A cultural feast

Some of the best things about Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebrations are the inspired food and beverage initiatives. Suffice it to say, there is no better occasion to play up or put a spin on traditional flavours.

But it is not as easy as one may think — every Singapore diner claims to be able to critique “local flavour”, right? Still, some may have managed to pull it off. Chef Pang Kok Keong of Antoinette has re-imagined the humble kaya toast, for example, aptly crowning it The Queen’s Kaya Toast. His kaya is decidedly lighter, based on the classic creme patissiere, with coconut cream and pure pandan juice (not extract). This is served on house-made baguette (which requires 24 hours to knead, rest and bake) with one of the most indulgent butter you can have — the limited artisanal butter Echire from western France.

And curious palates may want to consider Potato Head Folk’s Chick In Rice burger — chef Adam Penney’s deconstruction of the nation’s most beloved dish. He uses tender ginger and garlic poached chicken breast and slow-roasted spiced leg, layered with a tangy ginger jam, topped with sliced cucumber, homemade chilli sauce and fresh spring onions, sandwiched between a fluffy rice bun (made with rice flour).

And why not go for a scoop of laksa-flavoured gelato from +39 Gelato Bar (available only from Aug 3 to 8)? It is a savoury gelato — you have been warned.

However, if you are looking to make more out of the festivities, then you may want to check out these SG50 menus:

WHERE: Corner House (1 Cluny Road, Nassim Gate, Singapore Botanic Gardens E J H Corner House, Tel: 6469 1000)

WHAT: This is chef Jason Tan’s poignant tribute to highlights in Singapore’s culinary history from the 1970s, presented through eight courses, with each an ode to a dish that, in Tan’s eyes, represents a particular phase in the nation’s food scene. The first course, for instance, is an ingenious interpretation of the hawker mainstay, oyster omelette. Here, he pairs oyster in a fried egg-batter with a 62-degree egg, vegetable emulsion, burnt leeks and oyster leaves and Kristal de Chine caviar. Other highlights include an ode to a popular 1980s food court staple, the beef noodles, in a serving of pasta filled with wagyu beef cheek, served with Toriyama beef slices and a little harissa in a broth made from beef brisket, oxtail, fish sauce and hua diao jiu (rice wine). Available until Aug 16; dinner only, priced at S$248 per person.

WHAT: Cookbook author and consultant Shermay Lee (of Shermay’s Singapore Fine Food and Shermay’s Cooking School) has curated a selection of dishes from three grande dames of Singaporean and Peranakan cooking: Mrs Lee Chin Koon (Shermay’s late grandmother), Mrs Leong Yee Soo and Mrs Ellice Handy. The menu of eight a la carte dishes is based on recipes from each of these women, whose well-worn cookbooks have served as handy cooking guides for many generations of Singaporeans. They include Mrs Lee’s babi chin (tender pork shoulder braised in dark soya sauce with thick wedges of bamboo shoots, S$23); Mrs Leong’s chicken almond-cashew curry (served with nasi kuning, Nyonya achar and papadum, S$23) and Mrs Handy’s fish kedgeree, a rich dish whose culinary origins can be traced back to colonial India, served here with house-made tomato chutney, cilicuka (a Singaporean tangy red chilli sauce) and Nyonya achar (S$26). Available from Aug 1 to 31 for lunch and dinner. (The Fullerton Bay Hotel will also be retailing cookbooks written by the three women.)

WHERE: Moosehead Kitchen + Bar (110 Telok Ayer Street, Tel: 6636 8055)

WHAT: Who doesn’t like a good barbecue? And that is exactly what Moosehead’s Gotong Royong 50 set menu is about — a celebration of food, heritage, family and the virtues of charcoal cooking. For one night only (Aug 3), two venerable local street-food dynasties will cook in tandem with the Moosehead team to put out a collaborative dish, prepared using charcoal: Warong Nasi Pariaman, founded in 1948, featuring its famed ayam bakar; and Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken Wings, founded in 1979. Moosehead, a father-and-son enterprise, will prepare Inka charcoal-grilled cauliflower and oven-baked flat breads to pair with the chicken, and sweet corn with sriracha-mayo to go with the wings. Dinner will begin at 6.30pm.

WHERE: Muthu’s Curry (138 Race Course Road, #01-01, Tel: 6392 1722)

WHAT: The menu celebrates the restaurant’s 46th birthday, but it ties in nicely with Singapore’s jubilee festivities. After all, this pioneer of the feted fish head curry played a key role in the nation’s culinary heritage. The featured Mannuvasanai menu (S$32 for two) not only pays tribute to Muthu’s Chettinad roots, but also offers a rare sampling of dishes not previously served at its restaurants. A must in many Chettinad households, the spicy vazhakkai varruval feautures bananas that are lightly battered and shallow-fried in a fragrant thadka base of curry leaves, cumin and fennel. The milagu varutha kozhi is chicken cooked with masala made with ginger, garlic and chilli. The set also includes homemade buttermilk, mango achar and South Indian rice pudding. Available Mondays to Friday until Oct 31.

WHERE: The Line at Shangri-la Singapore (22 Orange Grove Road, Tel: 6213 4398/4275)

WHAT: If you have to squeeze in a buffet dinner it might as well be at The Line. It celebrates Singapore’s 50th anniversary with 10 modern reinterpretations of local signature dishes (it also has an al fresco durian pop up stand). How creative did the chef get? Think Cold Noodle Laksa Salad, or Spherification of Ondeh Ondeh. The latter is a deconstructed version of the familiar treat featuring a gula Melaka mix encased in a gelled orb. The dinner buffet is priced at S$76 per adult (Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays), and S$88 (Fridays and Saturdays). Prices include coffee and tea. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the buffet is priced at S$98 per adult (includes house-pour sparkling, red and white wines, draft beer, soft drinks and chilled juices). Available from Aug 1 to 16.

WHERE: All PastaMania outlets except Far East Plaza (http://www.pastamania.com.sg/)

WHAT: This accessible chain’s celebratory menu consists of four “Singapore meets Italy” inspired pastas, three appetisers, two desserts and three drink infusions. And while it is nice to know that there is a goreng pisang gelato waiting at the end of your meal, what fans really would love is the spicy and rich chilli crab pasta topped with breaded crab claws. There is also the cleverly dubbed Mum’s Salted Egg Soft-Shell Crab with fragrant salted egg sauce tossed in with spaghetti and fried soft-shell crab. Prices start from S$6.50 for appetisers, desserts or drinks, $16.90 for all 4 pastas (a la carte); S$29.90 for a four-course set. Available until Aug 31.

WHERE: All Joe & Dough outlets (http://www.joeanddough.com/)

WHAT: The SG50 Menu here was a good opportunity to think out of the box and come up with creative recipes using local ingredients, said the founders of this Singaporean brand. So look forward to savouries such as the Soy Sauce Chicken with Achar Sandwich (S$8.80), which pairs white panini bread and Cantonese-style soya-sauce chicken in sesame dressing with nyonya achar, fresh coriander and tomato slices. There is also a flourless chocolate coconut cake (S$5.50), inspired by the familiar treat, kuih kosui; and durian profiteroles. Available until Aug 31.