September 27, 2024 • 9 mins
"Singapore is so much more than just a steamy stopover between flights. It’s a sparkling melting pot of Southeast Asian culture, brimming with an ever-expanding arsenal of headline experiences. But alongside ticking off the likes of Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, the Lion City’s biggest roar is reserved for the sizzling street food scene spilling forth in the hawker centre. Singapore’s harmonious multiculturalism and all its culinary influences positively sing on the plate. Come nightfall, Lau Pa Sat in downtown Singapore transforms into Satay Street, where a riot of meat on skewers and peanut sauce hold court."
Read Mike's full article here.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks. That'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mike Yardley, travel correspondent is here with us now killed.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Her killed he Jack? Now? Because my blad is low
school prediction. Last week, I knew.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You were going to bring this up. I just knew it.
Do you know? When I was watching the game, you
get me in the first fifteen minutes, I was like, man,
you know, once again, I've just absolutely blown mister Yardley's
prediction out of the water. Here, We're going to put
sixty points on these guys, and then of course they
just cloughter it back. And by the end of the game,
I was like, oh, raw proved to be close.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Indeed, Yeah, yeah, I think I seen five so I
wanted to exactly bull's eye. So yeah, but still close enough.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I mean, I think, yeah, it's certainly a lot closer
than I was predicting last week. So well, so what
does that mean for tonight? Does that mean you're you're
gonna don't tell me, You're going to rest on your
laurels and just let.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
That be that.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, despite the curse of the cake Tin, I reckon
we will win by twenty five points. Tonight. Yeah, I
think finally we'll put it together.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, I feel confident you could be right on that one.
I reckon okay, twenty five points tonight. Anyway, we're focusing
on Singapore this morning, and you are just back from Singapore.
Tell me did you catch the F one?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
You could not miss it. I didn't go there for
the F one, but man Lyon said he was roaring
last weekend. Apparently, Jack, there were two hundred and fifty
thousand internationals in Singapore for the Grand Prix. Isn't it amazing?
That's like what for Taylor Swift concerts two and twenty thousand,
So massive economic shot in the arm for Singapore. Heaps
(01:50):
of Kiwi's. I just heard Kiwi xcents wherever I went right,
and I caught some of the F one just from
the higher floors of the hotel. Such a head blasting spectacle.
I love the fact that it's at night. That's so
cool for Singapore. That's beyond I went to Singapore to eat.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh well, look, there's nothing wrong with that. I think
that's as good a reason as any that anyone might
make their way to Singapore and their food scene is incredible.
It's all about the hawker centers, right, So how did
they come about?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Well, it's really interesting. It was all about food hygiene.
So if you went back to say to the seventies
and you went to Singapore, all of those food stores
were on the street and then they were kicked off
the curb side through the seventies and early eighties directed indoors,
which gave birth to this legendary hawker store culture. The
one exception, Jack would be a place called L'ao Pa
(02:43):
set in downtown Singapore. So come night fall that street
does still transform into Starte Street, you know, all your
meat skeewers and peanut sauce. But across Singapore there are
one hundred and ten hawker centers. There are the famous
ones like Newton and Maxwell from crazy rich Asians, and
(03:05):
they all maintained rigorous cleaning culture, something I hadn't previously
been aware of. Every three months, each center closes down
and they're all on a different schedule, but they all
have to close down for a forty eight hour deep clean.
So yeah, hygienus key in Singapore.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, Well that's a good thing. It's a really good
thing that the hawker stores have kind of I mean
They've entered into legend, haven't they in terms of the
quality of the food they've won the affections of the
Michelin Guide fascinating.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yes, So Michelin Stars generally are not awarded to food
stores because they seem to think it's unfair on the
price the a restaurant seen if they start handing out
stars to street stores. So what the Michillin inspectors do
is because they regard the hawker cuisine as being so good,
(03:53):
they award standout vendors a Michelin Guide Recommendation or a
Michelin Beibe Gourmon Award, which is a special category to
recognize high quality, life priced food. So as you make
your way in grays from the hawker centers around Singapore,
there are stacks of Michelin decorated food stalls to check out,
(04:17):
you know, five dollars Michelin recognized meals.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, oh they're so good. That's a good way to
kind of deal with that little quandary. Can you can
imagine that the thousand dollars a head restaurants and getting
a little bit, yeah, a little bit annoyed. I Singaporean
skewer Stanza getting in the same dounder deble of affection.
What signature dishes would you say were your runaway favorites.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh, it's kind of like trying to pick your favorite child.
But you can never go wrong in Singapore with their
chili crab or the Laxa. I have a huge soft
spot for Singapore's unofficial national dish, which is hone and
knees chicken rice. So it's sliced tender chicken served with
fragrant rice, ginger paste and a spicy chili sauce. And
(05:00):
if you go to Maxwell Food Center, that gen Tian
hawker sau or there has one over michell for the
knees chicken, right, so they probably displayed the big michelin
poaster and they serve it with a side of vegetables
and the oyster sauce. It is so good. The other
rock star jack I have to mention is Charkway towel.
(05:20):
Now this is a flat rice noodle dish. I love it. Yeah,
Oh my god, it's so good. Isn't it going to
keep going?
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Sorry?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
It's full of good ease. You've got shrimps in your
eggs and sausage and pork laid and bean sprouts and
tibes and it's all fried and dipped and soy sauce.
I reckon, it's the lard which makes it's so delicious.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
It's probably not the first time that that sentence has
been spoken. Yeah, it is. It is just amazing. Yeah, absolutely,
anytime I said it on the menu, I'm like, oh yeah, yeah.
Did you find any new fines on on your most
recent trip.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well, I have now tried stingray for the first time
in my life thoughts. So I thought it might have
been a controversial pod choice, but apparently it's sustainably sourced
in Singapore and they have this street food dish called
sam Bell Stingray. So the sam Bell is a sauce
made from chili peppers, shrimp, fish sauce, vinegar, and ginger. Yeah,
(06:22):
so they just flather that on top of the very soft, delicate,
delicate sting ray meat. It is such an exquisite dish
and it's best served in banana leaves after it's all
been barbecued really good.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah, okay, yeah, that's I mean, sambals are amazing a Yeah,
since I can honestly say I haven't tried stingray in
my life, what about street snacks like curry puffs in
that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Oh my goodness, Christy curry puffs. They are fantastic. Another
great snack Fujo oyster cakes shaped like a ufo. It's
a rice based batter and it in cases moist minced meat,
chopped oysters, crungy peanuts, coriander, and they fry them in
(07:08):
small batches so that they are super fresh. Can you
get both that chewy and crispy texture? Is your monk
on them? That's so good. I also have just become
acquainted jack with roaty tissue, So this is like your
roty flat bread and then they stretch it to this
paper thin thickner. They place it on a pan and
(07:30):
fry it with condensed milk. So if you head to
any coffee shop in Little India in Singapore, whistle up
a sweet roaty tissue and they serve them on a
plate like a giant conical hat. They are a statement snack.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Ah, that sounds so good. Any other tips for us.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Mine, you'll be surprised. I'm going to mention McDonald's.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
That's saying.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
But if you are familiar with Hawaii's doll whip, pineapple
lovers rejoice. I've got to give a shout out to
McDonald Singapore who pump out pineapple soft serve.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
It's nearly as good as dole with and it's a
trusty rejuvenator when that sultry Singapore heat starts to get
the better of you.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, oh great option. Okay, that's so good. It's so fun.
I do you know, I have not been to Singapore
in thirty years. I haven't set foot outside changing import
in thirty years, but but I went here when I
was six years old on my grandparents were living there
at the time, and I can still like it was
that it was a really like formational experience in terms
(08:39):
of or foundational experience in terms of in terms of food,
because I can still remember the color of the luxes
that my mum was having every day. I can still
with the star fruit, and you know that, the the sugar,
the freshly crushed sugar cane drinks and those kinds of things.
You know, it's it's just one of those ultimate foody
(09:01):
kind of destinations. I think we have this combination of
cultures and flavors that just is remarkable.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah, yeah, that's it. I think it's the Malay the Indian,
the Chinese influence, or just colliding. And I just love
the fact that Singapore without sending to cliche here, it
is such a fantastic cosmopolitan experience, like they truly get
along with each other. And I love that.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, yeah, it's a wonderful place. Hey, thank you so much, Mike.
We'll make sure that all of Mike's tips for feasting
your way through Singapore are up and available on the
News Talks.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
He'd be website for more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame.
Listen live to News Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks. That'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mike Yardley, travel correspondent is here with us now killed.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Her killed he Jack? Now? Because my blad is low
school prediction. Last week, I knew.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You were going to bring this up. I just knew it.
Do you know? When I was watching the game, you
get me in the first fifteen minutes, I was like, man,
you know, once again, I've just absolutely blown mister Yardley's
prediction out of the water. Here, We're going to put
sixty points on these guys, and then of course they
just cloughter it back. And by the end of the game,
I was like, oh, raw proved to be close.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Indeed, Yeah, yeah, I think I seen five so I
wanted to exactly bull's eye. So yeah, but still close enough.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I mean, I think, yeah, it's certainly a lot closer
than I was predicting last week. So well, so what
does that mean for tonight? Does that mean you're you're
gonna don't tell me, You're going to rest on your
laurels and just let.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
That be that.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, despite the curse of the cake Tin, I reckon
we will win by twenty five points. Tonight. Yeah, I
think finally we'll put it together.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, I feel confident you could be right on that one.
I reckon okay, twenty five points tonight. Anyway, we're focusing
on Singapore this morning, and you are just back from Singapore.
Tell me did you catch the F one?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
You could not miss it. I didn't go there for
the F one, but man Lyon said he was roaring
last weekend. Apparently, Jack, there were two hundred and fifty
thousand internationals in Singapore for the Grand Prix. Isn't it amazing?
That's like what for Taylor Swift concerts two and twenty thousand,
So massive economic shot in the arm for Singapore. Heaps
(01:50):
of Kiwi's. I just heard Kiwi xcents wherever I went right,
and I caught some of the F one just from
the higher floors of the hotel. Such a head blasting spectacle.
I love the fact that it's at night. That's so
cool for Singapore. That's beyond I went to Singapore to eat.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh well, look, there's nothing wrong with that. I think
that's as good a reason as any that anyone might
make their way to Singapore and their food scene is incredible.
It's all about the hawker centers, right, So how did
they come about?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Well, it's really interesting. It was all about food hygiene.
So if you went back to say to the seventies
and you went to Singapore, all of those food stores
were on the street and then they were kicked off
the curb side through the seventies and early eighties directed indoors,
which gave birth to this legendary hawker store culture. The
one exception, Jack would be a place called L'ao Pa
(02:43):
set in downtown Singapore. So come night fall that street
does still transform into Starte Street, you know, all your
meat skeewers and peanut sauce. But across Singapore there are
one hundred and ten hawker centers. There are the famous
ones like Newton and Maxwell from crazy rich Asians, and
(03:05):
they all maintained rigorous cleaning culture, something I hadn't previously
been aware of. Every three months, each center closes down
and they're all on a different schedule, but they all
have to close down for a forty eight hour deep clean.
So yeah, hygienus key in Singapore.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, Well that's a good thing. It's a really good
thing that the hawker stores have kind of I mean
They've entered into legend, haven't they in terms of the
quality of the food they've won the affections of the
Michelin Guide fascinating.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yes, So Michelin Stars generally are not awarded to food
stores because they seem to think it's unfair on the
price the a restaurant seen if they start handing out
stars to street stores. So what the Michillin inspectors do
is because they regard the hawker cuisine as being so good,
(03:53):
they award standout vendors a Michelin Guide Recommendation or a
Michelin Beibe Gourmon Award, which is a special category to
recognize high quality, life priced food. So as you make
your way in grays from the hawker centers around Singapore,
there are stacks of Michelin decorated food stalls to check out,
(04:17):
you know, five dollars Michelin recognized meals.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, oh they're so good. That's a good way to
kind of deal with that little quandary. Can you can
imagine that the thousand dollars a head restaurants and getting
a little bit, yeah, a little bit annoyed. I Singaporean
skewer Stanza getting in the same dounder deble of affection.
What signature dishes would you say were your runaway favorites.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh, it's kind of like trying to pick your favorite child.
But you can never go wrong in Singapore with their
chili crab or the Laxa. I have a huge soft
spot for Singapore's unofficial national dish, which is hone and
knees chicken rice. So it's sliced tender chicken served with
fragrant rice, ginger paste and a spicy chili sauce. And
(05:00):
if you go to Maxwell Food Center, that gen Tian
hawker sau or there has one over michell for the
knees chicken, right, so they probably displayed the big michelin
poaster and they serve it with a side of vegetables
and the oyster sauce. It is so good. The other
rock star jack I have to mention is Charkway towel.
(05:20):
Now this is a flat rice noodle dish. I love it. Yeah,
Oh my god, it's so good. Isn't it going to
keep going?
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Sorry?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
It's full of good ease. You've got shrimps in your
eggs and sausage and pork laid and bean sprouts and
tibes and it's all fried and dipped and soy sauce.
I reckon, it's the lard which makes it's so delicious.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
It's probably not the first time that that sentence has
been spoken. Yeah, it is. It is just amazing. Yeah, absolutely,
anytime I said it on the menu, I'm like, oh yeah, yeah.
Did you find any new fines on on your most
recent trip.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well, I have now tried stingray for the first time
in my life thoughts. So I thought it might have
been a controversial pod choice, but apparently it's sustainably sourced
in Singapore and they have this street food dish called
sam Bell Stingray. So the sam Bell is a sauce
made from chili peppers, shrimp, fish sauce, vinegar, and ginger. Yeah,
(06:22):
so they just flather that on top of the very soft, delicate,
delicate sting ray meat. It is such an exquisite dish
and it's best served in banana leaves after it's all
been barbecued really good.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah, okay, yeah, that's I mean, sambals are amazing a Yeah,
since I can honestly say I haven't tried stingray in
my life, what about street snacks like curry puffs in
that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Oh my goodness, Christy curry puffs. They are fantastic. Another
great snack Fujo oyster cakes shaped like a ufo. It's
a rice based batter and it in cases moist minced meat,
chopped oysters, crungy peanuts, coriander, and they fry them in
(07:08):
small batches so that they are super fresh. Can you
get both that chewy and crispy texture? Is your monk
on them? That's so good. I also have just become
acquainted jack with roaty tissue, So this is like your
roty flat bread and then they stretch it to this
paper thin thickner. They place it on a pan and
(07:30):
fry it with condensed milk. So if you head to
any coffee shop in Little India in Singapore, whistle up
a sweet roaty tissue and they serve them on a
plate like a giant conical hat. They are a statement snack.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Ah, that sounds so good. Any other tips for us.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Mine, you'll be surprised. I'm going to mention McDonald's.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
That's saying.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
But if you are familiar with Hawaii's doll whip, pineapple
lovers rejoice. I've got to give a shout out to
McDonald Singapore who pump out pineapple soft serve.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
It's nearly as good as dole with and it's a
trusty rejuvenator when that sultry Singapore heat starts to get
the better of you.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, oh great option. Okay, that's so good. It's so fun.
I do you know, I have not been to Singapore
in thirty years. I haven't set foot outside changing import
in thirty years, but but I went here when I
was six years old on my grandparents were living there
at the time, and I can still like it was
that it was a really like formational experience in terms
(08:39):
of or foundational experience in terms of in terms of food,
because I can still remember the color of the luxes
that my mum was having every day. I can still
with the star fruit, and you know that, the the sugar,
the freshly crushed sugar cane drinks and those kinds of things.
You know, it's it's just one of those ultimate foody
(09:01):
kind of destinations. I think we have this combination of
cultures and flavors that just is remarkable.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah, yeah, that's it. I think it's the Malay the Indian,
the Chinese influence, or just colliding. And I just love
the fact that Singapore without sending to cliche here, it
is such a fantastic cosmopolitan experience, like they truly get
along with each other. And I love that.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, yeah, it's a wonderful place. Hey, thank you so much, Mike.
We'll make sure that all of Mike's tips for feasting
your way through Singapore are up and available on the
News Talks.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
He'd be website for more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame.
Listen live to News Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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