Jack and Rai the musical duo debuted in 2002 to a grand audience of four
patrons on a Sunday night at Wala Wala in Holland Village. From that humble humbling beginning, the duo is today one of Singapore's top live performance artistes of original music.
Together with Jack's wife Angelina, the trio opened the Flying Squirrel Japanese restaurant at
Amoy Street in 2013. (Source credit.)
All went well until...... .
The Covid-19 pandemic since 2019 threw a big spanner in Jack and Rai's
music as well as restaurant business.
Looking for a breakthrough out of the doldrums, Jack convinced Rai to try
something different crazy - a new dish for The Flying
Squirrel. Not any old new dish but something unique-familiar yet totally
Singaporean.
It will have to be reinvented from basic ingredients up.
The idea met strong headwinds from the linchpin of The Flying Squirrel -
the quirky head chef who makes or breaks everything at The Flying Squirrel.
Fortunately,
an unexpected mentor showed the clueless duo who don't cook, the way forward into a brave new world.
Jack and Rai set off into the unknown to reinvent the Singapore dish. Fortunately, they found support and inspiration from owners of many famous food stalls who willingly shared their "secret" recipes.
Jack and Rai found the secret sauce-ry.
But, the only person who can
either make or break the project is dead set against it.
Is this the end of Jack and Rai's adventure?
Jack and Rai's project meets two big road blocks that threaten to derail
everything.
One is a blind alley, but the seemingly insurmountable obstacle is the kitchen deity.
Jack and Rai hammered out a sweet move that would change everything.
Back to the drawing board with the Ice Queen, what did Jack and Rai come up with?
Why can't the Mentor shine any light on Jack, Rai and the Ice Queen's creation?
How did the Rojak Ra(Men) fare in the ultimate taste test?
What is the Mentor's last word on Jack and Rai's ramen?
I had the privilege to taste Rojak Ra(Men) with Jack and Rai.
The Ra(Men) mockumentary is the brainchild of director Henry. He also created the Rojak Ra(Men) recipe with his wife who hails from Indonesia.
Jack and Rai's "rojak" ramen is so Singapore.
There's Cantonese wanton, Hokkien mee style prawn and pork soup, hae bee hiam (sambal chili), Teochew bak chor & braised mushroom, Japanese onsen egg, red miso, Indian spices, Malay and Indonesian (soto Batawi) influences from our past and present. The Japanese elements reflect the current cosmopolitan reality of Singapore.
So many diverse elements, the critical ingredient is the unwavering Singapore Spirit that holds everything, just like our country.
There is no ramen like it, like there's no nation like Singapore.
I revealed too much already ๐คญ ๐คซ Leave some for you to find out yourself by watching the movie ๐
(Please note: At the moment, The Flying Squirrel serve the Rojak Ra(Men) for special occasions only as the small restaurant does not have the resources to put it on the regular menu yet ๐ )
Written by Tony Boey on 30 Mar 2021
i want to try!
ReplyDeleteis there a reason why it's called a "ramen"?
Good question! I can only guess but the best answer can only come from Henry, Jack and Rai (so if you are reading this, please reply to Anita :-D ). Thank you!
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