All posts tagged: food & drinks

Jeanette Aw lost S,000 after her patisserie’s delivery partner ran away with the money

Jeanette Aw lost S$8,000 after her patisserie’s delivery partner ran away with the money

Published by Sam Flores

However, after two years of working together, the person in charge requested over S$5,000 upfront as a package fee, claiming it was for developing an application. Due to their previously stable partnership, she and her manager did not suspect anything and paid in advance. Later, the same person borrowed another S$3,000 from her manager, claiming it was needed to cover his father’s funeral expenses. When Aw found out, she reportedly stepped in and covered the loan for her manager. However, the individual soon became unreachable, disappearing with both the company’s prepaid delivery fees and the loaned funds. It was only when a batch of completed dessert orders failed to be delivered and he could not be contacted that Jeanette reached out directly to the delivery drivers. She was then informed that the workers had not been paid and had even assumed that it was her side that had failed to make payment. “Later, other F&B operators even emailed me asking if I could reach him. That’s when I realised he had probably been using my …

52 years of kong bak bao: How Westlake’s third-gen owner is steering a heritage brand into the future

52 years of kong bak bao: How Westlake’s third-gen owner is steering a heritage brand into the future

Published by Sam Flores

Popular dishes at Westlake include an award-winning Hot and Sour Soup, Butter King Prawn and Roast Chicken. But, it was their braised pork buns that first put Westlake on the map, and the restaurant continues to be synonymous with the dish today: melt-in-the-mouth slabs of pork belly in a dark, savoury-sweet sauce, sandwiched into fluffy, steamed Chinese buns. “When people think about braised pork buns, they think of us. It’s something that has carried on over the years,” Matthew said. The recipe, developed by his grandfather and uncle, originally required chefs to get up at 4am to braise the pork so that it would be ready for lunch hour. “Customers say our braised pork is fatty without being cloying. You don’t feel the oiliness when you eat it. The texture is extremely important,” Robert said. The secret to the perfect texture is in the thickness of the cut, Matthew divulged. Meat is sourced from Germany and the Netherlands. The dish also uses a premium-grade soya sauce specially calibrated for the restaurant by their longtime local …

JB food guide: Railway-themed briyani and seafront treats in Stulang Laut

JB food guide: Railway-themed briyani and seafront treats in Stulang Laut

Published by Sam Flores

We choose to rest our bursting bellies in Jom Cha’s tranquil, cow-themed garden, looking out at the Singapore skyline. With a final thanks to Vimala for welcoming me aboard the day’s itinerary of recommendations, my mind returned to Railway Briyani Station. The theme might suggest a gimmick, but the quality of the menu delivers a substance that more than matches the style. Though it only opened 20 months ago, it has already cemented itself as a favourite in the community. “They love the environment because they feel like they are in Chennai once they enter. All of our ingredients – tea, coffee powder, spices, everything – come from Chennai,” Dineshraj said. “And I travel there regularly to visit relatives and my grandmother.” A fittingly delicious tribute to family and the importance of staying connected to one’s roots. So next time you’re in the area, choo-choo-choose Railway Briyani Station for a one-of-a-kind JB dining experience. Railway Briyani Station is located at Vantage Bay Lot 6376 & 9236, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Stulang Laut, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia. It’s open from 11am to 8pm, closed …

Tarte by Cheryl Koh to close after 11 years on Apr 26

Tarte by Cheryl Koh to close after 11 years on Apr 26

Published by Sam Flores

Sad news for tart lovers. Tarte by Cheryl Koh will be closing down after 11 years, with its final day of operations on Apr 26. The brand is helmed by Singaporean pastry chef Cheryl Koh, who is also the pastry chef of three-Michelin-starred French restaurant Les Amis, currently ranked No. 38 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list. It first opened at Shaw Centre in 2015 as a casual but chic spin-off of the Les Amis Group, focusing on artisanal French-style tarts made with premium seasonal ingredients. Source link

Whisky terroir explained – does place shape flavour?

Whisky terroir explained – does place shape flavour?

Published by Sam Flores

Terroir – the wine world’s favourite way of saying something tastes like somewhere. It’s why Pinot Noir from Burgundy’s Cote d’Or carries subtle notes of red fruit and forest floor, while the same grape in Central Otago tastes brighter, louder and almost sunlit in its intensity. Terroir is the land’s signature, quietly signed onto a crop. Whisky, though, has been slower to embrace the language, despite being born from grain, water and wood. So why the reluctance? Mark Reynier, perhaps the whisky industry’s most outspoken champion of terroir, sees the resistance as largely cultural. “Firstly, terroir is a fancy French word with no adequate English equivalent. To non-wine drinkers it has an uncomfortable air of pretense, prejudice, and yahoo pomposity,” he said. “Secondly, it is an inconvenient truth for an industry that seeks homogenised, international supply. Local produce with provenance and identity then becomes nothing more than heretical.” Reynier’s perspective comes from a long career in drink. He spent 20 years as a wine merchant before leading the revival of Islay’s Bruichladdich in 2001 – …

Singapore’s newest beef specialty restaurants to try now

Singapore’s newest beef specialty restaurants to try now

Published by Sam Flores

Steak is back. Good, old-fashioned, meaty meat — no foam, no foraging notes, no need for a glossary. After years of tweezers, tasting menus and things described as “a study of textures”, Singapore seems to have rediscovered the simple pleasure of a well-seared steak – and the restaurants are stepping up to meet the moment. Beef, of course, is only as good as its fundamentals. Sourcing is gospel: grass-fed, grain-fed, wagyu, Angus, F1, full-blood, and even hanwoo. Then comes the ageing – 30 days, 60 days, sometimes longer – coaxing out funk and tenderness. Finally, the fire, with specialty charcoal, specialty wood and custom-built grills roaring at face-reddening temperatures. Mastery over heat is non-negotiable; so is a chef who knows precisely when to flip and how long to rest. The cooking part is complex, but the eating part is refreshingly unapologetic. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe we want to dine more uncomplicatedly. Or maybe we’ve just missed the primal joy of chewing. Whatever the reason, Singapore’s dining scene is going in a carnivorous direction. Three of the city’s …

This no-frills ramen shop at Sim Lim Square is manned by a two-time Ramen Champion winner

This no-frills ramen shop at Sim Lim Square is manned by a two-time Ramen Champion winner

Published by Sam Flores

As head chef of Buta God, Kanaya went on to clinch consecutive Ultimate Ramen Champion titles in 2013 and 2014 – an achievement he is quick to downplay.  “The competition was just among ramen shops in Ramen Champion, it’s not a national competition,” he said.  When asked if he harbours ambitions of earning a more prestigious award now, like perhaps the Bib Gourmand, he simply laughs and says he hasn’t thought about it. WHY HE OPENED A SALAD BAR PREVIOUSLY After leaving Buta God in 2014, Kanaya worked across different Japanese concepts over the next few years – including Eat at Seven at Suntec City, and Tempura TenTen at Raffles City. When those businesses eventually shuttered, Kanaya decided it was time to strike out on his own. While ramen was the obvious choice, he opted instead to open a Japanese-inspired salad shop, feeling it would be easier to manage as a solo operator. Kanaya launched Oh Some Bowls at Wilkie Edge in 2018, running the business largely by himself for seven years, until the building’s …

Following the origins of Jinhua ham and Shaoxing wine

Following the origins of Jinhua ham and Shaoxing wine

Published by Sam Flores

In Jinhua, winter sunlight filtered through the windows of a curing shed as I watched workers massage salt into pork legs. In Shaoxing, I followed brewers through open-air courtyards lined with clay jars. It felt like stepping into a living archive, where weather, timing and intuition shape flavour. It soon became apparent that while demand for these products persists, the traditional ways of crafting them may not be around for much longer. The artisans who carry this knowledge are ageing, and younger generations rarely choose these demanding trades. Industrial versions of these foods do not embody the character that comes from time, climate and human touch working in harmony. My journey became not just about learning how quality products foods are made, but about witnessing traditions on the brink of disappearing — a reminder that even the most ordinary ingredients can hold extraordinary stories, if we catch them before they fade. JINHUA HAM: AN ICON OF FLAVOUR   Source link