Latest news with #Hainanese
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
See Singapore's largest Lego mural made from over 265,000 bricks at the National Museum
Building a tiny Lego flower is already enough to leave you with a crick in the neck and strained eyes. Now, imagine a mural made up of a whopping 265,743 Lego bricks – that's exactly what you'll find at the Stamford Gallery in the National Museum of Singapore. In celebration of Singapore's 60th birthday, Lego has created an enormous mural featuring a vibrant row of nostalgic shophouses that reflect the charm of 1960s Singapore. Spot the national flower, a retro SBS bus and all the other nostalgic touches that bring old-school Singapore to life in plastic brick form. The exhibition also features a large-scale 3D Hawkerman model surrounded by beloved Singaporean landmarks such as the Changi Airport Control Tower and bumboats cruising along the Singapore River. You'll also find intricate recreations of local dishes like Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crab, and everyone's favourite breakfast combination: kaya butter toast with soft-boiled eggs. While you're there, check out the Lego Make & Take station where you can build your very own mini Lego orchid to take home as a fun keepsake. The SG60 Lego exhibition runs from July 18 to August 9, 2025, at the National Museum of Singapore's Stamford Gallery. Admission is free. here.
The Star
4 days ago
- General
- The Star
Community leaders pay final respects to adoptive father of well-known social activist Kent Tan
A SON'S GOODBYE: Kent Tan Chow Teng (second from left with while T'Shirt) together his mother (with walking beside) at the late Bobby Tan Say Kuan's wake Jelutong Memorial Park in Batu Berendam, accompanied by state and NGO leaders. MELAKA: Community leaders and members gathered to pay their final respects to Bobby Tan Say Kuan, the adoptive father of well-known social activist and lawyer Kent Tan Chow Teng. Say Kuan passed away peacefully on July 18 at a nursing home in Ayer Keroh here following complications from liver cirrhosis, a condition he was diagnosed with recently. He had celebrated his 67th birthday on July 5 at the home as Kent, as the only son, had no choice but to arrange for nursing care as his mother was preparing for back surgery. Among those who attended the wake on Sunday (July 20) were Melaka State Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Kerk Chee Yee, Melaka entrepreneur development, cooperatives and consumer affairs committee chairman Allex Seah Shoo Chin and former state executive councillor and current chairman of International Labour Care Organisation (ILCO), Datuk M.S. Mahadevan. Overcome with emotion but determined to honour his father's wishes, Kent reminded mourners to find comfort in his father's legacy rather than sorrow in his passing. 'My dad didn't want anyone to be sad and that was his last wish,' he said when interviewed at the wake. Despite the grief, Kent said he was deeply touched by the turnout and the support shown by members of the public. 'He was a modest and kind-hearted man. "If reincarnation truly exists, I would choose to be born as his son in every lifetime,' he added. Kent's mother, Cindy Yeo Inn Inn, 63, shared that her son had insisted on a burial instead of cremation, wanting to uphold traditional filial piety and visit his father's grave each year during Qing Ming, the annual tomb-sweeping festival observed by the Chinese community. 'I told Kent that he may one day have to move to another state or go abroad and might not be able to visit regularly. 'But my son was firm and said he would always make time to remember and honour his father when we decided not to cremate my late husband, she said. Qing Ming holds deep cultural importance among the Chinese community, symbolising remembrance and respect for one's ancestors. Kent, 32, had previously shared with The Star on July 7 how he was adopted after being born to his biological parents in Johor on Aug 10, 1993. His adoptive parents had also been open about the adoption from the beginning, always reminding him that he came into their lives as a divine blessing. A familiar face in Melaka's cultural and social circles, Kent is fluent in seven languages and dialects, including Hainanese, Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Malay, English and Mandarin. He currently serves as chairman of the Heng Leng Lion and Dragon Dance Association and acts as legal adviser to more than 20 temples and social organisations in the state.
The Star
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Chicken rice for RM3.60
A PLATE of Hainanese chicken rice in Kuala Kangsar is only RM3.60, reported China Press. With chicken rice now being sold between RM5 and RM9 elsewhere, Ji De Lai (which translates to 'remember to come visit' in Chinese) has become a crowd favourite in the royal town of Perak. According to shop owner Chen Xian Kai, 34, they have never raised their prices for the past 12 years since starting the business in 2012. Chen admitted that maintaining the price of chicken rice in spite of inflation meant he was earning less for every plate sold. However, he was able to sustain the business thanks to the support of loyal customers. 'Everyone has a different philosophy on making money. Some people are happy with earning a margin of 100%. Some are still dissatisfied despite raking in a margin of 200% to 300%. 'For me, as long as I am able to earn a profit after deducting all expenses, I will be satisfied.' Chen now runs the stall with his 31-year-old wife Huang Ri Yi. The couple wakes up at 3am every morning to get their ingredients from the wet market and start preparing the food at 5am. Their stall in Jalan Daeng Selili, Kampung Penaga is open between 8am and 1pm every day except Tuesdays. > King of Mandopop Jay Chou was recently spotted in the company of King of K-Pop G-Dragon, prompting speculation the two will be releasing music together, China Press reported. The two singers posted photos of themselves enjoying wine on the roof of a building in Taipei on July 14 following G-Dragon's recent concert at the Taipei Arena. 'Our language of communication is art and wine,' Chou wrote in English. According to a source in the music industry, both Chou and G-Dragon have met several times prior to this. As Chou and G-Dragon are known to sing, rap and even write their own songs, many fans are speculating of a possible collaboration soon. The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
Mint
12-07-2025
- Mint
Hoi An beyond the ‘banh mi'
It's only 6pm, and we've started thinking about dinner. The scenes give in as we stroll past food stalls and coffee shops bustling with locals and tourists alike, devouring soupy noodle bowls and fried snacks cooked over charcoal fires. We are in Hoi An, a Unesco World Heritage site in central Vietnam, where you don't really need an excuse to eat. We skip the boutique stores and tailoring shops, and plonk ourselves on plastic stools to eat com ga, the ubiquitous chicken rice, and also a Hoi An speciality. Com ga is everywhere in this ancient town, admired for its architectural splendour, and cultural vibe. Inside hidden alleyways, and behind designer stores, frantic vendors plate up this beloved staple by the clock. A close cousin of the Hainanese chicken rice, it's a true flavour bomb packed with umami from a nuoc cham dipping sauce, and an equally addictive sweet chilli pickle (that I end up scouring the local markets for in the following days to take back home). At Com Ga Ba Lam, a streetside vendor located in the old town, we find the best chicken rice, and make plans to return to the country some day just to eat it. But no trip to Hoi An is complete without eating cao lau, a dish that is deeply tied to the foodways of the port town. Chewy, flat noodles served with generous slices of char siu-style pork, bean sprouts and herbs soaked in a flavourful broth, and crispy rice crackers and croutons on the side, it makes for a hearty meal. Some believe the dish was introduced by Chinese traders, when they docked at the port in the 17th century, while the udon-like noodles could be a Japanese influence. Traditionally, they are made of rice that has been soaked in lye/ash water from the nearby Cham Islands. Morning Glory, a restaurant known for offering classic Vietnamese cuisine in a refined setting, with promising views of the iconic Japanese bridge, does an excellent cao lau apt for sharing (only if you wish). Of course there is the beloved banh mi, an overloaded sandwich of grilled meat and pickled veggies, smeared with pâté inside an airy, light baguette—a classic imprint of the French colonial influence. One is spoilt for choice with a dozen banh mi stalls here, but sample the iconic staple at Banh Mi Phuong that comes with the late American chef Anthony Bourdain's stamp of approval. Evenings are chaotic in Hoi An with vendors invading the streets, and the Thu Bon riverside, selling all sorts of delicious things: sweet doughy rice balls, wafer-thin black sesame crackers, banana pancakes drizzled with condensed milk, fried quail eggs, and crispy banh xeo or crepes with shrimp and pork. At Thuan Y opposite the river, we settle for grilled pork skewers that come with a pile of fresh greens, and stacks of rice paper and a delicious nuoc cham. We quietly assemble it under the watchful eyes of the matriarch handling the orders by filling the rice paper with meat and greens, followed by rolling it up, and finally dipping it in the sauce before every bite. On our last day in Hoi An, we choose Rêu, an upscale restaurant on the outskirts of the town with picturesque views of the rice fields and tranquil countryside. The space is striking with lush bougainvillea invading its bright yellow facade. The chef, we are told, offers a modern spin on Vietnamese cuisine, and cooks with fresh greens and seafood sourced from the farms and coast nearby. The salad truly tastes of the terroir, and the fried wontons pack a punch when eaten with a house-made plum sauce. But, it's the mi quang, a speciality of flat rice noodles, topped with meat, vegetables and peanuts, served with a wondrous dipping sauce that we cannot get enough of. Later that evening, we headed back to Com Ga Ba Lam for one last plate of chicken rice, only to find the staff packing up for the day.
Business Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Flavour and scent giant IFF's digital immersion hub charts the path to Asian senses
[SINGAPORE] Flavours and fragrances are key to the Asian experience, as industry giant International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) would have you know. The company on Thursday (Jul 10) launched its 'immersive-experience' facility at its innovation centre in Singapore's Biopolis research hub. The 75 sq m facility is kitted out with 360-degree video technology that replicates scents, tastes, sounds and textures, simulating what can be sensed in real-world environments. 'It enables virtual tours, contextual tastings, fragrance immersion and real-time co-creation,' said IFF in a statement. Its clients – consumer-goods giant Procter & Gamble and fine-fragrance brand Yves Saint Laurent, for example – can thus work with the centre to experience or design flavour and fragrance profiles that are 'life-like, emotionally engaging', said the company. Such experiences, said IFF's general manager for scent in Greater Asia Ramon Brentan, are key to tailoring products that are in line with the contexts and preferences of the Asian consumer, given that the group is seeking to tap the region's enormous market potential. The upshot of using the technology is that product design can be done more quickly and be aligned to what the client wants, and reduce time to market, IFF said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up It added that businesses would also be able to respond more quickly and accurately to evolving consumer demands. Guests at the launch of the 'immersive-experience' facility were given an insight into how the technology is able to recreate the scent and flavour profiles that corporate clients may want. Visitors could, for example, taste and smell complex local flavours, presented as laksa-inspired cupcake frosting and Hainanese chicken rice-flavoured mayonnaise. Brentan said the immersion-experience hub is part of a broader push by the company to integrate digital tools and consumer insights into its regional expansion. He noted that one region would often consume products in a different way from another region. For example, the monsoon rains in Indonesia would change the way fragrances are perceived. 'The immersion-experience hub can thus help the customer make sure that his product smells good in a simulated monsoon environment,' he said. The New York-listed company had announced at the launch of its Singapore innovation centre in 2022 that it would expand its presence in Asia significantly. 'By 2030, Asia is projected to account for 60 per cent of global economic growth,' chief executive Frank Clyburn had noted. 'For IFF, Asia has demonstrated consistent growth, and we see tremendous opportunity in the future.' The innovation centre, along with its Singapore Flexiblend plant in Tuas launched the same year, had set aside S$30 million to invest in Singapore, which the company said would expand its regional footprint. The centre's digital tools are used in conjunction with consumer insights through foresight tools and panels, said the company. 'This space allows us to turn those rich insights into innovation,' said Prakash MG, senior vice-president of IFF Taste for Greater Asia. Speaking at the event, Kelly Lai, vice-president and head of chemicals and materials at the Singapore Economic Development Board, said Singapore supports such strategies that leverage cutting-edge digital technologies to support and accelerate innovation. 'IFF's decision to set up its immersive experience hub in Singapore reflects strong confidence in our innovation ecosystem for the flavours and fragrances industry,' she added.
