Latest news with #SingaporeCuisine
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh vs Pacific Emporium: Mainstream chain or hotel does it better?
In this instalment of my comparison series, I'm pitting the well-known chain Song Fa Bak Kut Teh against the upscale Pacific Emporium at Pan Pacific Singapore. On your personal foodie checklist, what elements make up a solid bowl of peppery bak kut teh? Is it determined by the tenderness of the pork ribs, or does the flavour and heat of the broth matter more to you? As for me, I place equal importance on both. I'm sure Song Fa Bak Kut Teh needs no introduction. But if you're like me and can't even remember the last time you stepped foot inside, here's a quick recap. It began as a humble pushcart stall in 1969 and has since flourished into 14 outlets across Singapore. It has also earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing for 8 years — impressive! I'm sure when most of you swing by Pan Pacific Singapore, you'll directly head up to level 3 where Edge resides and miss out on Pacific Emporium. Located at the ground floor lobby, this place serves Western and local-inspired cuisine. At Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, the small sized portion of the Pork Ribs Soup costs S$8.80++. To have a more balanced meal, we ordered the Pork Ribs Lunch Set A (S$13.80++) which came up to a total of S$16.55 nett (not the cheapest, for sure). It comes with 3 pieces of pork ribs in soup, golden-brown fried youtiao, plain rice, and your choice of either salted veggies or peanuts. Pacific Emporium's Peppery (S$26+) was beautifully presented on a wooden board, with a retro-looking bowl containing 4 pieces of baby back ribs and tofu puffs soaked in a thick broth. By the side was a bowl of steamed jasmine rice, condiments, and dough fritters. Maybe it was because Song Fa was my third bak kut teh stop of the day, but after just 2 spoonfuls of soup, I was already complaining about the lack of pepper. My colleague, Dean shot me a look of disbelief, as if I'd gone bonkers. Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant ($8.50) vs Chatterbox ($25): Neighbourhood eatery or hotel does it better? True enough, after 2 more sips of the broth, the slow, peppery burn began to make its presence known. My tongue had probably gone numb by then! Flavour-wise, it was well balanced, with bold notes of garlic coming through as well. It was light enough to keep sipping on without feeling overwhelmed. Oh, Song Fa also offers free refills of piping-hot soup at no extra charge. Score! The soup at Pacific Emporium had a richer light brown hue, with a thicker, collagen-like consistency. This became even more evident as the soup cooled, forming a thin film on the surface. The soup was robust and flavourful with pronounced notes of garlic. Though the pepper notes were there, I wished it had a stronger kick. We later learned that the hotel had mellowed down the pepperiness to suit the palate of tourists. Maybe there should be an option to dial it up for locals, too? That being said, the soup might start to feel a little jelak and heavy for some after a few mouthfuls. If you wish to have additional soup, there will be an extra charge of S$3 — fair enough, considering it's in a hotel setting. Some have mentioned that the ribs at Song Fa can be a little on the tough side. However, that wasn't the case for me. I was blown away by how tender and flavourful the meat was. Perhaps the chefs at the Chinatown Point outlet are more skilled? The baby back ribs pieces at Pacific Emporium were massive. The chef shared with me that they've recently adopted a new preparation method: the pork ribs are sous-vide for 24 hours before being simmered in the broth. The ribs were the epitome of tenderness, requiring almost no effort to chew. It was a lot softer than the meat served at Song Fa. Honestly, if I had just come from the dentist with all my teeth extracted, I'd still be able to handle the meat here. It was also well marinated — 2 thumbs up! The fried dough sticks at both establishments were well executed. But if I had to pick a winner, it would be the one from Song Fa — thanks to its slightly soft centre, compared to the crispier version at Pacific Emporium. When I was a teenager, I wondered what the big fuss about bak kut teh was. I mean, it just looked like boiled pork ribs in broth at that point of time (yawns). However, this dish involves dunking the meat into the mix of condiments, sipping the peppery broth and feeling the gentle burn, taking a bite of the crispy youtiao, then soaking it in the soup. This isn't just something to fill your stomach, it's a complete experience. Similar to the previous laksa battle, this was a very tough fight between both sides. Pacific Emporium really exceeded my expectations by serving one of the softest pork ribs I've ever had although the ones at Song Fa were pretty tender, too. For the soup, the version at Song Fa was lighter yet more peppery. It was a pity that the broth at Pacific Emporium was toned down in pepperiness to suit the tastes of many tourists. It's definitely a spot I'd return to, and you can bet I'll be asking for the pepper dialled up! After much deliberation, we crowned Song Fa Bak Kut Teh the winner, but only by a narrow margin. Sungei Road Laksa ($4) vs Peppermint ($38): Coffee shop stall or hotel does it better? The post Song Fa Bak Kut Teh vs Pacific Emporium: Mainstream chain or hotel does it better? appeared first on
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelin-starred Labyrinth's LG Han becomes first Singapore chef on South Korea reality show ‘Chef & My Fridge' (VIDEO)
SINGAPORE, May 12 — Singapore's culinary scene just scored a spicy milestone on South Korean TV. For the first time ever, the hit reality cooking show Chef & My Fridge featured a Singaporean chef — none other than LG Han of Michelin-starred Restaurant Labyrinth — in a special '50 Best' episode aired on May 11. The concept? Chefs must whip up a dish using ingredients found in a celebrity's fridge. Representing 'Team Asia' alongside Japan's Yusuke Takada (La Cime) and Hong Kong's Antimo Maria Merone (Estro), Han faced off against 'Team Korea', which included seasoned TV personalities Son Jeong-won, Kwong Seong-jun (aka Napoli Mafia), and Choi Hyun-seok — Han's chosen rival and longtime friend. 'He's the chef who has been on the show the longest and has the highest win rate,' Han said of Choi in an interview with Channel News Asia (CNA). 'When they asked me, 'Can you win against Choi? Why did you pick the oldest chef?' I said, 'He's a legend, and I would love to try to defeat the legend.'' The fridge he raided belonged to none other than Kim Jae-joong, former member of K-pop juggernaut TVXQ. 'My fridge had a lot of Korean ingredients: ssamjang, perilla leaves, gochujang, squid,' Han shared. 'Kim Jae-joong likes really spicy food, like, make you sweat kind of spicy.' The episode also revolved around the K-pop star's new makgeolli brand. 'So, we had to create a dish suited for makgeolli,' Han explained. Han's answer? A bold, Singapore-meets-Seoul take on chilli crab — reimagined with Korean pantry staples. He swapped mantou for grilled rice cakes boiled in makgeolli, added heat with Korean 'death sauce', and used ssamjang in place of garlic and shallots. He also made a side of julienned pear wrapped in kimchi. 'I've been to South Korea quite often and tasted ssamjang, so I kind of knew it should work... but I'd never put those things together, so it was really just pure instinct,' he was quoted as saying. 'Towards the end, my hands were shaking because I was running out of time.' Though known for his innovative approach at Labyrinth, Han opted for something traditional. 'I didn't want to do a modern, Labyrinth-style dish... I wanted to do something that could showcase Singapore's traditional foods to the world.' Shooting took 13 hours, and language proved another hurdle. 'I had an earpiece with 'live' translation,' he said. Asked what he took away from the experience, Han quipped, 'That I still have it in me to cook a delicious Singaporean dish in 15 minutes.' Han and Choi will reunite in Singapore for a two-night collab at Labyrinth on July 13 and 14, serving their Chef & My Fridge creations and other dishes, paired with makgeolli. Watch Labyrinth's socials for booking updates. The episode drops on Netflix on June 20.
Malay Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Michelin-starred Labyrinth's LG Han becomes first Singapore chef on South Korea reality show ‘Chef & My Fridge' (VIDEO)
SINGAPORE, May 12 — Singapore's culinary scene just scored a spicy milestone on South Korean TV. For the first time ever, the hit reality cooking show Chef & My Fridge featured a Singaporean chef — none other than LG Han of Michelin-starred Restaurant Labyrinth — in a special '50 Best' episode aired on May 11. The concept? Chefs must whip up a dish using ingredients found in a celebrity's fridge. Representing 'Team Asia' alongside Japan's Yusuke Takada (La Cime) and Hong Kong's Antimo Maria Merone (Estro), Han faced off against 'Team Korea', which included seasoned TV personalities Son Jeong-won, Kwong Seong-jun (aka Napoli Mafia), and Choi Hyun-seok — Han's chosen rival and longtime friend. 'He's the chef who has been on the show the longest and has the highest win rate,' Han said of Choi in an interview with Channel News Asia (CNA). 'When they asked me, 'Can you win against Choi? Why did you pick the oldest chef?' I said, 'He's a legend, and I would love to try to defeat the legend.'' The fridge he raided belonged to none other than Kim Jae-joong, former member of K-pop juggernaut TVXQ. 'My fridge had a lot of Korean ingredients: ssamjang, perilla leaves, gochujang, squid,' Han shared. 'Kim Jae-joong likes really spicy food, like, make you sweat kind of spicy.' The episode also revolved around the K-pop star's new makgeolli brand. 'So, we had to create a dish suited for makgeolli,' Han explained. Han's answer? A bold, Singapore-meets-Seoul take on chilli crab — reimagined with Korean pantry staples. He swapped mantou for grilled rice cakes boiled in makgeolli, added heat with Korean 'death sauce', and used ssamjang in place of garlic and shallots. He also made a side of julienned pear wrapped in kimchi. 'I've been to South Korea quite often and tasted ssamjang, so I kind of knew it should work... but I'd never put those things together, so it was really just pure instinct,' he was quoted as saying. 'Towards the end, my hands were shaking because I was running out of time.' Though known for his innovative approach at Labyrinth, Han opted for something traditional. 'I didn't want to do a modern, Labyrinth-style dish... I wanted to do something that could showcase Singapore's traditional foods to the world.' Shooting took 13 hours, and language proved another hurdle. 'I had an earpiece with 'live' translation,' he said. Asked what he took away from the experience, Han quipped, 'That I still have it in me to cook a delicious Singaporean dish in 15 minutes.' Han and Choi will reunite in Singapore for a two-night collab at Labyrinth on July 13 and 14, serving their Chef & My Fridge creations and other dishes, paired with makgeolli. Watch Labyrinth's socials for booking updates. The episode drops on Netflix on June 20.
CNA
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Labyrinth's LG Han is the first Singaporean chef to compete on Korean show Chef & My Fridge
Singapore is represented for the first time on the popular Korean reality cooking competition series Chef & My Fridge by way of Restaurant Labyrinth's chef Han Liguang, better known as LG Han. He competed in a special '50 Best' episode of the show that challenges chefs to cook a dish from ingredients in a celebrity's fridge. Aired on Korea television on Sunday (May 11), the episode featured 'Team Asia' – made up of Singapore's Han, chef Yusuke Takada of La Cime in Japan and Antimo Maria Merone of Estro in Hong Kong – going up against 'Team Korea', which was represented by Son Jeong-won of Eatanic Garden as well as Culinary Class Wars alumni Choi Hyun-seok and Kwong Seong-jun (known as Napoli Matfia). Han was invited to participate because of Labyrinth's standing at number 37 on the latest Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, and he accepted because he wanted to 'have fun, make friends and, most importantly, showcase what Singapore has,' even though his policy up until now has been not to compete in on-air competitions because 'I don't want to lose,' he quipped. Han flew to Seoul and filmed for the episode over 13 hours on Apr 26. For his opponent, he chose Culinary Class Wars' Choi, because the two have been longtime friends, having first met in Singapore eight years ago at an editorial shoot arranged by the Singapore Tourism Board and subsequently at global culinary events. 'He's the chef who has been on the show the longest and has the highest win rate,' Han said. 'When they asked me, 'Can you win against Choi? Why did you pick the oldest chef?' I said, 'He's a legend, and I would love to try to defeat the legend.'' Whose fridge did he raid? The celebrity of the day was Kim Jae-joong, erstwhile member of popular south Korean boy band TVXQ. 'My fridge had a lot of Korean ingredients: Ssamjang, perilla leaves, gochujang, squid. We have to cook according to the celebrities' preference. Kim Jae-joong likes really spicy food, like, make you sweat kind of spicy.' In addition, there was a 'Do you know makgeolli?' theme, as 'Kim Jae-joong just launched his own makgeolli brand. So, we had to create a dish suited for makgeolli.' Han's solution was to whip up a classic Singapore chilli crab from the Korean ingredients that would pair well with the Korean rice wine, 'like drinking Tiger Beer to wash it down'. To make the dish, he used ssamjang, tomato sauce, oyster sauce, Korean fish sauce, Korean sesame sauce, hot sauce known as 'Korean death sauce', and egg whites, along with squid and a frozen leg of crab that were in the fridge. 'I've been to Korea quite often and tasted ssamjang, so I kind of knew it should work, but I'd never put those things together, so it was really just pure instinct,' he recalled. 'Ssamjang has garlic, shallots, chilli paste, fermented soy bean paste', which was ideal since 'there was no time to chop garlic and shallots'. To replace shaoxing wine, he used soju, and chose pickled perilla leaves to take the place of lime. And, 'Instead of mantou, I used instant rice cakes boiled in makgeolli for a bit of sweetness and creaminess, then grilled.' He also made a side dish of julienned pear wrapped in kimchi. 'Towards the end, my hands were shaking because I was running out of time.' The final dish tasted a lot like a classic chilli crab, he said, while still being 'a bit different, like a Korean version.' He explained: 'I didn't want to do a modern, Labyrinth-style dish, firstly because of the timing; and secondly, I wanted to do something that could showcase Singapore's traditional foods to the world. My point is that I think the knowledge of Singapore cuisine is still not there when it comes to the world stage. It's not like Korean cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Thai cuisine or Filipino cuisine. What I do has always been about showcasing what Singapore is, whether traditional or modern.' During the competition, here were a few panic moments, he said, like chopping up mushrooms and then forgetting to use them, and the rice cakes cooking unevenly due to the shape of the pan. There was also the language barrier. 'I had an ear piece with live translation,' he revealed, and 'when I spoke in English, there was a loudspeaker in the studio translating it into Korean' for the others. Of course, with many people speaking simultaneously, the translation got a little confusing at times. It helped to have Choi there as a friend, he said, offering to show him how the equipment worked and being generally supportive. 'To be honest, my strategy was just to complete my dish,' Han said. 'I asked the producer beforehand, 'Has anyone not completed their dish?' And they said, 'No, never'. I was a bit nervous, as well – it was a different world altogether, it was a 13-hour shoot, and I had to compete first because I was the youngest!' He did receive some sage advice, though. Prior to leaving on the trip, he shared, 'my wife said to me, 'It's more important to be entertaining than to win or lose.'' As for whether he did anything to prepare for the competition, he said, 'Nothing, I just tried to have an early night before the shoot.' An interesting behind-the-scenes tidbit is that 'every time we took a break, we all had one-on-one assistance – they would talk to us about the script. They would say, 'This is coming up, you must follow this instruction, you must say something about your dish,' or, 'Choi is going to poke fun at you – just react in good humour.'' Did he learn anything about himself through the experience? 'That I still have it in me to cook a delicious Singaporean dish in 15 minutes,' he quipped. He mused: 'I think chefs every day have to learn to live with pressure and be quick-thinking. If mistakes happen, or the quality of the ingredients is not good enough, what do we do? How do you change the dish? So, this show technically takes what we're doing in real life and compresses it into 15 minutes.' On his part, 'I wanted to show Korea what we have. I would have loved to show them authentic Singapore food, but because of the rules of the show, I had to cook out of a Korean fridge, so, I did my best to show what Singapore flavours are, based on what we share in culture and ingredients – and that we are a lot closer than what we think we are when it comes to our flavours.' Meanwhile, Choi will be in Singapore in July and will be cooking together with Han at Labyrinth. In a special two-night collaboration planned for Jul 13 and 14, the two chefs will present the competition dishes they made on the show, paired with the same makgeolli; as well as other dishes like a samgyetang dish they worked on together. (Event updates and booking details will be available on Labyrinth's social media accounts).
