These Chefs are taking part in Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014
November 19, 2014
Who says hawker festival is only for hawkers? Local food has no segregation. I have invited these four hawkers to take part in this year’s Ultimate Hawker Fest. I really thank each and everyone of them because when I called them to ask if they are willing to help, they agreed immediately. Thank you for trusting in me. 🙂
Eric Neo, Executive Chef at InterContinental Singapore and Vice-President of the Singapore Chefs Association, regularly appears on television as a guest chef or judge in various food programmes, such as Sizzling Woks or Feast Fight.
He has come up with his own rendition of otah – an appetising snack of fish paste mixed with an aromatic blend of spices. Chef Eric’s Sea Perch & Prawn “Otah Otah” Panggang features smooth and delicate sea perch blended with the sweetness of prawns, grilled on-site for the ultimate smoky aroma.
It was its alluring blend of fresh herbs and spices that won us over! Their rempah is sufficiently fragrant and perky, and the flavours are nicely balanced. The handmade fish paste is smooth and moist. What makes it satisfying is its immense juiciness from the succulent chunks of sweet-tasting fresh prawns. Hmmmm…
Chef Tan Yong Hua was formerly the Chinese Executive Chef for Peach Blossom at Marina Mandarin Singapore, Sze Chuan Court at Raffles the Plaza, and Pearl River Palace at Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. He was also the Executive Chef for LingZhi Vegetarian Restaurant by the Tung Lok Group. Currently, he owns a Chinese restaurant HOME at Railway Mall. Recently, he took the honour of being the first Singaporean chef to trump the Iron Chef Thailand.
On Ultimate Hawker Fest, Chef Tan is serving his signature Lychee Wood Roasted Duck Rice with Achar. He has specially designed a customized wood-fired oven in his own restaurant HOME with superior heat retention, so that his Peking ducks emerge with skin that is crispy and glossy, not chewy. He also used imported lychee wood, for the more delicate aroma and flavours it imparts. The roast duck looks temptingly golden brown and the fragrance is irresistible. A taste of his Roast Duck, I found that Chef Tan’s version has less fat under the skin than traditional Peking Duck, but boosts equally good flavours. You will never go wrong with Celebrity Chef Tan’s signature dish!
Flavours @ Ramada Singapore has added a local D.I.Y. burger station ‘Ah Hood Burger Stall’ during their ‘Afternoon With Bibik’ weekend high-tea buffet. You get the steaming hot kong ba bun but pairing it with a wide selection of local fillings.
For the Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014, Chef Melvin will be creating 2 special fillings to entire your tastebud – Salted egg yolk lobster crab cake with homemade curry mayonnaise AND Grilled prime ribeye with black pepper sauce. Both fillings are very generous and we particularly love the lobster crab cake. The addition of salted egg to the crab cake builds up the flavour in the plate.
Shen Tan is not your ordinary hawker. She left her events director role, dived into the F&B scene and became a nasi lemak seller at Maxwell Hawker Centre in 2009. Better known as Madam Tan Nasi Lemak, Shen’s nasi lemak became the talk of the town. She then move on to start Wok and Barrel in Duxton, and continue to sell her nasi lemak plus other modern Singaporean dishes. Then, she joined Ujong @ Raffles Hotel and now, she is doing consultancy for many cafes and restaurants.
Shen’s nasi lemak takes alot of work – steamed the rice with fresh coconut milk. I did a newspaper feature for her back in her Wok and Barrel days, and I have experienced it myself too. But all is worthwhile because each grain of rice is distinct and fluffy but richly lemak. For The Ultimate Hawker Fest, Shen will be serving pork chop with nasi lemak and her signature chillis – sambal and belachan. Hiok Kitchen will also be working hand in hand with Shen to add a piece of their crispy fried wanton onto the nasi lemak.
Singapore submarine engineer turned chef, Benson Tong started a steep ascend from Hawker Center celebrity to award-winning modernist chef. He specializes in modern Chinese cuisine, with passion for local Singaporean & Peranakan specialties and blending in European influences.
Former radio DJ turned professional chef, Jason Vito graduated from At-Sunrice Singapore and quickly becoming an unquestionable symbol of wholesome cuisine. Jason loves to reinvent classics by adding a new twist to traditional Asian fare and specializes in modern French & Pan-Asian cuisine.
Together, these two private chefs will be presenting Foie Gras Rojak during the festival. They take an effort to make their own prawn paste and caramelize the pineapple slices which helps to balance off the sharpness. What you get? Excellent plate of foie gras rojak!
Catch these chefs in action at Ultimate Hawker Fest this Saturday! I suggest you to get your tickets online to avoid the long ticketing queue. See you at UHF!
Singapore Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014
Venue: SUNTEC Convention Hall 401-402
Date: 22 Nov 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 11am to 5pm
