Singapore Restaurant Month – 50 Restaurants, 50 Dishes, Support Local Produce!
June 26, 2015
Everyone knows homegrown tastes better. I am always a supporter of local produce. Even though we are a small city state and imports more than 90% of your food, do you know that we actually have about 200 food farms in Singapore, of which 3 are hen layer farms, about 50 are leafy vegetable farms and about 130 are fish farms.
Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) is launching the Singapore Restaurant Month that will take place from 1 July to 10 August 2015. With support from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Union Pay, this inaugural festival will offer the public a unique opportunity to savour local produce – namely eggs, fish and vegetables – that will be featured in 50 newly-created dishes from 50 restaurant brands.
Among these 50 restaurant brands will be 12 heritage restaurants that have graced the local culinary scene for decades. They have endeared themselves to the palates of Singapore diners for many years, standing strong amid transient food trends. Notable names in this honour roll include Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant, Red Star Restaurant, Islamic Restaurant and Fatty Weng Restaurant. Staying true to their rich culinary history and techniques, these pioneers are an indelible part of Singapore’s food landscape.
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Cafe Iguana
Address: 30 Merchant Road, #01-03 Riverside Point, Singapore 058282
Tel: 6236 1275
Website: www.cafeiguana.com
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At Cafe Iguana, they are a colourful Pibil Pescado in Red Chile sauce ($30++, inclusive of an SG50 margarita or Iguana lager). At first look, it looks like sambal stingray that we usually eat in zichar stall. However, this is actually seabass grown locally. An aromatic sea bass dish that will everyone licking their lips in anticipation.
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Portico
Address: 991B Alexandra Road, #01-10, Singapore 119970
Tel: 6276 7337
Website: http://portico.sg
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The Portico menu has been imagineered to provide hearty food using fresh seasonal ingredients – where possible these ingredients are sourced locally or are taken from their own edible garden. They work very closely with Tiberias Harvest, which offers fish delivered within hours from its sea farm, located off the north-eastern coast of Pulau Ubin. Portico’s 3 Grain Laksa Risotto with homemade Pulau Ubin Seabass Fish Cake ($50, part of a five-course SG50 menu) was my favourite for that night. Using three different grains namely barley, quinoa and orzo pasta, the grains absorbed the laksa flavours well. It’s soft and paired with fresh prawns and a unique fish cake made of seabass. Even though the fish cake was a little too salty for many, I like the strong and bold flavours.
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Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant
Address: 201 Keppel Road, Singapore 099419
Tel: 6272 8822
Website: http://pfs.com.sg/restaurants/prima_tower/
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Established in 1977, Prima Tower revolving restaurant let diners enjoy the panoramic view of the sea. You would hardly expect to find a restaurant nestled on top of a grain silo, yet the Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant is one such outlet that has become an endearing Singapore landmark. One of the unique Beijing dishes that will be served during Singapore Restaurant Month is the Sauteed Bird’s Nest with Egg White ($70). Inspired from the traditional Sai Pang Xie, the name of this dish means ‘better than crabs’ as it tastes like crab yet it does not contain any crab meat. Hong Kong Master Chef Chan has replaced scallop and fish with BIRD’S NEST. It has an intense egg smell with contrasting texture from the bird’s nest, vinegar was not included in this case so as not to overpower the bird’s nest .
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Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant
Address: 1 Fullerton Road, #01-09 One Fullerton, Singapore 049213
Tel: 6336 8118
Website: http://www.palmbeachseafood.com/
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Located at one Fullerton, home to our Merlion, Palm Beach Seafood has always been creating unique Singapore dining experience. We ended off with a last dish from Palm Beach – Fried Baby Barramundi ($18/500g). Yes, it is very cheap and Palm Beach will only be the one selling this baby barramundi during Singapore Restaurant Month. It’s good enough for 2 pax and paired with cuttlefish tossed with honey & kaffir sauce. So what are you waiting for?
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Other heritage restaurant includes Zi Yean Restaurant, Islamic Restaurant, Red Star Restaurant, Fatty Weng Restaurant, Chin Lee Restaurant, Spring Court Restaurant and many more. Other restaurant brands spans traditional, modern, Asian and western concepts around the country; giving diners exciting options of original creations that best highlight the selected produce.
Local production plays a supporting role in ensuring food supply resilience, plus it is fresher, safer and tastier when you buy local produce. Support homegrown produce, support our heritage restaurants. Singapore Restaurant Month will take place from 1 July to 10 August 2015. For more information, please visit http://singaporerestaurantmonth.com
