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#JOM! EAT: Delicious street treats of Singapore

Singapore Food: Where tradition meets innovation

READING pre-downloaded stories is a recurring habit that helps reduce flight monotony, especially so when they concern food.

As such, it was with great delight to learn about the just opened Singapore hawker food centre near New York's Times Square while flying into Changi Airport recently.

The story read: The Urban Hawker which create history as the first of its kind in the Big Apple, highlights stalls manned by a combination of young and experienced chefs specially brought in from the Lion City.

It was first mooted by prominent Singaporean food and media personality Seetoh Kok Fye and late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain during the 2013 Singapore World Street Food Congress.

With thoughts of stalls like Mamak's Corner whipping up fragrant Nasi Briyani coupled with its assortment of curry and pickled vegetable side dishes as well as Padi's Mee Rebus, Satay and Beef Rendang whetting ravenous appetites at the financial capital of the world still fresh on my mind after landing, I am pleasantly taken aback to discover that Changi Airport has already trail blazed this very concept in the form of the Singapore Food Street.

DIVERSE SPREAD

Located at the Terminal 3 transit area, this well-thought out assembly offering local delights was established in June 2014 allowing visitors to savour favourite local dishes upon arrival or just before flying off.

Designed to closely resemble a typical food street commonly found in 1960s Singapore, this spacious dining area not only serves up a diverse spread of tantalising meals but also gives diners the rare opportunity to take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about the good old days when the most delicious meals were served at roadside makeshift carts and stalls.

Nostalgia aside, the Singapore Food Street teems with technological advancements where strategically located payment kiosks allow diners to seamlessly place orders and pay for their food before progressing to the stalls where their meals are prepared fresh.

Best of all, the advanced installed software even provides allowance for diners to personalise meals by determining varying condiment amounts.

With 12 diverse stalls offering over 200 dishes, the choices are simply astounding and it takes a while for me to finally settle for the comforting chicken, fish and otah set from the Fatimah Nasi Lemak & Laksa stall.

The mouth-watering decision is made easier with a complimentary Begedil thrown in. This popular mash potato fritter highlights the cultural heritage of the Javanese which form part of Singapore's vibrant ethnic communities.

While watching activity at nearby stalls like Shanghai La Mian Dumplings, Tak Shing Fried Rice & Noodles and Ah Huat Hainanese Chicken Rice, I also take time to admire Singapore Food Street's intricate Peranakan style decor with much focus falling on its eye-catching multi-coloured decorative tiles.

DELICIOUS INNOVATION

The next two days in Singapore present ample opportunities to sample most delectable street-inspired cuisines at food centres located throughout the downtown area. Out of the many, Lau Pa Sat near Raffles Place proves most memorable.

Housed within the oldest Victorian structure in South-East Asia and one of the first 19th century structures built from pre-fabricated cast iron in Asia, this former Telok Ayer fish market has been carefully repurposed into a contemporary food court that spells the return of street dining.

Incorporating modern sanitary standards and catering primarily to office workers and tourists, this place is a hive of activity especially in the evenings when the adjacent Boon Tat Street is closed to traffic to accommodate food carts selling varied versions of satay, skewered meat and seafood grilled over hot coals.

The big meal at Indian Classic Cuisine (Stall 59) gets my nod of approval as apart from the generous nasi beriyani and curry mutton portions, I thoroughly enjoy combining its freshly prepared Naan flatbread with piping hot beef and mutton satay from Best Satay (Stall 7 & 8).

Open 24 hours daily, Lau Pa Sat not only serves as a place for those seeking good food and immersive history but is also home to modern shops that highlight innovative local products with a twist like Singapore laksa and Hainanese chicken rice flavoured potato chips and pineapple tarts with caramelised chocolate.

Food innovation takes on a whole new meaning after encountering the Goodburger food truck at Coronation Plaza in Bukit Timah. With its catchy tagline 'Saving the world. One burger at a time!', this fast growing enterprise serves amazing plant-based burgers that tastes like the real thing and helps protect Earth's fragile ecosystem while significantly reducing carbon footprint.

With each burger incorporating a tantalizing Impossible patty, Goodburgers come in many inviting forms and names.

One Night In Bangkok, for example, has aromatic Thai-inspired flavours while Happy Days is served with cheese, onion rings and smoky barbeque sauce, practically everything needed to enjoy glorious sunny days that are so common in Singapore.

Not one who is attracted to creations with snappy names, I stick to the top selling Classic which takes after the definitive American cheeseburger but given the extra zest by the Goodburger's very own secret sauce.

Even with prior knowledge of plant-based substitute incorporation, my buger really tastes like the real thing, texture and all, right from the first bite!

My culinary experience comes full circle after tucking into delicious Hainanese chicken rice at Changi Airport's Terminal 1 Plaza Premium Lounge while waiting for my flight home.

Coupled with fragrant pandan-infused rice and tender boiled free-range chicken, the accompanying dark soy and lightly fiery chilli sauces harken back the good-old days when hawkers used to peddle this popular dish by roadsides.

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