Singapore Favourite Food 2013 - Food Trail

In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Singapore Food Festival, the Singapore Food & Beverage Alliance (SFBA) will be celebrating Singapore's unique food heritage and pays homage to local culinary heroes with the Singapore Favourite Food Village (SFF Village) at Bayfront Avenue (Marina Bay) from 12 to 21 July 2013. The 10 day extravaganza, Singapore Favourite Food 2013 will showcase Singapore's favourite dishes such as chilli crab, carrot cake, rojak, laksa, roti prata and tau huay bringing together a selection of popular hawkers and eateries for this one time celebration. Apart from the 20 favourite vendors voted from the online poll, this unique village will also feature another 20 popular local favourite hawkers and eateries. Visitors will be spoilt for choice with a total of 40 different local favourite dishes to feast on.

Leading up to Singapore Favourite Food 2013, I was invited for a food trail to feast on some of Singapore favourite dishes and learn more about our rich culinary heritage. These are also the hawkers and eateries that is nominated for the online poll.

Ri Ye Xiang Rojak

Rojak

Our first stop is one of the oldest surviving Rojak stalls in Singapore. With 48 years of history since 1965, Mr Edward Koh (stall owner) has been preparing rojak since the age of 20. Rojak which means mixed in Malay is a dish born from our cultural diversity of Singapore incorporating both Chinese and Malay elements in the ingredients.

Ri Ye Xiang Rojak
Kopitiam
Blk 450 Clementi Ave 3
Singapore120450

Opening Hours:
Daily: 3pm - 11pm

Leng Kee BBQ

Fried Oyster Omelette

Second stop brought us to Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre for some Fried Oyster. Fried oyster used to be used by hawkers on rusty tri-cycle with 3 foot cast iron skillet rested above a makeshift wood fired stove which was fashioned out of an old oil drum. The Singapore version of fried oyster omelette uses a batter of oyster juice and sweet potato starch to achieve the crispiness, garnised with cilantro.

Leng Kee BBQ
Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre
51 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Stall 144
Singapore 588215

Opening Hours:
Daily: 3pm - 11pm

Star Yong Kwang BBQ Seafood

BBQ Sambal Stingray

The third stop is at Alexandra Village Food Centre for some Stingray. Chinese fishermen used to discard the fish but it was the Malay who discovered the juicy, fleshy wonders of stingray by cooking it in curry and coconut masala. The Chinese hawkers then adapted the dish by grilling it on banana leaves and heaped with spicy sambal, chilli, and shallots which is popularly enjoyed nowadays.

Star Yong Kwang BBQ Seafood
Alexandra Village Food Centre
120 Bukit Merah Lane 1
Stall #01-04
Singapore 150120

Opening Hours:
Daily: 4pm - 11pm

Jin Jin Hot/Cold Dessert

'Gangster' Durian Mango Ice 

Wrapping up the food trail on a sweet note, our last stop was at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre. The work Gangster is a playful take of the mandarin term for the dessert, Liu Lian Mang Guo which sounds like the word gangster when shortened to just Liu Mang. The word Gangster is now a registered trademark and this iconic dessert of Mango Ice is laden with a generous scoop of durian puree and condensed milk.

Jin Jin Hot/Cold Dessert
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre
6 Jalan Bukit Merah
Stall #01-20
Singapore 150008
Website: http://www.jinjindessertclub.com/

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 12am


Vote Online For Your Favourite Local Vendors to be at SFF Village

Leading up to the Singapore Favourite Food Village, food lovers can vote online at http://sg.openrice.com/sff from now till 2 June 2013 for their favourite local vendor in each of the 20 categories featured this year shortlisted by the SFBA organising committee and advisory panel. Voters stand to win attractive prizes such as:

1st Prize: Singapore Favourite Food 2013 limited edition FlashPay Card worth $1,500
2nd Prize: One year supply of Taiwan Fruit Beear worth $1,200
3rd Prize: Zonin hamper of Italian Prosecco wines worth $500
Weekly Prizes: $100 cash vouchers. A total of 12 will be given out over four weeks.

Take Part in SFF Instagram Photo Contest

Singapore Favourite Food is also holding an Instagram photo contest from now till 30 June 2013. Foodies can simply upload photos of their favourite local dishes. The item must be part of te 20 dishes highlighted in SFF 2013 and hashtag their submissions with #SingaporeFavouriteFood2013. The best photos will win limited edition Singapore Favourite Food 2013 FlashPay Cards worth $12 each.

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao @ Holland Village

Unlimited servicing of Xiao Long Bao? Yes you did not hear me wrongly, that's what you get at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Holland Village when you are there for their steamboat buffet. Crystal Jade has come a long way since 1992. From 1 outlet to over 100 outlets across 18 major cities in 9 countries in Asia Pacific region offering 21 concepts and still counting.

Anyway my visit this round was not for the steamboat buffet. I am here to savour their ala carte menu. Here are some of the delectable dishes I tried.

Steamed Soupy Xiao Long Bao 4.5/5

Not to be missed is the Steamed Soupy Xiao Long Bao ($5.20 for 4pcs). Picking it up with the chopsticks, the delicate thin skin of the Xiao Long Bao held the balanced mixture of pork and soup without bursting. The subtle broth was cooked for 6 hours melded perfectly with the meat for an exquisite taste with the right proportion and thickness.

Chicken Marinated with Chinese Wine & Wolfberry 4/5

The Chicken Marinated with Chinese Wine & Wolfberry ($9) is served chilled. The nourishing bowl comes with health benefit wolfberry and chinese yam. Wolfberry is good for strengthening the eyes, liver and kidney. The chinese yam is good for indigestion. relieve stomach pain and diarrhoea.

Spicy & Sour Thick Soup in Sichuan Style 4/5

The bowl of Spicy & Sour Thick Soup in Sichuan Style ($7.50) comes with a generous serving of mushroom, bamboo shoot and shrimp. The bowl of soup was neither too sour or spicy, just right for my taste. If you prefer stronger taste, you can add chilli oil or vinegar to further enhance the flavours.

Braised Pork Belly 3/5

The Jiang Nan style Braised Pork Berry served with pancake ($14.80) was nice but did not standout for me. The skin was braised to tender melting soft but the meat was a tad tough for me. The sauce was also a bit mild for my palate, I prefer stronger flavours. The pancake was also too small for sandwiching the braised pork belly due to the cut size.

Sauteed Egg White with Fish Meat and Conpoy 4/5

Story goes that the Sauteed Egg White with Fish Meat and Conpoy ($13.50) was created by the villagers for the emperor. The emperor was craving for crab meat but the port village did not have crabs that day so they substituted it with egg white and fish meat creating a texture and taste similar to crab meat. This delicacy was quite addictive no wonder the villagers managed to con the emperor.

Spicy Chicken with Poached La Mian 4.5/5

Having the Spicy Chicken with Poached La Mian ($9.80) was like discovering a pot of gold. I love Sichuan Dou Hua's spicy chicken (口水鸡) and I didn't know Crystal Jade does pretty awesome spicy chicken too. Pairing the spicy chicken (口水鸡) and la mian (拉面) was like a match in heaven for double enjoyment. Do you know that at Crystal Jade excluding the traditional la mian, you can choose from the 8 types of la main (dragon beard, double width, triangle, flat face, broad face, double line, hand teared and hand sliced) that comes with different textures.

Mango Pudding 

Mango Pudding 4/5

Using only Philippine mango for their Mango Pudding ($6), each bowl of mango pudding is made with 1 whole mango. Half of it is pureed while the other half is juiced. You can also add a bit of condensed milk to enhance the taste further.

Crystal Jade has always been a trusted brand dishing out exceptional food quality and consistency in a congenial ambience. Besides traditional Cantonese and Teochew cuisine, Crystal Jade has also diverse   into other Chinese cuisine, Korean cuisine and even bakeries serving pastries and breads.


Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Holland Village
241 Holland Avenue
Singapore 278976
Tel: +65 64630968
Website: http://www.crystaljade.com
Nearest MRT: Holland Village (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon- Sun & PH: 11am - 12am
Steamboat: 5pm - 12am

Direction:
1) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time 3 minutes.