kway chap' stalls in Jurong and Defu Lane too, both the original hawkers are unperturbed.

'Angry for what?' says Mr Koh, whose regulars recognise him by his hunched posture.

'My customers know my face, so even if they go to these stalls, they know they're not real. Never mind lah, you can't do anything about it.'

Adds To-Ricos' Mr Phua: 'As long as my customers stay with me, I don't care about them.'

Tale of two hawkers

THEY were the two hawkers who gave Blanco Court a reputation for the best kway chap in town.

But five years after moving to new locations, Mr Koh Ah Soon and Mr Phua Gek Sia are showing vastly different fortunes.

Mr Koh, owner of Garden Street Kway Chap, emerged from a 30-month retirement to set up shop at Serangoon Gardens Food Centre last year.

His stall's history goes back 50 years to Garden Street in the Beach Road area, where his Teochew father had set up business.

Mr Koh joined the trade when he was 12 years old, and took the stall to Blanco Court in 1980.

When the building closed in 1998, he moved to Block 209, Hougang Street 21. Business continued to be so overwhelming that he retired after three exhausting years.

He re-opened his stall last year as he was bored at home.

Now, the long queues have gone as not many of his regulars know of his new location.

But for Mr Phua, owner of To-Ricos Guo Shi, it is non-stop action from start to finish at Old Airport Road hawker centre.

Since moving there, he has enjoyed a faithful following from his old troop of regulars.

Within one year, business was so brisk that he had to take over the unit next door to use as a washing area. He has three helpers on weekdays and four on weekends.

When Garden Street's Mr Koh retired in 2001, Mr Phua was the only kway chap hawker left from the Blanco Court era.

A media onslaught ensued with newspaper reviews and TV show recommendations boosting its profile even further.

Garden Street may outlast To-Ricos

Last year, Mr Phua was even asked to be a judge on the Channel U cooking show, All-Star Potluck.

Not bad for someone whose original speciality was actually fried chicken.

Set up in Blanco Court in 1981, To-Ricos was named after a brand of chicken products from South America.

Mr Phua admits that he switched to selling kway chap three years later after seeing the success of the Garden Street stall.

'I experimented on the recipe and asked customers for comments to improve on it,' he says with a smile.

Despite To-Ricos' current success, it seems Garden Street may be the one to last.

The former has no successor as Mr Phua's 26-year-old locksmith son is not interested in the business.

Mr Koh's son, Jason, 31, on the other hand, is learning the ropes hoping to revive Garden Street's glory days.

Garden Street Kway Chap
Stall #21 Serangoon Gardens Food Centre
Opens: 8am - 3pm, Tuesdays - Fridays; 8am - 5pm on weekends; closed on Mondays

To-Ricos Guo Shi
#01-129D, Block 51 Old Airport Road
Old Airport Road Emporium & Cooked Food Centre
Opens: 11.30am - 4.30pm; closed on Mondays

STI: Feed the whirl

Apr 19, 2004

Feed the whirl
by Tee Hun Ching

DEPENDING on who you speak to, the first ever hotel buffet in Singapore was served either at the Belvedere at the former Mandarin Singapore or the then King's Hotel in the form of its famous Penang Buffet.

Though the former drew its shutters in 1989, it still has a place in the hearts, and stomachs, of many.

Set up in 1973, it offered a lavish buffet featuring mainly Western dishes at $8 per head and was the place to be, says veteran food writer and etiquette consultant Raelene Tan.

The food theme changed monthly, along with the decor and staff uniform.

'They would dress in Scandinavian, Italian, French costumes or Brazilian ones that came with hats full of fruit,' she recalls fondly.

'It was not just a buffet but a whole theatre of visual and gastronomical experience.'

But, while it is now a footnote in Singapore's culinary history, the famed Penang Buffet at the Copthorne King's Hotel lives on.

Having clocked 32 years, it may be the oldest surviving spread here.

It has gone through three sets of chefs, and still packs in the crowds at the 170-seater Princess Terrace for its daily lunch and dinner buffet.

Neither the Belvedere nor King's Hotel will lay claim, however, to being the first in Singapore's buffet history.

In fact, no one in the hotel or food and beverage industries here can say for sure who can.

SINCE the early 1970s, however, every hotel here worth its salt has been whipping up a spread - usually three times a day for lunch, high tea and dinner.

This includes soups, appetisers, main courses and desserts hailing from both Eastern woks and Western pans, a reflection of Singapore's cosmopolitan culture.

Today, prices range from about $18 for a salad buffet to more than $100 for a champagne brunch.

While some have fallen by the wayside, a few stalwarts from the 1970s are still doing brisk business.

The Pete's Place Salad Bar at Grand Hyatt Singapore, for instance, marks its 31st anniversary this year.

For a nation that drools at the thought of eating and bargain-hunting, nothing feeds Singaporeans' twin cravings better than a sumptuous buffet.

'The concept of a fixed-price meal that allows you to eat as much as you can offers great perceived value to customers,' says Mr William Tan, chief operating officer of the Tung Lok Group, which offers mainly a la carte buffets.

Good spreads draw crowds and help raise a hotel's profile among Singaporeans, who would otherwise have little reason to drop by.

They also contribute up to 80 per cent of a hotel's food and beverage (F&B) revenue, as in the case of Hotel Phoenix.

Its Phoenix Garden Cafe offers an international buffet for lunch and dinner that stars its award-winning roti prata, as well as a high tea spread of local fare.

Each session draws 100 to 180 diners daily.

INDEED, when it comes to buffets, Asia is way ahead of the West, where such feasts are offered mainly for breakfast, says Mr Juergen Doerr, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore's executive assistant manager for F&B.

Apart from his country of birth, the German has also worked in Britain, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

'Buffets suit Singaporeans because of the large variety of cuisines available to them,' he says.

'Living in a multi-racial society means one would be able to find a wide range of buffets catering to every taste.'

The spread of ethnic festivals also serves up opportunities to whip up culinary tie-ins, like buffets to break fast for Muslims.

Agreeing, Mr Ashish Verma, F&B director of the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel in New York, adds: 'The choices of cuisine are more extensive in the East compared to the West, and hotel dining is more a culture in Asia than in the West.

'In New York City, for instance, ours is more of a free-standing restaurant culture.'

But the buffet itself is not an Asian concoction.

The Encyclopedia Of American Food & Drink (1999) traces the word to 18th century France.

At formal mediaeval, Renaissance and Baroque dinners, a set of shelves known as a 'buffet' was built on one side of the dining hall to house the family silver.

Later, food was displayed as well so that guests could have a preview of their meal, and that was where the modern buffet concept evolved from.

Several Western cultures also have a tradition of serving big crowds from a common table laden with food, of which the Swedish 'smorgasbord' dating from the 18th century is best known.

IN SINGAPORE, such feasts are now available almost round the clock, with high tea and weekend brunch buffets being hot flavours.

Top-end hotels began serving Sunday brunches less than 10 years ago, and today, 'brunch is the new black, to mix my metaphors', notes food writer-consultant Christopher Tan.

Diners can wash down these eye-popping spreads with free flow of wine and bubbly at more than five hotels, including The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, Four Seasons Hotel and the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

Prices are suitably high-end of course, and start from above $75 per head.

To spice up the scene, speciality spreads such as chocolate, curry, Mediterranean and yong tau foo have also been dished out in recent years.

Such novel themes help to hook the young, whom the hotels hope to convert into loyal customers, says veteran food writer-consultant Violet Oon.

FOR most Singaporeans, however, value for money remains the top draw - which also explains why even some non-hotel outlets, like restaurants and even stalls in heartland kopitiams, offer steamboat and Teochew porridge buffets.

Madam Molly Koh, 54, tucks into a spread at least twice a month, often at different hotels.

The dental assistant has sampled most of the major buffets in town but does not have a firm favourite.

'I enjoy trying many different types of food and as much of it as I like,' she says.

'Better still, I can sit down, relax and chit-chat with my family for a few hours each time without getting chased out.'

It's still not too late to pick up the phone to book a table if you fancy a buffet today.

OLD FAVES

Copthorne King's Hotel - Penang Buffet
Started:  1972 and charged $16
Where:  Princess Terrace (tel: 6318-3168)
When: 11.30am-2.30pm (3.30pm on weekends and public holidays) and 6.30-10pm daily
Cost: $28+++ (adult) and $20+++ (child);
What:  One of the best-known spreads around, this buffet used to feature 28 items but now offers about 40. These include must-have dishes such as Penang laksa, Penang Hokkien mee soup, and Penang char kway teow.

Grand Hyatt Singapore - The Pete's Place Salad Bar
Started:  1973 and charged about $9
Where:  Pete's Place (tel: 6416-7113)
When: 11.30am-2.30pm (Mon-Sat) and 6-10.30pm daily
Cost:  $16+++; It costs $19.50+++ if you throw in soup and dessert, and $26+++ with the pasta main courses. Children pay $19.50+++ and get the whole works.
What: Toss your own greens from the fresh selection of 20 main salads, nine toppings and five dressings. If you are going for the pasta, try the signature dish, Cioppino, a tomato-base seafood pasta.

Royal Plaza On Scotts - International Buffet High-Tea
Started:  1980s and charged $8.50+++
Where: Cafe Vienna (tel: 6589-7799)
When:  3-5.30pm (Mon-Fri); Noon-5pm (weekends, eves and public holidays)
Cost:  $18.50+++ (adult) and $9.25+++ (child) for weekdays and $24.50+++ (adult) and $12.25+++ (child) for weekends, eves and public holidays
What:  Launched in the 1980s, the spread includes more than 80 Asian favourites and Western treats, of which the bread and butter pudding is most famous. It is also one of the few eateries in town that serve halal buffets.

Goodwood Park Hotel - Local High Tea
Started: 1980s and charged about $10
Where: Coffee Lounge (tel: 6730-1746)
When: 2.45-5pm daily
Cost: $18.80+++ (adult) and $9.40+++ (child).   
What: What started as a Straits Chinese spread now comprises more than 20 items, including dimsum and local and Western fare. There are also cooking stations that whip up roti prata and popiah. The apom berkuah with banana sauce, a Peranakan dessert, has been the hot favourite since day one.

Hotel Phoenix - International Buffet Lunch & Dinner

Started: 1985 and charged $10.50+++ and $12.50+++ for lunch and dinner respectively
Where: Phoenix Garden Cafe (tel: 6233-6129)
When: Noon-2.30pm and 6.30-10pm daily; a Local Hi-tea Buffet is also served daily from 3.30-5.30pm.
Cost: $23+++ for lunch and $25+++ for dinner; children pay $16.50+++ and $17.50+++ respectively
What: There are about 50 items in the spread, more than double that when it made its debut. More soups and salads are now on offer, to suit the health-conscious palate of Singaporeans today. The signature dish - roti prata - is a must-try, as is the durian cake.

Hotel Royal - Tropical Peking-Style Steamboat Buffet
Started:  1985 and charged $9.90 and $12.90 for lunch and dinner respectively
Where: Jade Room Restaurant (tel: 6251-8135)
When: 11.15am-2.30pm and 6.15-10.30pm daily
Cost:  $13.80+++ for lunch and $18.80+++ for dinner. Children pay $9+++ and $12+++ respectively. On weekends, eves and public holidays, adults pay $16.80+++ and $19.80+++ respectively.
What:  The tangy dipping sauce, concocted from 13 ingredients including sesame, peanuts, chilli and vinegar, is the secret weapon here. Diners can take their pick from 32 items, including sea cucumber, fresh prawns and peking dumpling. There is also a choice of 10 cooked dishes such as fried chicken wings.

York Hotel - Penang Hawkers' Fare
Started:  1986; original price not available
Where: White Rose Cafe (tel: 6737-0511 ext 1156)
When: Held traditionally during school holidays in March and September for 17 days each time, the buffet sometimes has an extra run in December.
Cost: $21.80+++ (adult) and $17.80+++ (child) for lunch and dinner.
What:  The first-come-first-served spread is one of the most widely- anticipated culinary draws here. Hawkers from Penang's Gurney Drive set up stalls offering perennial favourites such as Penang laksa, cuttlefish kang kong and crispy lor bak.

Raffles Hotel - International Buffet High Tea
Started:  1991; original prices not available
Where: Tiffin Room (tel: 6331-1612)
When: 3.30- 5pm daily
Cost: $31.50+++ (adult) and $18+++ (child)
What: The high tea has earned a name for its indulgent spread and service. The scones with jam, butter and whipped cream, chicken pie and dim sum are top draws. Tiffin Room is also famous for its curry buffets.

Meritus Mandarin Singapore - International Buffet
Started: 1994 and charged $39.50+++ for lunch and $45+++ for dinner
Where: Triple 3, The Buffet Restaurant (tel: 6831-6271/72)
When: Noon-3pm and 6.30-10:30pm daily
Cost: Lunch costs $41.80+++ (adult) and $24.80+++ (child), while dinner is priced at $52+++ and $32+++ respectively.
What:  Formerly known as The Stables, the restaurant now offers more than 60 dishes, comprising 22 appetisers, 20 types of hot food and 20 choices of dessert. There is a different theme each month, but the baked honey-glazed ham, roast prime rib of beef, salmon sashimi and rock oysters are trademark items.

NEW SPREADS

The Fullerton Singapore - Gourmet Buffet Dinner
Where: Town Restaurant (tel: 6877-8128)
When: 6.30-10.30pm, Mondays to Saturdays
Cost: Starts from $28+++
What: Rolled out on April 8, the buffet allows diners to mix and match meals. They can pick from various main courses and help themselves to the Gourmet Appetiser Buffet and Gourmet Dessert Buffet, which cost $20+++ and $15+++ respectively on their own. There is also the Seafood Tower at $28+++ per person or $48+++ for two. Or they can opt for the Appetiser and Dessert Buffet ($25+++), Seafood Tower and Dessert Buffet ($65+++ for two) and Seafood Tower with Appetiser and Dessert Buffet ($98+++ for two).

Conrad Centennial Singapore - Big Breakfast Buffet
Where: Oscar's Cafe & Terrace (tel: 6432-7481)
When: 7am-3pm every Sunday
Cost:  $28+++ (adult); $14+++ (child)
What: Launched in March this year, it serves everything from muffins to dimsum and seafood fried rice. The highlight is the vitamin corner, which includes a juice bar. From 11am, pay $40+++ to combine the breakfast spread with the carving of the day.

M Hotel Singapore - Sunday High Curry
Where: Cafe 2000 (tel: 6421-6222)
When: Noon-3pm every Sunday
Cost: $28+++ (adult); $14+++ (child)
What:  What started off as a pure curry buffet in February this year now includes a Western spread. This includes roast prime ribs and Yorkshire pudding. The fish head curry is highly recommended.

Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort - Brunch 'N' Plunge
Where:  Sharkey's (tel: 6371-1071)
When: 12.30-3pm
Cost:$39.50+++ (adult); children 12 years and below are charged half price
What:  Enjoy a great sea view and free use of pool facilities as you tuck into the buffet introduced in June last year. Barbecue items such as pork ribs and tiger king prawns, and local favourites like fried oyster omelette and kueh, dominate the spread.

Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel - Children's Buffet
Where: Cafe Brio's (tel: 6233-1100)
When: Noon-3pm every Sunday
Cost: Free for kids aged 10 and below, accompanied by adults paying for the Sunday brunch ($50+++ or $65+++ with free flow of champagne, wine and beer)
What:  The spread made its debut last year and offers such items as mini hot dogs, burgers and chicken nuggets. There are also activities such as magic shows and balloon sculpting.

Raffles The Plaza - Plaza Market Peranakan Buffet
Where: Plaza Market Cafe (tel: 6431-6156)
When:  Noon-2.30pm and 6.30-10.30pm daily; high tea from 12.30-5pm (Sat, Sun & public holiday)
Cost: Lunch costs $25+++ (adult) and $13+++ (child); dinner costs $30+++ and $15+++ respectively; high tea is $23+++ and $12+++ respectively
What:  The showcase of authentic Peranakan cuisine was introduced last year and the ayam buah keluak and durian pudding have won fans.

The Fullerton Singapore - Chocolate Buffet
Where: The Courtyard (tel: 6877-8129)
When: 8-11pm every Friday and Saturday
Cost: $24+++ (adult); $12+++ (child)
What: Since 2002, chocolate lovers have been indulging in treats such as the chocolate mango yoghurt mousse. The drink station with its premium chocolate-blended drinks is the highlight.

Shangri-La Hotel - Coffee Garden's Seafood Extravaganza
Where: Coffee Garden (tel: 6213-4275)
When: 6.30-10.30pm daily
Cost: $61+++ (adult) and $31+++ (child). It used to cost less than $25.
What:  The seafood buffet made its debut in 2000 as an occasional special and was made a daily affair in February this year. The over 100 items range from barbecue lobster to Norwegian salmon dishes. Italian, Indian and Japanese sections offer pizzas, curries and sashimi.

Meritus Negara Singapore - Local Delights Lunch Buffet
Where:  Claymore Cafe (tel: 6831-6686)
When:  Noon-2.30pm Mondays to Fridays, except public holidays. Brunch is served on weekends from noon-4pm.
Cost: $16.90+++ for weekdays and $19.90+++ for weekend brunch. Children pay $9.90+++ for both.
What:  It started off as the Yong Tau Foo Buffet in 1997 but local favourites like laksa were added last month. The duck noodles and prawn mee soup are big draws.

Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore - Buffet Lunch & Dinner
Where:  Ellenborough Market Cafe (tel: 6239-1848)
When: Noon-2.30pm, 6.30-10pm daily
Cost: $19.90+++ for lunch and $24.90+++ for dinner on weekdays, $25.90+++ for weekend dinner. Children pay $11.90+++ for lunch, $13.90+++ for weekday dinner and $14.90+++ for weekend dinner.
What: This spread with a strong nonya component has gained fame since 1997 and the star remains the durian pengat, a yummy mousse. Other must-haves include the slipper lobster in black bean sauce and abalone mushroom noodles.

The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore - Sunday Champagne Brunch
Where: Greenhouse (tel: 6434-5288)
When: 11.30am-3.30pm every Sunday
Cost: $88+++ (adult); $45+++ (child)
What:  The extensive spread launched in 1996 includes 25 appetisers, 50 types of farmhouse cheese from France and local, Indian and Western specialities. There are 16 sections in all, including the popular oyster, sashimi and souffle. Wash everything down with Moet & Chandon champagne.

Four Seasons Hotel Singapore - Sunday Brunch At One-Ninety
Where:  One-Ninety (tel: 6831-7250)
When:  There are two sittings: 11am-1pm and 1.30pm-3pm
Cost: $68+++ (adult) and $30+++ (child); Pay $98+++ to add free flow of Veuve Clicquot champagne.
What: This eight-year-old brunch has 20 hot and cold stations offering fresh oysters, sukiyaki, dimsum and pasta. The sinful dessert buffet station carries 25 sweet treats. Kids get their own spread and activities.

Hotel Inter-Continental - Olive Tree Mediterranean Buffet
Where:  Olive Tree Mediterranean Restaurant (tel: 6431-1061)
When:  11.30am-2.30pm for lunch (Mon-Fri) and 6.30-10.30pm for dinner (Sun-Thu)
Cost: $39+++ for lunch and $52+++ for dinner. Free for children under seven years. Those aged between seven and 12 years will be charged according to their age. For instance, a seven-year-old will be charged $7+++ and a 10-year-old will pay $10+++.
What:  It has attracted a strong following since 1995. The menu changes daily and offers more than 20 items, including the popular seafood on ice and pasta.