Original subtitles

[Mark] I'm a vlogger [upbeat music]

who travels the world

in pursuit of delicious food

and I've always been fascinated by Singapore.

Here, the obsession with food is real.

I'm exploring the extremes

of this food paradise

that marries cultures and cuisines like no other.

From searching for soulful street food

to exploring the heights of fine dining

it's a love affair with food

and I'm ready to eat.

[music fades]

[upbeat music]

[Mark] I moved around a lot as a child.

My parents are missionaries

and my mom is of Chinese ancestry.

And so I had the privilege

to eat a lot of Chinese food when I was growing up.

[cake frying]

The one thing that I've noticed [knife chopping]

is that no matter where you travel in the world

although the styles may vary

you'll always find Chinese food.

Singapore is home to a large Chinese population

and has some of the best Chinese food in the world.

And so, I'm excited to see what it has to offer.

[music stops]

[joyful music]

I'm here at Spring Court [doorbell ringing]

Singapore's oldest family-run Chinese restaurant.

- Hi... - Hey, Annette!

- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you too.

[Mark] My dining buddy is Annette Tan

a prolific food writer

who wrote a book about Singapore's Chinatown.

All right, so thank you, Annette

for bringing me to this restaurant.

My pleasure. I wanted to bring you here

because the menu is very reflective [fire burning]

of what Chinese food in Singapore [water boiling]

in the early days used to be like.

Singapore's first Chinese community

were mainly laborers [projector clicking]

and you had people from Guangzhou [projector clicking]

which is Cantonese

Hokkien from Fujian [projector clicking]

Teochew, Hakka

Hainanese. [projector clicking]

The Chinese laborers

also worked alongside [projector clicking]

Indian and Malay workers

so that sort of influenced the flavors

that resulted in their dishes as well.

So you may find that the dishes are richer

because of the influence [oil boiling]

of chilies and spices. [fire burning]

And the food is fantastic

so I'm very excited to show it to you.

Oh yeah. I'm looking forward to it.

And this is Madam Soon.

- Hello. - Have a seat, Madam Soon.

So she has been [music stops]

in charge of this restaurant...

For how many years now, Madam Soon?

43 years.

[Mark] Wow. [joyful music]

[Annette] The restaurant has been around since 1929

and she took over it from her late father-in-law

and she's been running it since.

Oh, right.

[Annette] Spring Court is literally older than

Singapore's independence.

And so some of the dishes that we're gonna be trying

are original recipes

dating back from 1929

that haven't been changed?

[Madam Soon] No, never changed.

[Mark] Wow! [music fades]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[Mark] This first dish is an original

Spring Court recipe

[joyful music] that marries the ultra-crispy skin

of roasted chicken

with the succulent texture of hand mashed prawns.

The preparation behind this dish

is actually quite complex

even for a trained chef.

First, you need to completely

and delicately debone the chicken.

It's then evenly coated with a prawn paste filling.

[oil boiling] The chicken is then

gently fried in a wok [chicken frying]

and carefully cooked to perfection.

Yes. Yeah, this piece is nice.

[Mark] OK, now that I picked it up

I can see the prawn paste.

[Mark biting]

[Mark chewing]

- [Madam Soon] Nice? - It's incredible.

[Mark] You know you're eating chicken

but at the same time

there's this totally different element

where you taste that prawn.

That kind of bounciness of the prawn

and then you get the crispy skin on top of that.

What else do we have?

[Madam Soon] The next dish is

the yam ring. [music stops]

This dish is very popular at wedding banquets.

[food stir-frying] [Annette] This was, for its time

a very luxurious dish.

You know, you have the yam

you have the seafood

you have the vegetables and the stir-fry.

So it was quite a grand thing [traditional Chinese music]

at wedding banquets and special occasions.

[Mark] The yam ring also has

quite a complicated cooking process.

The yams are ground up into a fine dough

and molded into a ring.

[yam frying] Using a similar method as the chicken

it's shallow fried in a wok

and routinely basted with hot oil

to get that beautiful golden brown finish.

The outside crust is left exceptionally crispy

while the yam is tender

light and fluffy on the inside.

The dish is then finished

with a medley of stir-fried seafood and vegetables.

[Mark] Is there a strategy to eating this?

[both laughing]

You try to take more than everyone else.

Yes! [all laughing]

Essentially, this is a very classic Singaporean dish

and it was invented in the early '60s.

So this is something that many Singaporeans grew up on.

And the other thing we used to do as children

this is the best part.

It's the snack that you eat at the end of it

because it's really crispy rice vermicelli.

- Yeah. - Kind of crispy-fried.

- [Annette] Dig in. - [Mark] Thank you.

Let me get some of that crispy yam.

[Mark chewing]

Oh, this is just comforting.

The yam is quite sticky

but then you've got that crispy friedness to it.

The texture of that yam ring

tastes a lot like taro.

Actually, it is taro.

We call taro "yam" here for some reason.

But, yes, it's taro.

I love it. [music stops]

So this obviously needs no introduction.

This is the famous

Singapore chili crab. [joyful music]

When you think about the food of Singapore

this is one of the most iconic dishes.

Yup. [food stir-frying]

[Mark] Invented in Singapore

this sweet, spicy and savory dish

was created by a Teochew chef

who wanted to do crabs a little differently.

Many restaurants serve this popular dish

but the secret to Spring Court's chili crab

is the type of sambal chili

they use in the sauce.

Tomato sauce, soup stock and fresh crab

are then added and left to simmer.

Once the crabs are cooked

an egg slurry is drizzled on top

and the dish is ready to be served.

- Look at that. - Look at that nugget!

- Oh, perfect. - A perfect piece.

[Mark] I just want to maximize the flavor

onto my crab.

Scoop it.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Chili crab.

[Mark sucking and chewing]

Oh, wow!

Oh, that's extraordinary.

The sweet silkiness of that crab

and then the sauce, it's a little bit spicy.

It's a little bit sweet. [sauce boiling]

It has that little bit of tomatoey taste to it.

Oh, it's really good. [Annette laughing]

Oh, man.

[Mark] All the food that we've tried here

has been fantastic.

Is this typical of Chinese food that you'll find in Singapore?

The more contemporary restaurants today

are more specific [music stops]

to their dialect group.

So you get Cantonese food cooked by Hong Kong chefs

which has become a lot more popular [calm music]

in the last couple of decades.

You have Teochew restaurants run by Teochew chefs, and so on.

So this sort of very Singaporean Chinese food

which is an amalgamation of

the various influences from all the different dialects...

that's quite special.

Which is why Spring Court, for instance, is a treasure

because you don't get this kind of food

at restaurants anymore.

[lid placing] [music stops]

[Mark] My next stop lies within

Singapore's Marina Bay area.

[upbeat music] Modern, luxurious, stylish.

While Spring Court's mission

is to preserve authentic Chinese recipes

Peach Blossoms is a Cantonese restaurant

that pushes the boundaries of traditional Chinese cooking.

[fire burning]

[Edward] Everyone, stop for a while.

We'll have a five-minute briefing.

Let's discuss tonight's menu.

First up, the suckling pig.

Hong, you have to make sure that it's crispy.

Next, for the dessert

make sure you have the lids on properly, Man.

You know our customers

might take photos and post them online.

Next up is the deep-fried marble goby.

We ordered two 1.6kg marble gobies.

Is the fish here, Loy?

It is? OK, that's all. Thanks, guys.

[Mark] Executive Chinese Chef Edward Chong

is breathing new life

into Singapore's fine dining scene.

He's invited me into his kitchen today

for a closer look at the action.

Hi Mark, thank you for coming. [music stops]

Very happy to be here

and I've also brought my friend John.

- Hi, Chef. - Hello, hi.

He's gonna help with some of the Mandarin translation.

Today, I'll be teaching you how we prepare

our signature dish, the cigar roll.

For our ingredients, we have foie gras

breadcrumbs mixed with charcoal powder.

We also have snow crab meat

and prawn mousse with a little bit of truffle.

And this is the "cigar" skin.

It's actually made from the recipe

for Peking duck pancakes

but we added cocoa and coffee powder to this

to give it a more cigar-like look.

So all the ingredients are in already

so we're gonna roll it up now.

- All right. Cool. - OK.

- [Edward] Let's start. - [John] Roll.

You want it tight. [joyful music]

That's correct...

Wrap it, squeeze it in.

Wow, you're doing well.

[Mark laughing]

[roll frying]

Chef Edward really has to control that heat.

Make sure they're not cooking too fast

not cooking too slow

but the perfect temperature

for optimal golden crispifying. [roll frying]

When it's almost done

it will get lighter and float up.

Oh yeah, it's really beginning to look like a cigar.

[Edward laughing]

All right.

So squeeze a little bit of the mayonnaise on top.

- OK! - OK.

So the mayonnaise is just kind of like an adhesive

so all that breadcrumb ash sticks.

I'm gonna set it here

on the ashtray. [music stops]

Ready to be smoked.

[all laughing] [upbeat music]

[Mark] After all of that anticipation in the kitchen

we're finally in the dining room

I can't wait to start eating.

Man, this presentation is just so good.

It looks like a cigar.

There's ash at the tip

[Mark sniffing]

but it smells way better than a cigar.

[Mark biting and chewing]

Oh, man.

Oh, that is delicious.

The creamy stringiness of that crab

and then you've got this incredible butteriness

maybe from that foie gras

that's just melted into the center.

All wrapped up in this Peking duck wrapper

which feels so delicate and so light and so crispy. Wow.

- Delicious. - Thank you.

[Mark] OK, I'm gonna go for the dip.

[Mark biting and chewing]

When you taste that sauce

you immediately think Peking duck.

It's really interesting.

The sweetness of the Peking duck sauce

gives you memories of Peking duck [duck frying]

but at the same time

the richness of the shrimp and the crab

and the foie gras

gives it a different touch.

So I think this is really modern Chinese cuisine at its finest.

Chef Edward, that was a magical beginning

to this meal. [music fades]

How did you get started cooking this way?

I had never thought I'd become a chef.

I mean, I couldn't even cook.

Back in Malaysia when I was younger

I didn't like studying [upbeat music]

and I was very mischievous.

My parents were worried that I would be led astray

so they sent me here to Singapore.

I had an uncle who was a chef over here.

He got me a job in a hotel kitchen.

I stayed and worked.

And here I am now, 19 years later

the executive chef of a restaurant.

I wanted to let more people know that

Chinese food can be very different

from what it used to be.

It can be interesting

have beautiful plating

and taste good

while retaining its authenticity.

[music stops]

Now, let me introduce the next dish.

Marble goby fillet with crispy scales

in homemade organic pineapple sauce.

[fire burning]

[Edward] The sauce for this dish

is inspired by a dish from a restaurant

my parents brought me to when I was a kid.

[sauce stirring]

After becoming an executive chef

I went back to that restaurant [fire burning]

and asked the chef for the recipe.

I came back to my kitchen

added different elements to the recipe

and came up with this sauce.

[fish frying]

For my choice of fish, I used marble goby

which is often used in Chinese cuisine.

It's a freshwater fish.

We douse the unscaled fish in hot oil

to give it its crispiness.

[joyful music]

I'm gonna part it.

That's crispy!

[Mark biting]

[Mark laughing and chewing]

Oh, wow!

That's unbelievable.

It just melts in your mouth.

But then the skin is so, like, cracker crispy

and then followed by

this tart Southeast Asian flavored sauce

that has pineapple

and a little bit of chili in it.

The marble goby is a river fish

but it's incredibly clean tasting.

A lot of river fish or freshwater fish

tend to have a bit of a muddier taste to it.

This one is just so clean

so pure [Mark biting and chewing]

you'd think it was an ocean fish.

It all comes together.

That is extraordinary.

- That's delicious. - Thank you.

[Mark] I love it.

[Edward] The flower used in this dish

is called ulam raja.

It has a distinct mango flavor

which complements this dish perfectly.

[Mark chewing] Wow.

Yeah, it does.

Like a green mango, specifically.

- [Edward] Yes. - An unripe mango.

Wow, yeah.

Like, unmistakable.

Chef, I'm really curious to know

what were your early days in the kitchen like?

There was this incident [music stops]

that had a profound effect on me.

It happened on one of our busy nights.

[pan cleaning]

[knife chopping]

[blowtorch burning]

[food stir-frying]

[Edward] I remember I had a tray laden with food

that was going into the oven.

When I took the tray out of the oven

I accidentally dropped it on the floor.

[drum music]

I got burnt

and my hands were covered in blisters.

A part of me was thinking

maybe my senior colleagues would come over and make sure I'm OK.

"Don't worry. Why don't you take a break?

Dip your hands in ice water

or put some ointment on those burns."

But what happened was the complete opposite.

They came over and told me "If you can't take the heat

stay out of the kitchen. [music stops]

[fire burning]

[Edward] I don't think you're cut out to be a chef.

[calm music]

You don't have the talent for it.

If I were you, I would quit this job."

I remember that night very clearly.

I was the last to leave the kitchen.

After I had everything cleaned up

I went into the chiller and closed the door.

I stayed in there...

I don't know why

but I just started crying.

I think I was in there for, like, 20 minutes

but I didn't feel cold at all.

I was just crying in there.

What kept you going?

Why didn't you quit?

Because of what my senior colleague said.

"You're not cut out to be a chef."

What he said

impelled me to hang in there

and made me adamant about not quitting.

So I told myself I'd stay and learn for one more month.

[music fades] Strangely enough

in that one month

I started getting the hang of things.

Slowly but surely, I got better at my tasks.

My senior colleagues and the chefs who used to scold me

took me under their wings.

So, in the 19 years that I have worked as a chef

whenever I encounter any difficulties

and feel like giving up or when I'm under immense stress

I will think back on that night.

How crushed I felt then and how I got to where I am today

because I persevered and did not give up.

[upbeat jazz music]

This is crab roe

and this is fresh Sri Lankan crab claw.

These are vinegar pearls.

So Chef actually said to take the claw

and set it aside first.

He really wants you to be able to taste

the flavor in that soup.

And there should be some noodles

on the bottom here too. Some of the mung bean noodles.

So you can see the, kind of transparent noodles

on the bottom.

You can see the strands of crab.

And then, another pro move

is to take a few of these vinegar pearls

and add them to the...

to the top there.

The roe provides this hint of bitterness

that immediately turns to sweetness in your mouth.

[Mark biting and chewing]

Yeah, and as Chef explained this claw

he said he kind of coated it in a prawn paste

to give it more of a bouncy...

kind of a spongy texture to it.

So if you look at the inside there

you can see the layers of texture.

From the stringiness of that sweet crab

to that kind of smooth, bouncy texture of the prawn paste.

I might do the pour move...

and then take it to the mouth

before it all slides off.

[Mark biting and chewing]

That's how you get the full crab experience.

And then, with that kind of accent

like, these little bubbles

these little pearls that just kind of release...

They're like...

They just kind of release that acidity

to break the richness.

It's subtle but you notice it.

- This is really delicious. - Thank you.

This entire meal has been fantastic.

[music fades]

[emotional music]

[Edward] Our clientele is getting younger.

Nowadays, we see people in their twenties

eating at Michelin-starred restaurants

and fine dining establishments.

So my team and I have to

constantly change and innovate.

As Singapore's fine dining scene grew

Chinese cuisine started losing its shine and prestige.

This is why we want [knife chopping]

to revolutionize Chinese cuisine [food stir-frying]

and show young diners that

Chinese food can also be fun. [fire burning]

It, too, can look good

taste great

make use of interesting ingredients

and be different. [liquid pouring]

But all our innovation aside

my greatest wish is that

the customers who dined at our restaurant

get to experience authentic Chinese cuisine

and the soul of Chinese cuisine.

[Mark] In many ways, Chef Edward's personality

has defined his cooking style.

He's a rebel turned success story

who went through the school of hard knocks.

And with age

came the maturity and sophistication

to elevate his food to the next level.

Although he's always searching for new ways

to improve his menu

Chef Edward tells me that [music stops]

he still takes great inspiration [upbeat music]

from his memories of soulful street food.

And when it comes to Singaporean hawker fare

there's no dish he enjoys more

than a plate of Hainanese chicken rice.

[music stops]

[knife chopping]

[knife chopping]

[upbeat music] This is

a very famous chicken rice shop in Singapore.

- OK. - I think you will like it.

Yes.

[Mark] Hainanese Delicacy Chicken Rice

has been in business for over 40 years.

[chicken dropping into pot]

They serve what some people say [water pouring]

is the most tender chicken

and best chili sauce in the country. [sauce pouring]

[Mark sniffing] [music stops]

Oh, that smells so good. It's so aromatic.

You can smell the garlic and the chicken broth in there.

And then, I noticed that you ordered

the poached chicken

and the roasted chicken.

Yes.

I'm gonna go straight for that poached chicken.

As you can see, I'm gonna...

get a little bit of that juice from the bottom there.

It does look really moist and juicy.

[Mark] All right.

OK, here we go.

All the components on a spoon.

[jazz music]

That chicken

has this perfect bouncy texture to it.

So juicy.

And then with the sauce, with the ginger

with that chili in there

the fragrance of the garlic

and the chicken fat in that rice...

it's well-oiled and just has delicious flavor.

OK, I'm gonna try the roasted chicken next.

[Edward] Maybe you can try the dark sauce also.

[Mark] OK, I'll do a little... drizzle.

- Yes. - All right.

Nice, right?

Yeah, that drizzle of dark soy sauce

has a little bit of a sweetness to it.

- Adds another dimension. - Yes.

[Mark] And the actual meat of the chicken

has a totally different texture

than the poached chicken.

It's more stringy.

You can feel the fibers of the chicken

in the roasted chicken

whereas with the poached chicken

it's more soft and silky in texture.

Which one do you like better, Chef Edward?

I prefer the roasted. How about you?

It's a tough choice but I think

I like the poached chicken

because it has this amazing texture

and I love the way the...

the skin just literally kind of, like

unwraps from the chicken meat.

[music stops] Hi, guys.

Is the food OK? All's OK?

Oh yeah, the chicken rice is amazing.

Please join us. Have a seat.

Yeah... join us, please.

[upbeat music] Jared is

part of the family business.

His uncle owns the stall

and he's been working here

for the past three years.

How did you prepare the roasted chicken?

There's a hint of smokiness.

For the roasted chicken

we will dip it in herbal ingredients the night before.

That's where all the flavors [chicken frying]

get absorbed into the chicken.

Then we'll deep fry it.

So it'll have a nice, crispy skin on the outside

and the moisture is still intact. [knife chopping]

For the poached chicken

we add fresh ingredients

like ginger, garlic, pandan leaf [ginger dropping]

and lemongrass into a big pot.

We'll poach it in the pot for about an hour

then we transfer it out into an ice bucket

and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

[Mark] So that's also how the skin

just pulls away from the meat so effortlessly.

[music stops] [lid opening]

[Mark] Who was it that started Hainanese Delicacy?

[Jared] My grandfather and my granduncle

started this chicken rice shop.

They actually made a tweak.

They made the rice less greasy, less oily

but yet having the same flavorful rice

you'll find in most places.

It's less sinful eating our chicken rice.

[Mark and Jared laughing]

But I was noticing that

the rice is really, really good. [uplifting music]

That's one of my highlights of the whole meal.

It's the rice because it's so fragrant

it's so aromatic.

Even when you set that down

on our table when it first arrived

that's the first thing I could smell.

And I noticed that there's so many articles on the walls

and you've received so many awards.

Yeah, so this is all through word of mouth.

We don't spend on advertising much.

Not only do you serve really delicious chicken rice

but I think a place like this

would bring back so many memories

for people that have eaten here throughout their childhood.

[Jared] This place has been around for 40 years.

There are multi-generational families that come here to dine.

We have grandfathers bringing their sons

and the sons bringing their grandsons over

to have a meal here.

[knife chopping]

[Edward] Did your grandparents come from Hainan?

[Jared] Correct.

The Hainanese were the last to arrive in Singapore.

And the better jobs were all taken

by the bigger dialect groups...

the Teochew and Hokkien people.

So the Hainanese were left with F&B businesses

and that's where he picked up cooking

as his interest when he started.

That is how we started this shop.

How old were you

when you first started helping out here?

I was 22

after I finished my education. [music fades]

I was asked by my uncle to work here part-time

just to kill a bit of time during the holidays.

After that, I actually found myself

having a passion for food as well.

[calm music] From then on

I started to learn the ropes.

From cooking the chicken, cooking the rice

to now, I'm learning how to chop the chicken.

- OK. - Good, good.

Hopefully, I can learn everything, and then...

serve more generations to come.

[Jared laughing]

[plastic bag opening]

A lot of people your age

would just keep climbing the corporate ladder

but you've chosen a different path.

What made you decide to do this?

The passion for cooking started growing

when I was working here

and then the satisfaction of the customers

when they finish their plates...

- Empty plates, you know. - Yeah.

I don't need to be in the corporate world

to get the same kind of reward.

For me, I would like to carry on this legacy

that was passed down from my grandfather and granduncle.

[Mark] The Hainanese only make up

around 7% of the Chinese population

here in Singapore.

But like Jared's family

they've made a huge impact with their cuisine.

[music fades]

[calm music]

After all that eating

there's nothing better than relaxing with some tea.

And so I'm at Tea Chapter

which is one of the oldest and most traditional teahouses

in Singapore's Chinatown.

[uplifting music]

[Mark drinking]

[Mark exhaling]

That's a perfect way to cap off this entire experience

which has really been rewarding for me

to learn about the history of Chinese in Singapore

which have made such an influence

on Singaporean food.

Thinking back on my experiences

Spring Court and Hainanese Delicacy

where they actually created

a style of Chinese Singaporean cuisine.

And it has not lost its appeal over generations.

And then, Chef Edward with Peach Blossoms

where he is elevating Chinese fine dining.

One of the things I love to do most in life

is try food from places that I visit

the local food.

And yet, at the same time, there comes a point

when I need to eat Chinese food.

So no matter where I travel

every now and then

I have to seek out a Chinese restaurant.

And if what I experienced

is an indication of the future of Chinese cuisine in Singapore

we have a lot to look forward to.

[music fades]

[upbeat music]

[music stops]