Thank You For Being The Real Heroes Of Our Hawker Heritage

When I first saw the series of videos released by Tiger Beer Singapore in conjunction with their Street Food Movement to preserve our hawker heritage earlier this year, I was moved and touched by it. The videos show the unappreciated hardship of the hawkers, giving them their due recognition which they fully deserved. It is great to know that Tiger Beer Singapore has continued to champion this movement and has released another two videos featuring Madam Wong Li Er of Cambridge Road Hong Kong Roast Pork and Deniece Tan of Truly Test Kitchen.

To be frank, Cambridge Road Hong Kong Roast Pork at Pei Kio Food Centre has never been on my radar until I watched the video released by Tiger Beer.

This is one of two short films, featuring our hawkers which aim to rally Singaporeans to show their appreciation and gratitude to the hawkers – the people behind our iconic local street food and culture.

Madam Wong Li Er is a 65 years old hawker selling Hong Kong-style roasted meat for the past 50 years. Although Madam Wong claims that she’s just a hawker and does not have many skills, this does not deter her from giving back to society and the needy by giving out food coupons to the elderly twice a month for them to redeem meals at her stall.

After watching the video, I made a trip down to Pei Kio Food Centre hoping to have a taste of her roasted meat. While I was queuing for my food, I observed how Madam Wong seems to know everyone in the queue, breaking her usual routine to greet and catch up with them. Some of her regular patrons noticed her from the short film and started teasing her that she is now a star, with photos and the video being played all over. I ordered a plate of Roasted Duck and Char Siew Rice which comes with complimentary stir-fried cabbages, which may be a simple accompaniment to my meal, but felt meaningful and from Madam Wong’s heart, to provide her customers with a balanced meal. The thought of it made me feel bad and embarrassed. It struck me that we are quick to criticize on the food that is served to us but have we ever stop and show our gratitude to these unsung heroes? Even just a simple thank you?

The other video features Deniece Tan of Truly Test Kitchen, a former foreign exchange banker who decided to follow her passion and started the 'Truly' Curry Rice business with her business partner Joel. They painstakingly created the brand name 'Truly' Curry Rice from scratch and have grown the Truly Brand into a business focused on bringing delicious local food at amazing value to people from all walks of life.

With great interest, I understand that she has jumped onto the bandwagon of online delivery boom and bringing the whole hawker business online. While they are many ideas being suggested on how to preserve the hawker heritage, Deniece has put that into action. She could very well be the first hawker to embrace technology and using it as a platform to preserve our local street food.

Having taken street food for granted, it’s time to preserve what we love. With all the empty talks, it is time to show some appreciation for our favourite hawkers by simply saying a ‘Thank You’. Singaporeans can play their part and get involved in the street food movement by simply taking a photo of their favourite street food experiences – be it a local dish or of the lovely hawkers behind it, with ‘thank you’ messages and share them on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #uncagestreetfood.

Besides the series of videos, Tiger Beer has also collaborated with local business Camel, introducing the Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts. Consumers will receive a packet of the limited edition Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts with purchase of two 500ml cans of Tiger Beer (2 x 500ml) at select convenience stores, while stocks last. The Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts will also be available with purchase of three pints of draught beer or a bucket of Tiger Beer at select bars and pubs, while stocks last.

For aspiring entrepreneurs out there, Tiger is following through its commitment to help hawkers in the first phase of the movement, launching its inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund, accepting applications from now till 15 December on Tiger Beer's website. The Tiger Street Food Support Fund will allow all new hawkers to apply for and receive up to S$10,000 in funding from Tiger Beer, which will be given to successful applicants via reimbursement. This is only open to hawkers who have set up a cooked food stall in a hawker centre or coffeeshop within the last three months, or are looking into entering the trade for the first time. Up to 30 applicants with complete entries will be selected, and the announcement of successful applicants will be made in January 2017.

With the opening of two new hawker centres in Q1 next year – Jurong West and Pasir Ris Town, the inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund will definitely help to keep our hawker culture alive!

For more information of Tiger Beer’s street food movement, please log on to Tiger Beer Singapore’s website at http://www.tigerbeer.com.sg/uncage/streetfood and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TigerBeerSG


Note: This post was brought to you by Tiger Beer

Antoinette @ Penhas Road - 23 Chocolate Creations To Satisfy Your Chocolate Fetish

Following the successful launch of the Fetish Matcha, Chef Pang introduces his second instalment - Chocolat Fetish. The latest instalment will be available from 01 September to 31 October 2016. A total of 23 creations, crafted from premium white and dark Valrhona chocolate. It is a chocolate heaven for the latest collection with both savoury and sweet items. While there are a total of 23 chocolate creations, only 4 of these are savoury items and they are not available Mandarin Gallery.

Roasted Carrot with Balsamic Dark Chocolate Dressing 4/5

From the savoury menu, we started with the Roasted Carrot with Balsamic Dark Chocolate Dressing ($18). Considering the richness of chocolate, this is actually a light starter with the dark chocolate balsamic sauce on the side to complement the oven roasted carrot and serrano ham.

Chocolate Ravioli 4/5

The Chocolate Ravioli ($22) is filled with wild mushroom ragout and cooked in a light sausage cream sauce. The texture of the chocolate pasta skin and the mushroom ragout works for me. It is a excellent dish on its own, minus the fact that it really need a trained tongue to detect the trace of chocolate.

Sous Vide Salmon with White Chocolate Hollandaise 4.8/5

The savoury dish that got everyone's acknowlegement is the Sous Vide Salmon with White Chocolate Hollandaise ($28). Besides the beautifully cooked salmon, it also comes with potato puree and caramelized fennel, onion and apple salad. The star has to be the white chocolate sauce that is made from a concoction of cream, vinegar white and sherry, milk, white chocolate and lemon juice. It complemented the moist salmon perfectly and it did not lose its chocolate characteristic.

Braised Wagyu Brisket 3.5/5

The very instant the Braised Wagyu Brisket ($30) was served, I thought I detected vegemite It was actually the mustard and dark chocolate that there the brisket was cooked in. However I thought the buttered parpadelle stole the limelight from the dark chocolate.

Tarte Chocolat 4/5

Moving on to the cakes and macarons section, we started with the Tarte Chocolat ($10). The chocolate almond tart is filled with caramel fleur de sel with roasted nuts, dark chocolate ganache, chocolate Chantilly chocolate. A chocolately and nutty combination that will be well received by many.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake 4.5/5

Amount the numerous cakes on the shelf, my favourite is the strawberry shortcake because of its lightness. The chocolate interpretation of my favourite cake won not only my heart but my palate too. The Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake ($10) consists of chocolate genoise with chocolate Chantilly and fresh strawberry. I thought it would be too rich for my liking but it turned out otherwise. It was moist, light and well balanced.

Orangier 4/5

For those that adores the richness of chocolate, then the Orangier ($10) would be the one for you. The sexy slice of cake consists of creamy matcha ganache layered with a m4 layered chocolate cake with a light chocolate ganache, hazelnut feullitine and orange marmaladeilk chocolate yuzu ganache enrobed in milk chocolate.

Macaron Burger 3.5/5

What a stunning presentation in the Macaron Burger ($12). The details are so well thought of. There are many components making up the burger such as the chocolate macaron, chocolate ganache patty, apricot cheese, raspberry ketchup, salted caramel cream mustard and white chocolate lettuce. Give me a beer for my burger. Oh I mean give me a cup of tea.

Trufflette 4.2/5

On did I find a black truffle at Antoinette? I was disappointed when I cut into the truffle. I thought I have strike gold but its actually a cake. The Trufflette ($15) is made up of dark chocolate mousse, black truffle cremeux, chocolate genoise and hazelnut feullitine. The addition of the black truffle cremeux has accentuated the flavour to a new level that is new to me which I enjoyed.

Invader Inside 4.5/5

Comes in a can, there is some fun element in it. The Invader Inside ($15) has 10 different chocolate textures in it. I will keep in a mystery what you can find inside. It is for our to open that treasure can and discover the chocolate yourself.

Chocolate Pancake 4/5

Chef Pang has up the gear with the Chocolate Pancake ($18). The stack of chocolate flavoured pancakes is drenched in a warm chocolate sauce and topped with banana nut crunch and flambed caramelized banana. A sinful but delicious dessert on a plate.

Chocolate French Toast 4.8/5

The Chocolate French Toast ($18) which is made using the soft brioche. The soft bread is not only infused with chocolate but housed a luscious chocolate lava inside. The banana nut crunch cereal provided the extra contrast to the texture. This is the ultimate chocolate heaven for me. A not to be missed dish on the menu if you are a chocolate fan.

Flaming Chocolate Ice Cream 3.5/5

Encased in a chocolate sphere is the Flaming Chocolate Ice Cream ($22). Upon pouring the flaming Grand Marnier over the sphere, it revealed a creamy white matcha ganache with almond nougatine and matcha cake enrobed with milk dark chocolate ice cream, exotic fruit compote and almond crumble inside. I am not a fan of alcohol with chocolate so in my personal preference, this kind of throw the balance off, not allowing me to appreciate the sweetness and richness of the chocolate.

For sweet treats, you will be delighted by the selection that is available for the fetish chocolate creation. On the platter, we were given samples of the Chocolate Rice Crispies, Chocolate with Tea (lapsang souchong, earl grey, assam, jasmine), Crispy Bacon, Almond Butter Rusk, White Chocolate Matcha, Chocoron and Salted Egg Truffle. My favourite among all is the salted egg truffle. I like it so much that I got a box home.

Hot Chocolate Yuzu with Marshmallow Cloud 3/5

There are even 2 new chocolate beverage creation for the fetish chocolate campaign. There is the Hot Chocolate Yuzu ($29) which comes with a marshmallow cloud. It is another instagrammable creation that will probably draw the crowd to the restaurant. I did not like addition of yuzu in the beverage, it somehow distort the balance for me. I just want my hot chocolate with marshmallow.

Hot Chocolate Earl Grey with Croissant Croutons 4.5/5

Of the two beverage creations, I definitely prefer the Hot Chocolate Earl Grey with Croissant Croutons ($9) more. The earl grey has hard noticeable. All I got was just the rich creamy chocolate, the way I like it. What's more we have the croissant croutons to soak up that chocolatey sweetness.

Besides the array of chocolate creations that is a chocolate heaven for chocolate lovers. The fetish chocolate campaign also dispel the notion that chocolate has only a certain way of enjoying it. This is is an exploration as well as educational of all the senses, taking chocolate to a whole new level.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Antoinette 
30 Penhas Road
Singapore 208188
Tel: +65 62933121
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Website
Nearest MRT: Lavender (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thur: 11am - 10pm
Fri & Eve PH: 11am - 11pm
Sat: 10am - 11pm
Sun & PH: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Lavender MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to V Hotel Lavender. Walk down Horne Road and turn right onto Penhas Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]