SINGAPOREAN food is close to my heart. In the many trips that I’ve made to the Lion City to cover the World Gourmet Summit (which takes place every April) and the Singapore Food Festival (slated in July every year) and participate in Uniquely Flavorful food trips upon the invitation of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Philippines then headed by very hardworking and results-oriented Rocson Chang, I’ve grown to love Singaporean staples such as Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chicken Satay, Char Kway Teow, Hokkien Mee, Fried Carrot Cake, Laksa and Pohpia. Of all these, my favorite has always been Hainanese Chicken Rice, so I make it a point to try it whenever it’s available in a restaurant or hotel.
One of the my favorite places to go to for Hainanese Chicken Rice was Orchard Road on the second floor, bridgeway, of SM Megamall. It was next to automatic for me and my husband Raff to have lunch – or dinner – at Orchard Road whenever we were in SM Megamall. That’s why I felt sad when it closed a few months ago. The place was boarded up one time when we were there.
But, now, my favorite place for Hainanese Chicken Rice is open again – no longer bearing the name Orchard Road but brandishing its new name, My Singapore Food Street. The place has been downsized, but it doesn’t matter, for it still serves the same delicious Singaporean dishes that I – and a lot of other Filipino diners – love.
Raff and I had lunch at My Singapore Food Street today (February 20, 2013), upon the invitation of its owner Jean Henri Lhuillier (president and CEO of PJ Lhuillier, which owns Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop and Pera Padala, among others) and Asian TV personality/celebrity chef Vivien Tan. We shared a table with good friends and media colleagues Lai Reyes of Philippine Star and Marlon Aldenese of Cook Magazine.
Media lunch today featured – oh, yes! – Hainanese Chicken Rice. I think it’s a Solo Rice Topping serving of Hainanese Chicken with Chicken Rice and a few slices of cucumber, which I had with a little dark soy sauce, just a hint of chili sauce and a lot of ginger paste, just the way I always enjoy it.
Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is steamed chicken that has been shocked in cold water right after cooking and served in bite-sized slices with Chicken Rice (fried in chicken fat and cooked in chicken broth), is a hit among Filipinos. This is why My Singapore Food Street makes it available to diners in different serving sizes: Hainanese Chicken Meal at Php195, Solo Rice Topping at Php99, Quarter Chicken at Php230, Half Chicken at Php445 and Whole Chicken at Php850. A roast chicken version is also available, called Roast Style Chicken Meal (chicken marinated in special spices, red and white vinegar, and fried in vegetable oil; served with Hainanese rice, sweet chili sauce and chicken soup) at Php195.
Also served during media lunch today were Croquettes (fried mashed potatoes, spinach leaves and spices, rolled in egg, flour and breadcrumbs) and Shanghai Rolls (ground pork and shrimps, garlic, onion, carrots and spring onion, wrapped in lumpia wrapper and fried until golden brown) for appetizers; and Laksa (noodles in coconut cream soup, topped with fish cake, togue, baby prawns and boiled egg).
The menu of My Singapore Food Street is actually very extensive, carrying Snacks and Starters like Prata (toasted flat bread made of flour, egg, milk and butter, served plain with sweetened milk dip or curry sauce dip; or as Prata Banana with sweetened milk dip); Kaya Toast (a typical Singaporean breakfast of toasted white bread slices with butter and kaya jam, paired with coffee or milk tea and, in Singapore, with soft-boiled egg, too); and Pohpia (the Singaporean version of lumpia, with steamed carrots, turnips, cabbage, green beans, garlic and dried shrimps, wrapped in lumpia wrapper, and garnished with dark sweet soy sauce and toasted peanuts).
For the Noodle Soups, aside from Laksa and the usual Beef Noodles and Wanton Noodles, there’s the very Singaporean Prawn Mee Noodles (fresh yellow noodles in a tasty and rich prawn broth, served with fish cake, togue and baby prawns), which I also love. The Stir-Fry Dishes are mainly dry noodles and rice concoctions, such as Char Kway Teow (stir-fried flat and yellow mee noodles, togue, garlic, red onion, egg, Chinese sausage, fish cake, shrimps with dark soy sauce and Thai patis); Hokkien Mee (stir-fried yellow mee and luglug noodles, garlic, carrots, red onion, egg, shrimps, squid, fish cake with white pepper and Thai patis); Mee Goreng (stir-fried yellow mee noodles, garlic, carrots, red onion, egg, shrimps, squid, fish cake with Thai patis, tomato sauce, sambal chili and dark soy sauce); and Nasi Goreng (rice with charsiew meat, Chinese sausage, cabbage, garlic, red onion, carrots, green peas, sweet corn, shrimps, sambal chili, scrambled egg and dark soy sauce).
Another must-try on the menu is the Satay. Take your pick from Satay Chicken (grilled chicken marinated in special spices, ginger, lemongrass and onion) and Satay Pork in orders of 2 pcs. at Php70, 4 pcs. at Php135 or 8 pcs. at Php250.
My Singapore Food Street offers a number of Rice Meals, too, such as Malaysian Chicken Curry and Black Pepper Beef ranging from Php130 to Php195; Chinese style Dimsums at Php70 to Php110 per order of 3 pcs.; Vegetable Dishes like 5-Spice Tofu, Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce and Bokchoy in Garlic and Oyster Sauce; two types of Omelettes – Vegetable Omelette at Php85 and Shrimp Omelette at Php125; and A La Carte Meals that include Charsiew Pork and Lechon Macau at Php175 per serving.
Even its dessert and beverage menus are very Singaporean. There’s Ice Kacang, Sago Gula Melaka and Mango Tapioca for a sweet and ice cold meal ender. Cold Beverage choices include Bandung (milk rose syrup), Milo Dinosaur and Cold Barley; Ice Blended ones carry a Frozen Milo Dinosaur version; while Hot Drinks selections are Kopi or Teh Tarik (coffee or tea with sweet milk), Kopi C or Teh C (coffee or tea with milk), and Kopi or Teh Kosong (black coffee or tea).
We ended our media lunch with Choco Cookie Blast (chocolate drink with Oreo cookies).
Raff and I are sure to make more frequent trips to My Singapore Food Street at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City – sooner than you think.
