"The first question always is, what problem does the solution address?" Tony Johor Kaki
..........
The food truck is perhaps, in the eyes of many, the epitome of contemporary street food.
The funk factor and romance of food trucks are seductive.
A complete kitchen on wheels represent flexibility, freedom, adventure, creativity and endless possibilities. In the USA, the food truck is in a way an extension of Americans' romance with cars and the open road.
Singaporeans love cars as much as our food on our little island.
Food trucks gotta have a place in this car crazy, sunny food paradise (?).
In the USA, food trucks play the crucial social role of providing good food for the people at affordable prices.
New York City and other American metropolises have thriving food truck cultures. Every now and then, there is another new heartwarming story about a humble food truck owner breaking into the big time, e.g. Halal Guys, Wafels & Dingles, NY Dosas, Cinnamon Snail.
Everyone love such stories, especially people who champion street food.
There have been past attempts to introduce food trucks in Singapore but the idea hasn't taken off in any big way.
The challenges are so obvious, it feels silly painful to repeat.
But, I do believe that there is a place for food trucks in Singapore.
Conditions in the USA are ideal for a food truck culture.
The USA is among, if not the world's cheapest place to own and operate a truck.
In comparison, Singapore is the most expensive place in the world to buy and operate a motor vehicle. Roughly 500+% more investment for the equivalent vehicle purchase in America - that's around SGD200,000+ sunk cost for every ten years of truck ownership. Licences, permits, parking, tolls, maintenance, fuel, etc., extra.
Fortunately, in Singapore, we have public hawker centres that fulfil the critical social role of feeding the people admirably.
Singapore is dotted with public hawker centres and nearly blanketed with neighbourhood coffee shops providing affordable meals.
Given the high capital investment and operating costs of a food truck in Singapore, it's unlikely that a Singapore food truck can deliver a meal that is price competitive with public hawker centre food. The average cost of a hawker centre meal is under SGD4.
So, costs pretty much rule out food trucks as the means to provide affordable meals for the people in Singapore.
American cities (as far as I know), do not have the equivalent of Singapore's public hawker centres.
So the critical role of providing affordable meals for the people where they are in American cities, fell on the shoulders of food trucks.
Singapore with it's public hawker centres is unlikely to be able to follow closely the New York City model of food trucks providing affordable meals where people need them.
The place of food trucks in Singapore is by necessity, special.
Niche.
Premium.
Singapore food trucks has to go where no one has gone before or where others cannot go.
Food trucks can thrive in the gaps of Singapore's culinary landscape, where public hawker centres and kopitiams (coffee shops) are the mainstays.
There may be rich pickings for those who can find these gaps.
Kf Seetoh of Makansutra mentioned mega events at the Sports Hub, for example.
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The East Side King food truck at the World Street Food Congress 2015 was a huge success. It averaged around 1000 premium priced servings a day during the 5 day event.
Jazzy food trucks can add buzz to private functions, which I have seen in Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur. Instead of the usual caterer and buffet line, why not a cook-it-yourself lok lok truck for your home party?
I saw children, even adults, squeal with delight.
There must be more such "lobangs" (opportunities) you can think of.
A study will turn up where are and how many opportunities there are in Singapore to deploy food trucks. How many food trucks can these opportunities support? I have no figures without studies done but my intuition tells me that there is sufficient space for at least a small fleet of food trucks in Singapore.
Food trucks can only enliven Singapore's culinary landscape. The mobile kitchens complement the public hawker centres, kopitiams, food courts, restaurants, cafes etc.
It's the icing on the cake of the Singapore food paradise.
Of course, there are operational issues like safety, hygiene, running water and electricity. These can be solved but the first step is clarity on the place of food trucks in Singapore. Someone just needs to get down to the bolts and nuts of a plan to get the idea rolling.
Hope we can have a fruitful discussion by sharing your views in the comments below 😄
Date: 11 Apr 2015
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It's been over a year or so since a wave of young people jumped on the hawker bandwagon in Singapore. The media savvy "hawkerpreneurs", "hipster hawkers" sparked an old and new media frenzy. Everyone was hailed a hero saving Singapore's waning street food heritage.
The story of Truly Curry 真咖喱饭 and its founders, former bankers, Joel and Deniece is well known now. (Both Joel and Deniece are under 30.)
To cut the long story short, Deniece and Joel took over Deniece's dad's hawker stall at Telok Blangah Drive when the latter reached retirement.
It's been nearly two years now, Truly Curry Rice is still going strong and the fire is still burning bright in the bellies of Joel and Deniece. They are now joined at the stall by Joshua, Joel's younger brother.
I was privileged to be invited to taste Truly Curry Rice and meet with Joel and Deniece.
Truly Curry Rice 真咖喱饭 is located at Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre. This small food centre is well designed, so it is bright, cool and airy inside even during mid day.
Truly curry rice.
Steamed white rice drenched in a flood of freshly made curry gravy.
Deniece told us that they have taken a year to truly appreciate the finer points of selecting and cooking rice the best way, in the spirit of continuous improvement.
At Truly Curry Rice, the curries are made from scratch everyday with chilis, spices and herbs. Premixes and instant curry paste are never used.
You will be able to discern the aroma and flavours of freshly made curry.
Battered pork chop fried to a crisp outside.
Curry squid.
The curry gravy was nicely spicy sweet though the squid itself was stiff and had not much flavour.
Eggplant with dried shrimp sambal (hae bee hiam).
Simple stir fried potato slices with stewed pork. Many Singapore mums cook this at home.
Braised cabbage or chap chai.
Bitter gourd stir fried with fermented black beans.
Long beans stir fried with house made hae bee hiam (dried shrimp sambal).
Braised belly pork.
Simple fried bee hoon with stewed pork at SGD1 per serving. Truly Curry Rice sells this fried bee hoon together with two sides as a breakfast set for SGD2.
Overall, Truly Curry Rice is about simple familiar dishes. The savoury, sweet and spicy flavours are mild and well balanced. It's very close to home cooked food; simple dishes made with natural ingredients cooked with simple techniques.
In this day and age of mass produced fare, such simple comfort food is a blessing.
Don't take this for granted because there is a lot of hard work and commitment behind such old style food.
Joel and Deniece start work at the stall at 1:00am everyday to be ready for business at 6:00am.
Yes, 1:00am.
Joel and Deniece insist on cooking everything from scratch and the small work space demands that the cooking be done in sequence, one dish after another. Of course, Joel and Deniece can get more sleep by resorting to premixes, instant curries and pre-cooked food. But, then, we won't be getting truly curry 真咖喱.
We are getting truly curry only because of Joel and Deniece's personal sacrifices.
Speaking with Joel, I didn't get the sense that he was just looking for an alternative route to money and fame. Aside from dealing with the financial realities, fame and fortune seemed far from Joel and Deniece's minds.
Joel was talking about preserving our hawker heritage. And not just from the tastes and flavours point of view, but also about the continued accessibility of affordable good food for people.
Joel shared the joy and satisfaction that he felt when he saw happiness in the eyes of old folks getting their familiar tastes at prices they can afford comfortably.
Priceless. This good feeling is what kept Joel and Deniece going.
And, these did not sound like public relations spin at all. Joel uttered them with fire in his eyes and conviction in his breath while Deniece quietly affirmed Joel's words with a determined look.
There is no delusion in Joel's outlook, though perhaps some youthful idealism. And, that is good.
Joel kept stressing that they are in this for the long haul. I wish them success and will support them with whatever means available to me.
If we have more new generation like Joel and Deniece, our hawker heritage will be saved.
Restaurant: Truly Curry Rice 真咖喱饭
Address: Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre, 79 Telok Blangah Drive, #01-29, Singapore 100079
Map: http://bit.ly/TrulyCurry
GPS: 1.272952, 103.807724
Hours: 6:30am till sold out (around 3:00pm)
Non Halal
Date visited: 19 Apr 2015
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I was invited to a preview tasting of the brunch menu at Shelter in the Woods at Greenwood Avenue in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Available only on Sundays, Shelter in the Woods' brunch is officially launched on 19 Apr 2015.
Stepping into Shelter in the Woods, we are greeted by a good sized bar. Shelter in the Woods stocks a good range of fine wines.
Further inside is the huntsman's "wooded" section with the birch lined forest in warm autumn colours.
Shelter in the Woods comes complete with a mock brick lined fire place, and even a deer with a crown of antlers staring at headlights you.......
ok.
But, hey, many charming, rustic places and homes in Europe and North America really sport these things... ok.....?
:-D
Let's eat.
Shelter Eggs Benedict SGD22++
Every brunch menu must have eggs Benedict, right?
I like the colours in this dish. It's looks like a mini garden to me.
Two runny poached Japanese farmhouse eggs set on lightly toasted bagels. Served with crispy smoked bacon and blanketed with house-made hollandaise sauce.
The chef has insisted on fresh Japanese farmhouse eggs because they are less runny and fuller in flavour.
Oven-baked Chorizo Eggs SGD22++.
Two Japanese farmhouse eggs served with baked savoury Chorizo sausage slices, roasted baby potatoes and caramelised onions.
Sunny side up always cheers me up.
"Vol-au-Vent” Chicken-Mushroom SGD24++.
Flaky house baked puff pastry with creamy mushroom, pan-fried diced chicken, smoked bacon, pearl onions and fresh herbs. Served with mesclun salad on the side.
Croque-Monsieur SGD18++.
Toasted “pain de mie” (bread loaf slices) with bechamel sauce, slice of smoked ham, tomato and gratinated Gruyere cheese, served with mesclun salad.
Croque-Madam SGD20++.
Smoked ham, tomato and gratinated Gruyere cheese with bechamel sauce sandwiched between toasted “pain de mie” (bread loaf slices) served with a sunny side-up egg on top.
I love all the Sunday brunch items at Shelter in the Woods and each one of them is in itself a hearty satisfying meal.
The flavours of savoury, sweet and the ingredients' natural tastes were all well balanced. All complemented each other with non overbearing. The mix of textures from runny, soft, tender to crispy and crunchy was interesting too.
Besides eggs, bread and pastries, there are also pasta and meat options for Sunday brunch.
Clam Chorizo Spaghetti SGD26++.
Meaty fresh clams and slices of Chorizo sausage with al dente spaghetti in savoury sweet classic white wine sauce.
Simple and good.
Shelter Sunday Roast Beef SGD38++.
Whole slice of USA Nebraska Black Angus grain-fed ribeye beef with sides of house made Yorkshire pudding, glazed Spring carrot, buttered Kailan, garlic confit and a splash of gravy (made of veal jus, caramelised onion).
I love the house made brown sauce (not in picture) which adds another flavour dimension to the already great tender juicy roast beef.
Finally, it's time to activate our dessert stomachs.
Shelter French Toast SGD17.50++.
Egg pan-fried French brioche topped grilled cheese, berry compote, and vanilla ice-cream.
Warm Fluffy Pancake Stack SGD16++.
Fresh pancakes served with French butter, maple syrup, berry compote and chocolate sauce.
Vanilla creme brulee SGD9.50++.
Eggs, milk and vanilla with torched caramelised brown sugar top.
Chestnut Tiramisu.
Tiramisu with confit chestnut, topped with chocolate "soil".
My cuppa of Arabica (Americano) to go with the sweet desserts.
I enjoyed every bit of our sumptuous meal today and the company was great too :-D
The man behind the wonderful food today is Shelter in the Woods' Consulting Chef Masashi Horiuchi.
Chef Masashi's unassuming, friendly demeanour belie his eye popping credentials.
Grounded in French cuisine at the Tsuji French Cuisine College in Osaka, Chef Masashi worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Switzerland, France and the UK for more than 20 years.
He has worked with the whose who of Europe's culinary pantheon including Chef Philippe Groult (**), Chef Adolf Blokbergen (**), Chef Gerard Rabaey (***), Chef George Blanc (***) and Chef Antoine Westermann (***).
Before coming to Singapore in 2014, Masashi was Chef at the 2-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in London, UK, for 5 years.
Yet, Chef Masashi remains a grounded, humble and hands on type of chef; passionate about his art, not just in words but also in action.
Looking at Chef Masashi hand make pate, I saw a childlike glee in his eyes as he lovingly kneaded, squeezed and massaged the mushy ground meat like a child enthralled with Play Doh ;-D
Observing Chef Masashi at work, I noticed that precision and respect are his trademarks. I feel that with Chef Masashi at Shelter in the Woods, we will be getting the European classics made with a heart set on authenticity and truthfulness.
Chef Masashi is assisted in the pastry department by Tammy who makes all the pastries in house at Shelter in the Woods.
I highly recommend the Sunday brunch at Shelter in the Woods.
Next time, I shall come back for this roast suckling pig.
Drools ;-p
Please note that this is an invited tasting.
Restaurant name: Shelter in the Woods
Address: 22 Greenwood Avenue Singapore 289218
Map: http://bit.ly/ShelterintheWoods
GPS: 1.331793, 103.806332
Hours: Monday - Saturday 6:00pm - 10:00pm | Sunday 11:30am - 2:30pm (Sunday brunch), 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Phone: +65 6466 6225
Non Halal
Date visited: 18 Apr 2015
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