| FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 | THE STRAITS TIMES | happenings life C5 FOOD Tan Hsueh Yun Food Editor recommends PROMOTIONS PORK SATAY GOES LEGIT chunkier bite, to be sure, and most Man Fu Yuan’s New Menu Picks People here talk very casually about people will not complain. Man Fu Yuan has introduced new appetisers, soups hawkers. When we do that, we’re I won’t either. Not when I dunk the and mains to accompany its traditional favourites. referring to people who operate in satay into the thick peanut sauce Highlights include Kung Fu Soup ($38) – double-boiled hawker or food centres. with a big dollop of fresh pineapple sakura chicken, abalone, maca and morel mushrooms Food Ah Pui – real name Ang Boon Ee – puree in the middle. Then crunch, was a hawker in the true sense of QQ, tartness and spice meld and served in a tea pot – and Chilled Fanny Bay Oysters in the word. The 64-year-old used to make magic. hua diao wine, ikura and bonito ($24 for three pieces). ply the streets of Tiong Bahru with If you are very lucky, you might see There are also reinvented dishes like braised beef short rib his pushcart, selling pork satay. Mr Ang tending to the grill himself. served with wild mushrooms and spicy sauce in lotus leaf He kept getting busted, of course. Otherwise, he is in the kitchen, ($68). Pair the food with quality wines from renowned This is Singapore after all. prepping satay, cutting pieces of regions or nine premium teas. My friends and I would have him pork off a huge chunk. WHERE: Man Fu Yuan, Level 2 InterContinental Singapore, grill satay at house parties and it I go to the cafe just for the pork 80 Middle Road MRT: Bugis WHEN: Lunch: noon - 3pm was always the highlight of our satay, but am persuaded to try the (weekdays), 11.30am - 3pm (weekends & public holidays); meals. His satay – he does only pork Pincho Sate Chicken ($9 for 10 dinner: 6 - 10pm daily; closed on Mondays TEL: 6825-1008 – is nonpareil. sticks), with a very perky INFO: E-mail [email protected] or go to Since August last year, he has chimichurri drizzle. singapore.intercontinental.com/dine-drink/man-fu-yuan joined a group of entrepreneurs who There are pasta dishes on the run a cafe in Pearl’s Hill Terrace, a menu too, done by Mr Sebastian Liu, Saint Pierre Unveils New Seasonal laid-back enclave perched on top of 37, who used to work for the Les Set Lunch Menu a hill. It used to house the Amis Group. Mr Tan offers an array of French fine-dining restaurant Saint Pierre has operational headquarters of the Nanyang-style coffee drinks. a new lunch menu that features Japanese and Singapore Police Force. Many people talk about French ingredients. Chef Emmanuel Stroobant uses One of the people behind the cafe, preserving hawker culture and Mr Benjamin Tan, 38, used to live in lament when stellar hawkers retire. ingredients like Niigata maitake mushroom, Chiba Tiong Bahru and was a regular Instead of just talking and kinmedai snapper and Sollies fig. The three-course set customer. They became friends and lamenting, the people who run the lunch is priced at $128 a person, with a choice of second Mr Tan persuaded Mr Ang to join him cafe – Mr Tan, Mr Liu, Mr Maurice Goh starter, main and dessert (wine is at an additional $60). and his partners. So now, there is no and Mr Melvin Tay – did something The four-course set costs $158, with a first and second need for hawking on the streets. about it. They persuaded Mr Ang to starter, main and dessert (wine is an extra $80). Mr Ang has a legit gig. join them and, in the process, are Diners can also get the cheese supplement at Is his pork satay still as good? introducing his pork satay an additional $28. It is still the best I have ever had. to a new audience. WHERE: Saint Pierre, 02-02B One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton But it is different from what it used Plus, fans like me can have this Road MRT: Raffles Place WHEN: 11.30am - 3pm (last to be. phenomenal pork satay almost seating: 1.30pm); three-course set is available from The special thing about his pork anytime we want. Wed - Fri, four-course from Wed - Sat TEL: 6438-0887 satay ($9 for 10 sticks) is the strip of Thank you. INFO: E-mail [email protected] fat in between the pieces of meat. WHAT: 195 Pearl Hill Cafe, 01-56, He grills it so expertly that the fat 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace MRT: Outram New Pizza Flavours At Extra Virgin Pizza has a QQ texture. OPEN: 11am to 5pm (Mondays to New combinations include the Angry Prawn ($28) The pork pieces used to be Saturdays), closed on Sundays with a spicy arrabbiata sauce layered with mozza smaller, so the fat stood out more. and public holidays TEL: 9748-9904 and parmigiano topped with fresh prawns, onions and Now, there’s a bit more pork. It’s a INFO: www.est1930.co diced jalapeno for the extra kick; and Chicken Pesto ($28), which features the restaurant’s housemade pistachio pesto sauce topped with smoked chicken, roasted onions and cherry tomatoes. Lighter or vegetarian options PHOTOS: TAN HSUEH YUN, include Burrata Pie ($30), topped with scamorza, MIM’S FABULOUS sauteed onions, crushed pistachios and a drizzle of truffle PIES honey; and Impossible Meatball ($29), served with mozza and fresh basil. Orders for pickups and delivery can be made at order.extravirginpizza.com. City-area delivery is available via Deliveroo, Foodpanda and GrabFood. WHERE: Extra Virgin Pizza, 01-04 Asia Square Tower 1, 8 Marina View MRT: Marina Bay WHEN: Dine-in: 11am - 9.30pm (weekdays), 5 - 9pm (weekends); closed on public holidays; delivery & takeaway: 11am - 9.30pm (weekdays), noon - 9pm (weekends & public holidays) TEL: 8299-4219 INFO: www.extravirginpizza.com OverEasy’s New Family Feast Delivery Packages And Weekend All-Day Brunch American diner OverEasy has launched new delivery packages designed for sharing. For groups of four to five, Extravaganza ($168) includes signature classics such as Beer Can Chicken, Truffled Lobster Mac & Cheese, Spicy Buffalo Wings, a choice of any two signature OverEasy burgers with fries and salad. Groups of two to three can go for OverEasy’s Family Feast ($98), which comes with HERITAGE ROLLS clean-up is a breeze. More THE LIVES OF PIE bitter at all. This one is available this Beer Can Chicken, Baby Back Ribs, sweet potato fries, Life is too short for bad food. importantly, I taste the rolls, not oil. Mimi Lee’s double-crusted pies have month and next. If you eat beef, this coleslaw and salad. All-day brunch is also now available via And I often look to friends whose The Original Pork & Prawn Ngoh been around since 2001 and I had is a must-order. delivery. The double-decked Pastrami Sandwich ($20) has palates I trust to steer me in the Hiang (top, $25 for 20 rolls) is forgotten how good they were until The Steak & Mushroom pie ($9 tender slices of slow-cooked beef with tart sauerkraut and direction of food that’s worth delicious and I love how the chunks I had them again recently. frozen) is good too, don’t get me oozy gruyere and is slathered with OverEasy’s special eating. of water chestnut add texture, and In these Covid-19 times, wrong. But the Guinness deepens sauce. The Hangover Part IV ($28) is packed with the When two of them rave about Cai’s how pungent Chinese celery adds home-based food businesses are the flavour of the stew. signature Wagyu chuck blend patty, a sunny-side-up ngoh hiang, well, I just have to try it. funk. Dip the rolls in Cai’s Sambal springing up like mushrooms after Classic Chicken ($8 frozen), filled farmhouse egg, streaky smoked bacon, breakfast rosti Three siblings – Irwin, Amanda and Belacan ($10 for a 180g jar). rain and I am glad she has revived with boneless chicken leg meat, is and red cheddar. Charmaine Chua – are behind the It is spicy, but I would like more her business. easy to like because the meat is not WHEN: Noon - 8.30pm (Tue - Sun) business and they have successfully belacan in it. I cannot imagine the work it takes dried out and the creamy gravy is so INFO: order.overeasy.com.sg/en_SG come up with a recipe that combines The Mala Pork & Prawn Ngoh Hiang to make shortcrust pastry from comforting on a rainy day. the best of the ngoh hiang their (above, $26 for 20 rolls) needs no scratch, but that’s the promise you The Vegetable pie ($7 frozen) is LeVeL33’s New Menu Supports grandmothers make. sauces. It is perfect eaten right out of get when you order one of her pies. filled with potato, pumpkin, I also love how obsessively neat the toaster oven. That numbing, tingly The pastry is made with French zucchini and mushroom. I will say, Local Producers the finger-sized meat rolls are, and vibe infuses each roll, but they are not butter too. grudgingly, that it is much better Highlights include Ah Hua Kelong Seafood Bouillabaisse, gasp with delight when I open the blow-your-head-off hot. Customers can order the pies than I expect it to be. comprising local mussels, prawns, clams and fish boxes. Nuance is everything. baked (80 cents more) or frozen. One thing very worth noting is this: delivered fresh daily from Ah Hua Kelong (from $28); Now, the traditional way is to WHAT: Cai Ngoh Hiang & Sambal I get mine frozen and simply brush Ms Lee’s pies are double-crusted Local Barramundi from Kuhlbarra, inspired by deep-fry the rolls, which are already ORDERING INFO: Look for @cai.eats them with beaten egg before but do not suffer that ultimate the hawker dish of grilled stingray ($36); steamed before being frozen.