THE CLEAN AND GREEN ISSUE FEATURE
044 EMBRACING CLEAN AND GREEN From the bastions of haute cuisine to casual restaurants and hawker stalls, eateries in Singapore are now offering healthier dining options
WORDS MICHELLE YEE ISTOCK ILLUSTRATION:
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044-049_WD_Jan_CleanandGreen_FA.indd 44 22/12/17 6:26 PM ust a little over a decade ago, Singapore wasn’t the health-loving city you see today. There weren’t And contrary to expectations that fine many cafes or eateries serving food are rich food, restaurants at the top of healthy fare, and if one wanted to the food chain are catering to this shift in eat clean in a restaurant, the options were eating habits. often boring and limited—think monastic salads of leaves and sprouts. HEALTHY & HAUTE JGone are those days. Walk into any mall “Sauces, which are very much part of the DNA today, and you are bound to find a handful of of French cooking, used to be thickened with health-centric eateries offering healthy, tasty what we call a roux or beurre manie made of menus including vegetarian options that are flour and butter. Now, guests want broths and creative and delicious, hearty whole grain consommés; something cleaner, with a zest of alternatives and smoothie bowls packed with citrus or balanced with a dashi for example. tons of superfoods like raw organic cacao Even the texture of the sauces has to change. nibs, goji berries, hemp seeds and more. You don’t want to serve something too sticky Indeed, the ‘eat cleaner and greener’ anymore. movement has gained momentum in our At Odette, we don’t quite produce rich country, sparked perhaps by rising obesity stocks such as veal stock. To me, they are among Singaporeans. According to the World too rich in collagen and to heavy. We tend to Obesity Federation, the percentages of adult prepare jus with little reduction, and work on Singaporeans who were overweight were 31.7 aromatics, spices and herbs to flavour it. per cent for men and 21.2 per cent for women You’ll see that we’ve also applied this in 2014, but by 2025, the numbers are expected approach to the way we present foie gras. to increase to 36.5 per cent for men and 21.7 At the restaurant, foie gras is served with a per cent for women. Beyond our sunny island, barbecued eel infused dashi, with a zest of obesity has become a global epidemic. The yuzu and some fresh yuzu juice. The acidity World Health Organisation says that obesity of the citrus cuts through the richness of has more than doubled since 1980 worldwide. the foie, while the hot dashi delivers a clean In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults (18 years intensity of flavour that is powerfully hearty and older) and 41 million children (under the even though it is so light,” explains chef Julien age of 5) were overweight or obese. Royer of two-Michelin-starred restaurant But what does it mean to eat clean? While Odette. different people may have different ideas on Some top chefs are also turning to what constitutes as eating ‘clean’, the general vegetarian options in the bid to for cleaner, consensus among nutritionists is that “clean healthier flavours. But while they may be 045 eating” at its simplest, is consuming whole seeing a renewed interest, vegetable-centric foods that are unprocessed or minimally menus are hardly new. It was almost 30 processed. years ago when multi-Michelin-starred chef “Clean eating is about taking steps Alain Ducasse first introduced a plant-based toward real, wholesome, simpler, minimally- menu at Le Louis XV in Monaco. French chef processed foods more often (not absolute Alain Passard of three-Michelin-starred or always) and away from highly processed Paris restaurant L’Arpege, meanwhile, made foods,” says Dr Wendy Bazilian, a registered vegetarian cooking cool decades ago when dietitian, nutrition author and the co-owner he disavowed meat for vegetables. Although of Bazilian’s Health Clinic in San Diego, he serves meat and seafood in modest doses California. on his menu these days, Passard’s signatures So when attempting to eat clean, whole remain unabashedly vegetable-centric, and in foods like fresh fruits and vegetables are spite of that, or perhaps because of it, he has an obvious choice as they retain their fiber, now retained his stars for 20 glorious years. minerals and nutrients, unlike processed Closer to home, chef Emmanuel Stroobant foods such as canned fruits, where all of one-Michelin-starred French restaurant the good stuff are removed during food Saint Pierre—who is vegetarian by choice— processing to either prevent them from rolled out a 12-course vegan tasting menu turning bad or to make them taste better. a few years ago. It has proven to be hugely popular among vegetarians and even meat lovers. Some of his stunning creations include the quinoa sushi tempura; Jerusalem
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044-049_WD_Jan_CleanandGreen_FA.indd 45 22/12/17 6:26 PM artichoke served with raw asparagus, meyer casual eateries in town. For instance, at the melon and black truffle essence; and the salt newly opened Sky22 at Courtyard by Marriott crust roasted celeriac served with Brittany Singapore Novena, diners can indulge in the grown baby vegetables and micro cress salad. establishment’s main menu which includes Immaculately presented and chockfull of scrumptious dishes like tiger prawn laksa flavours, each dish offers a pleasant surprise lemak and pan-seared red grouper with in the form of texture or complex flavours. sambal oelek, but for those craving something “One of the main reasons to launch healthier, they can opt for the nasi ulam a vegan tasting menu is to cater to the wild rice salad served with charred octopus. increasing demand from diners for vegetarian Alternatively, committed health-conscious menus and menus with special dietary foodies can go for the Build Your Own Bowl restrictions,” says chef Stroobant. “Another (BYOB) option, which allows diners to create reason is my personal interest to work and bowls to suit their tastes and preference— play with different varieties of in-season they can select their own grain bases and a vegetables. In fact, the creation of vegetarian variety of salads, cold cuts and a choice of 046 dishes is just as complex as meats and house dressing. seafood in terms of flavour combination and Food courts and hawker centres, too, textures—but that’s what makes it fun and now offer healthier options. According to challenging.” the National Nutrition Survey 2010, 60 per Echoing similar sentiments, chef Royer cent of Singaporeans eat out for lunch and/ says, “I believe that it is important to retain or dinner at least four times a week. To the texture and original taste of the vegetable, make it easier for Singaporeans to adopt a and to cook it just right. Overcooking it would healthier diet when they eat out, the Health be bad; undercooking it means that its full Promotion Board (HPB) introduced the flavour isn’t drawn out. Healthier Dining Programme in June 2014. “The protein, the fish or meat on the plate Under the programme, HPB partners the Top Chef has to be beautiful and perfectly cooked. But F&B industry to make lower-calorie meals— Julien Royer of the vegetables, when enhanced, can turn into meals prepared with healthier ingredients two-Michelin- starred more than just a garnish. They help the main (such as wholegrain staples)—and reduced- restaurant ingredient shine, and provide a contrast in sugar beverages more readily available. Look Odette flavour that helps break the fat of beef, for out for the “Healthier Choice” labels the Opposite example, or highlights the delicacy of the fish. next time you dine out at at food courts or page This can transform a vegetable from a garnish hawker centres. The label indicates that the Build Your Own into a star.” stall offers 500-calorie choices, and/or uses Bowl (BYOB) healthier ingredients such as healthier oils, at Sky22 at GOING CASUAL and you can ask for whole grain options, less Courtyard Not just fine dining, diners are also spoilt oil and/or more vegetables. Since its launch, by Marriott for healthy choices when it comes to more the number of healthier meals sold island- Singapore Novena
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044-049_WD_Jan_CleanandGreen_FA.indd 48 22/12/17 6:26 PM wide at restaurants, cafes, food kiosks, food foods including organic olive oil sourced courts, and those on board the programme, from Spain, organic extra virgin coconut oil, has increased three-fold from 7.6 million in organic brown rice from Thailand, organic 2014 to 26 million at the end of March 2017. pasta from Italy and organic pasta sauces. Food court chain Food Republic, which Magnolia, on the other hand, launched the currently runs 14 outlets island-wide, is one Magnolia Plus range two years ago, offering that offers a bevy of healthy yet delicious pasteurised milk with oats, while Ayam hawker dishes, allowing diners to indulge Brand’s new tuna products include organic sans guilt. For instance, diners can pick brown extra virgin olive oil and organic vegetable rice over white rice at Ah Chew Yong Tau Foo, broth. and they can opt for whole wheat ban mian, Kang Kang Noodles by TSK Foods also which has lower Glycemic Index (GI) over recently unveiled a new range of fresh plain wheat ban mian. For the ultimate green wholegrain noodles. Specially formulated meal, go for the thunder tea rice, comprising to contain higher wholegrains and lower brown rice and a load of vegetables and herbs sodium, the range of four variants include such as winged beans, long beans, basil, mint wholegrain hokkien noodles, wholegrain kway and more. teow, wholegrain bee tai mak, and wholegrain “A balanced diet is all about making ramen. The wholegrain noodles are dairy-free, smarter choices, and the pursuit of a healthy preservative-free and colouring-free. lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult. A good starting point is to be able to identify the CLEAN, GREEN AND GROWING 049 (GI) levels in carbohydrates present in From superfood smoothie bowls, to common food court dishes. GI is the ranking 500-calorie meals and vegan degustation Opposite of carbohydrates in foods according to how menus, one thing is clear in Singapore’s F&B page, from they affect blood glucose. A low GI diet helps industry: Health is king. top Ah Chew reduce the risk of diabetes, which often leads The focus on health and wellness has been Yong Tau to cardiovascular diseases including high a running theme in consumer food trends for Foo at Food Republic blood pressure and increased cholesterol a number of years, and it is one that shows no offers healthy levels,” shares a spokesperson from Food signs of abating. In fact, food trend watchers 500-calorie Republic. are predicting a continued strong demand meals; from consumers for healthier meals and Another healthier products. healthy option A HEALTHIER RANGE at Food With consumers becoming more health- Global food and restaurant consultancy Republic: conscious, home-grown brands such as Lam Baum + Whiteman declared in its recent Thosai with Soon, Kang Kang Noodles, Sunshine Bakeries, annual trend report that plant-based foods vegetable- Magnolia, and Ayam Brand, have adapted to is set to be the trend of the year in 2018. The based dip include a healthier range of products to cater report also added that another innovation at Saravana Bhava to consumers’ needs, and to stay relevant in orginating from the clean and green trend will the market. be the rise of the vegetable butcher. So don’t Top Kang Noticing an increasing demand for whole be surprised when your local butcher offers Kang grain and high fibre products in Singapore, you some vegetable-based salami, plant-based wholegrain Naturel, a brand under Lam Soon Group, charcuterie or imitation barbecue ribs at your hokkien noodle bowl launched a range of organic and wholegrain next visit.
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