In the Land of Plenty

In the Land of Plenty

Singapore is a melting pot of various cultures, which can be seen in its cityscape, its lifestyle and above all in its cuisine. The variety of restaurants is as unique as their quality.

Danny Lee wears rubber boots and a faded red apron. He looks like a gardener, but the impression is deceiving. Danny Lee is one of Singapore's elite chefs; every taxi driver knows his stall in Geylang, a city district with a Malaysian character, small buildings and food stalls with neon lights. His stall contains a dozen Formica tables with plastic stools; from its appearance, the "Sin Huat Eating House" looks much like all the other food stalls in the area.

However, his fish cuisine is in a class of its own. Whole red snapper smells wonderfully of garlic, small scallops are scattered between fermented black beans, and the prawns sautéed in a wok are served in a flood of black pepper. A best seller is "Crab Bee Hoon", a giant crab with plenty of meat, which crowns a bed of rice noodles with spring onions, ginger and chilli. It's a battle to eat it.
Whoever survives, leaves happily as the victor and leaves behind a table that looks like a battlefield. A meal of crab costs between 30 and 50 euros for two, a lot of money for a meal at a street stall. However, Danny's "Crab" is the best in this city crazy for crabs, and epicureans queue up in front of his restaurant.

Singapore is considered a Land of Plenty, regardless of whether you eat outside at the side of the street or reserve a table in a gourmet restaurant. The latter have grown considerably in number.
In the two new casino resorts "Marina Bay Sands" and "Resort World Sentosa" alone, a total of almost 90 food outlets have been opened, including many to which internationally renowned chefs such as Joël Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Santi Santamaria, Wolfgang Puck and Justin Quek have given their names.

Theoretically, you could spend a few days in one of the spectacular five-star hotels, try out the various culinary delights and play a round of baccarat in the meantime. However, that would be a shame, because the city offers a unique choice of exotic experiences.

Anyone going to the Tekka Market in Little India will experience the complete culinary range of the subcontinent. There are fresh mangos, Indian spices and crabs from Sri Lanka as well as stands where spicy curries with freshly baked roti are served on a banana leaf.
The market hall was renovated a few years ago and is air-conditioned. Hygiene levels were already top-rate beforehand, as is the case everywhere in Singapore. You can go shopping not far from there even at two o' clock in the morning. The multistorey Mustafa Centre is open around the clock and sells cameras, cooking pots and suitcases in addition to a huge selection of Asian foodstuffs.

Chinese, Indians and Malays live in Singapore, who each brought their own specialities, but ambitious young chefs also combine traditional dishes with modern techniques and cooking methods. Benjamin Seck is one of the stars of the new generation. He cooks in a beautiful, historical shophouse and freshens up the finely spiced Peranakan recipes of his mother and grandmother.
The Peranakans are Singapore's community with the richest tradition. They came almost 200 years ago from Malaysia, where they already originated from the intermarriage of Chinese migrant workers and native women in the 15th century. In "True Blue", deep-fried aubergine strips with fresh chilli paste and sweet soy sauce are served, or the classic Ayam Buah Keluak, fried chicken pieces with lemon grass, galgant and turmeric in a creamy sauce made of black nuts.

Willin Low also maintains that his dishes have their roots in the Hokkien cuisine of his ancestors. Laksa pesto linguine with king prawns are on the menu of the "Wild Rocket", among other things. The dish looks like Italian pesto pasta, but the taste is completely different. It is based on the laksa leaf, which reminds you of the aromas of mint, pepper and coriander, and is used in native laksa soup. Crispy, fried tofu cubes are also a delicacy, which reign on a throne of cream made of egg yoke made from hundred-year duck eggs, and the knuckle of veal, which is prepared like an Indonesian rendang, is also very tasty.

There is a place for a nightcap in the warm evening air right next door. The cosy bar "Wild Oats" belongs to the restaurant. Tables and chairs are set between plants and artworks in a courtyard of a beautiful colonial villa. Their Singapore Sling is considered one of the best cocktails in the city.

Text: Patricia Engelhorn

Addresses

Hotels
The FullertonElegant luxury hotel in an historic post office with pool and view of Singapore River, 1 Fullerton Square, Tel. +65-67 33 83 88, www.fullerton.com
The Club HotelChic boutique hotel in a beautiful colonial building in the middle of Chinatown, 28 Ann Siang Road, Tel. +65-68 08 21 88, www.theclub.com.sg/
Wanderlust Cooles Design, witzige Zimmer, schöne Lage in Little India, 2 Dickson Road, Singapur 209494, Tel. +65-63 96 33 22, www.wanderlusthote.com

Restaurants
Sin Huat Eating House, 659/661 Geylang Rd., Lorong 35, Tel. +65-67 44 97 55
True Blue, 47/49 Armenian Street, Tel. +65-64 40 04 49, www.truebluecuisine.com/
Wild Rocket, 10 A Upper Wilkie Road, Tel. +65-63 39 94 48, www.wildrocket.com.sg/

Bar
Wild Oats, 11 Upper Wilkie Road, Tel. +65-63 36 54 13

Märkte
Tekka Market, Serangoon Road/Bukit Timah Road
Mustafa Centre, 145 Syed Alwi Road, Tel. +65-62 95 58 55, www.mustafa.com.sg/