History of the Oldest Mosques of Singapore River

Some of us may have noticed and wondered about the four old grand mosques around Singapore River, especially as there is no sizeable Muslim community living near to the mosques today.

In Search of Mee Rebus History | Recommends Afandi Hawa & Family

My current favourite mee rebus is from Afandi Hawa & Family Mee Rebus at Haig Road Hawker Centre in Singapore.

Sarawak Delicacy Laksa & Kolo Mee @ BLK 204 Bedok Singapore

Sarawak Delicacy Laksa & Kolo Mee was one of the stalls recommended by Johor Kaki friends. So, I came down to BLK 204 in Bedok to give it a try 😄 It's very easy to locate the stall at Shi Wei Tian 食为天 kopitiam, just 5 minutes walk from Bedok Interchange.

History of Singapore's River of Life & Food. From Working River to River of Leisure

Boat Quay 2020

Today, from Boat Quay to Clarke Quay, Singapore River is a river of leisure where the world come to dine and party. Italian, Spanish, American, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Sichuan and other international cuisine jostle for the tourist and lifestyle dollar.

Singapore River had humbler beginnings. 

Food Legacy & History of Singapore's Lost Years 1398 - 1819

Singapore's trajectory from its founding by Sang Nila Utama in 1299 to the metropolis that it is today was not a straight line. There were 430 lost years between 1389 and 1819 before Raffles first stepped foot on the proverbial fishing village. What happened during the 430 lost years, and since this is a food blog, did they leave any food legacy for us today?

Haig Road Sarawak Kolo Mee. If You Can't Go To Kuching, the Cat City Comes to You in Singapore

Asking my friends on Facebook where to get good Sarawak kolo mee in Singapore, several buddies pointed me to the Lin Yu Mei 林玉梅 stall in Haig Road Hawker Centre. In fact, Lin Yu Mei was the most mentioned stall, so I am starting my Sarawak kolo mee exploration in Singapore here.

LAUT Restaurant Review & Menu @ Historic Stanley Street in Singapore

Met up with buddies to chill over drinks and some grub at LAUT NOA gastrobar @ 17 Stanley Street. Not the top of my mind type of joint initially but turned out it's really cool and I enjoyed it.

Singapore River Roots of Rendang, Briyani & Bak Kut Teh in Singapore

When Raffles first stepped foot on Singapore on this spot (marked > ) in 1819, it was the proverbial fishing village.

History of Rendang, Singapore River & Minangkabau Life Philosophy

Garuda Nasi Padang, Jakarta, Indonesia

When Raffles landed at the left bank of Singapore River mouth in 1819, he was greeted by Temenggong Abdul Rahman of the Johor-Riau-Lingga sultanate.

Chulia Pioneers of Singapore River. History of Tamil Muslim Biryani in Singapore

Bollywood Biryani Singapore

Growing up in Singapore, I am accustomed to and very fond of the briyani here. While tracing the origins of Singapore hawker food, I was surprised that briyani in Singapore is connected to the Singapore River and birth of the Port of Singapore.

Top Secret Dinner @ MiMi Restaurant Review @ Historic Clarke Quay River House 涟漪轩的秘密

We had a nice dinner at MIMI *秘密 Chinese restaurant at historic Riverhouse which is the oldest restored building in Clarke Quay by the Singapore River.

*秘密 means secret in Chinese.

Hokkien Bak Kut Teh First? or Teochew First? Son of Singapore River or Son of Chu Kang?

Lau Ah Tee Bak Kut Teh

In Singapore, idle men chilling over Nanyang tea and bak kut teh, sometimes argue over whether it was Hokkien first or Teochew first, especially on slow news days.

Singapore Four Heavenly Kings of Pineapple 🍍 Tan Tye, Lim Nee Soon, Tan Kah Kee, Lee Kong Chian

Image credit: Hockkien Huay Kuan

Singapore was in the early 1900s, the world's largest cannery and exporter of canned pineapples. If you go to Clarke Quay by the Singapore River, you can still see two historic pineapple cannery buildings which are conserved 🍍

99 Years of Singapore Food History under the 5 Kings of the Lion City (1299 - 1398)

I try to sketch out the possible food of Singapore during the 99 year reign of the The Five Kings of Singapura (1299 - 1398). This is just the beginning of an exploratory culinary journey to our long past.

Warming the Cockles of Singapore Hearts 💗

Cockles, see hum 螄蚶 (in Chinese) or kerang (in Malay) have a special place in Singaporean tummies, and therefore our hearts.

History & 10 Best Hawker Stalls @ Old Airport Road Food Centre

Scroll straight down to the pink section below for recommended food stalls 👇

Old Airport Road Food Centre is one of Singapore's most popular and famous hawker centres with over 100 hawker stalls open at anytime.

Oyster is the Best Part of Chicken, Duck, Goose & Turkey?

The best part of a chicken, duck, goose or turkey is supposed to be its oyster.

Where Do Opeh Leaf Wrappings Come From? It is not a Leaf

When I was a child, hot hawker food was often sold wrapped in a light brownish wrapping known as opeh leaf or opeh hak.

Good Hotpot Lunch @ Imperial Treasures Steamboat in 111 Somerset Singapore

Today, met up with buddies at Imperial Treasures Steamboat @ 111 Somerset for lunch. This was my first dining out since Circuit Breaker* was imposed on 7 Apr 2020.

*Circuit Breaker was a set of social distancing measures the government implemented on 7 Apr 2020 to stem the spread of COVID-19 pandemic infections. CB entered phase 2 on 18 Jun 2020 with some measures eased including dining in allowed at restaurants (with necessary precautions).

History & Origins of Mooncakes & Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid Autumn festival, also called the Mooncake festival, is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. The Mid Autumn festival is the second most important Chinese festival after Chinese New Year.

Leong Yin Mooncakes

How did the Mid Autumn festival and the practice of eating mooncakes on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month come about?

Where has Pulau Saigon Gone? History of the Lost Island of Singapore River & the "Bak Kut" in Bak Kut Teh

Pulau Saigon 1905. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Can an island just disappear in Singapore? Well, one did - Pulau Saigon 浮罗西贡 (in Chinese). Have you heard of such an island in Singapore River?

History of Ellenborough Market. Lest We Forget Singapore River's Teochew Market

The site where the gleaming Central Mall @ Clarke Quay now stands over the shimmering ripples of Singapore River, once stood the heart and soul of the river. Boat Quay and Clarke Quay were where people make a living. But, here at Teochew Market or Ellenborough Market area was where most people of the river eat, sleep, and live their daily lives.

Source of Singapore River is Boh Beh Kang. No Tail Port Village 无尾港

Most people know where is the Singapore River mouth* - it is at the heart of Singapore's Central Business District and a world class entertainment hub. Fewer people know where is its riverhead, where is its source.

Curious?

Let's look for it together.

*Technically, with the damming of Singapore River with the Marina Barrage in 2008, there is no river mouth as it is now a reservoir.

History & 10 Best Hawker Stalls @ Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre

For list of 10 recommended food stalls, scroll straight down to the pink section👇

Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre is one of the most famous in Singapore with many popular food and market stalls here. It is also one of the oldest and historic of Singapore hawker centre.

History of Youtiao & Why I Only Call it You Cha Kway or Yau Cha Kwai

When I was a child in primary (elementary) school in 1960s Singapore, I remember my teacher told us about the legend behind you cha kway 油炸粿. It scared me a little when I was small.

Jackson Plan. History Walk of Singapore Food & Architectural Heritage

Image credit: Wikipedia

In 1822, Lieutenant Philip Jackson drew up a Singapore town plan according to Stamford Raffles' instructions. The resulting Plan of the Town of Singapore is also known as the Jackson Plan or Raffles Town Plan.

It is amazing that taking a walk in Singapore today (2020) we can still see the unmistakeable imprint of the Jackson Plan, drawn up just 3 years after Raffles first stepped foot on Singapore in 1819.

Worst Riot in Singapore History. Five Catties of Rice Riot, 1854

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

While researching the origins of Singapore food, I stumbled upon a little known or forgotten episode in Singapore history - the Hokkien-Teochew riots of 1854. It was the deadliest riot in Singapore history with over 500 people killed in 10 days of fighting.

What Raffles Saw on the Day he Landed at Singapore River in 1819

Image credit: The Bute Archive at Mount Stuart

This was the Singapore which Raffles saw when he landed at the mouth of Singapore River on 28 Jan 1819. We take a walk with him using the Bute Map*, the earliest map of Singapore River (published in 1820, a year after Raffles landed here).

*The Bute Map now in The Bute Archives at Mount Stuart in Scotland is attributed to Lieutenant Henry Ralfe of the Bengal Artillery, who was then the Assistant Engineer of Singapore.

8 Best Taipei Night Markets & 24 Must Try Michelin Bib Gourmand Food Stalls 😋

Shilin Night Market is the most famous of all Taipei night markets. It is a tourist destination but is also popular with locals. Shilin cannot be beaten for its sheer size and variety of food and goods for sale. There are some 3,000 stalls and shops here, both above and below ground level.

History of Singapore Hawker Culture • From Public Health Nuisance to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Award

Holland Drive Food Centre

It would be beyond the wildest dreams of the British Straits Settlements colonial officers who created the final solution to the public nuisance of street hawkers, that it would a century later be awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Inscription in 2020.

Born of the Belly of the Carp. History of Food @ Boat Quay Singapore

Image credit: Wikipedia

Boat Quay today is chock-a-bloc with fine restaurants offering cuisines from around the world. It has always been a dining hotspot in Singapore. Here's a bit about its history to add to your food, giving it another layer of flavour which might make it even more delicious for you 😄