When I serve someone something, I can see them have a food orgasm right in front of me. The reactions I see, like “Oh my God!” or “Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t”— it’s so funny.
I was inspired to set up Preparazzi when a friend of mine was thinking of holding a dinner party, but didn’t have time to fully prepare everything. Plus she didn’t want to go through the hassle of cooking. She did know how to operate an oven, though, so I designed a menu for her and helped marinate meats, packed food in foil and so on. everything was labeled with numbers so all she had to do was follow instructions and the sequence of throwing things in the oven.
I don’t really like the restaurant business. You’d love to come up with a menu full of as many different creations as possible, but you can’t. You have to stick to a standard menu because people are gonna come in and say, “eh! I liked this dish. Why’d you take it out?”
I can tell you how much people will eat based on the timing of an event; based on the profile of guests, I can also tell you how much they’ll drink and whether or not you should do a sit-down dinner.
My experience at Diner en Blanc was amazing. To anyone who can get a ticket: go for it, it’s totally worth the hassle. everyone dresses in white, there’s this whole sense of camaraderie, you share food with others, giant kites are flying everywhere, there are performers on stilts—the feeling is surreal. It made me look at Singapore differently, kinda like seeing your dowdy girl-next-door with make-up for the first time.
I hate writing menus. I just want to write words like fish and chicken. This is a lasagna, but there are two different types of sauces in it: one is a ragu with béchamel, and the other is made differently with another sauce and tomato reduction. All these are slow-roasted tomatoes, this is pesto, and the cheese mixture is a combination of four different types of cheese…who gives a sh*t? Come on! It’s lasagna!
I’m intimidated by all these hipster cafes that are everywhere. I go in and I’m like “Oh sh*t, I’m wearing the wrong watch! I’m in Sperrys…crap! I should’ve worn another T-shirt. Ahhh! My shirt has a collar!”
Fine dining with the Monte Carlo feel and fine silverware doesn't exist in Singapore anymore—which is great. Now we have more places doing cutting-edge cuisine in a smart-casual environment, like [new Mod Sin places] Labyrinth and Ujong.
Mod Sin cuisine is very important. It can’t be that Singapore’s already 50 years old and the dishes that still define us are chicken rice and chili crab. Yes, those are important, but you and I were brought up eating burgers and pizza. There are so many cupcake shops here, and you say that cupcakes aren’t part of our national culinary identity? I’ll tell you that’s bullsh*t. There are as many cupcake shops as there are soya bean places. Mod Sin is necessary to help us expand the definition of Singapore’s culinary identity.
I love buying art and I love antiques. It’s important to support people who make life beautiful. I love the romance of finding something that had a past life, like a 1,000 year old teacup that an emperor used.
I am a functional extrovert. I think I’m still an introvert at heart. In my own time, I’d rather stay at home with a bucket of fried chicken, a tub of ice cream, a bag of popcorn and watch cartoons the whole day.
When I’m done with my business, I want to work part-time at McDonald’s, I want to be a retail assistant at Louis Vuitton and I want to be a yoga instructor.
What annoys me is people not taking the time to appreciate the beauty of things, especially if it’s out of the norm. The moth invasion we have now, for example. People are so scared of it. All you see on Facebook are posts like “Moth in lift C. Do not go into Lift C.” We don’t get experiences like that often, where nature comes that much closer, you know?
Many people think I’m metrosexual or gay, but I’m actually very, very straight.
Advertisement
Weish
Listen to: "Not a Day"
Perfect if your hear's always in the clouds, or if you're traveling solo and doing the whole Eat, Pray, Love thing. Her dreamy tunes feature quirky mixes from her ukulele and looper.
Celina Kimble
Listen to: "Illusion"
Pop's the way to go for this up-and-coming singer. Some songs are piano-driven, while others are accompanied by heavy dance beats.
The Voodoo Sound
Listen to: "S.O.N"
Their influences include Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park, with the occasional injection of traditional ethnic rhythms (classic Indian for example).
LGF
Listen to: "m.e.s.s.u.u.p (Mess You Up)"
LGF does a mix of English, CHinese songs; but all are generally dance-y and heavy on the electronic beats.
Jonathan Meur
Listen to: "Strangers in Motion"
A fusion of folk, pop, rock and classical. Loads of easy-listening tracks for that slow Sunday drive.
Read what local musicians, record labels and promoters have to say about the city's music scene.
Advertisement
The second and larger branch of Jewel Coffee is a two story facility outfitted with cool metallic ceiling fixtures. The place puts out great coffee, from standards like the long black ($5.50) to less common cold drip manual brews like the Portland ($7) ice coffee. There are also cocktails including a refreshing white peach sangria ($16) made with sauvignon blanc. To eat, find a menu of hearty burgers such as Praise the Lard ($18), which is topped with bacon jam and apple slices, as well as lighter bites like the yogurt bowl with fruits and homemade granola ($9).
Simple and unpretentious, this popular all-day dining spot offers bites like breakfast sandwiches, banana and peanut butter toasties and salads for those who prefer their greens. Pair your dishes with their locally-roasted coffee.
The place serves genuinely good grub, like the juicy Aussie steak sarnie on rye, stuffed to the brim and dripping with mushrooms and onions, or the perfectly seasoned chicken sandwich packed with guacamole and bacon. They also serve coffee, fresh orange or apple juice and a soup of the day.
Boasting waterfront views of the Singapore River, this coffee house makes for a perfect hangout on a lazy Sunday morning. Highlights of the coffee menu include the piccolo latte and the Rodyk blend.
The alluring aroma of coffee welcomes you as the door is swung open. Inspired by typical Melbournian cafés, coffee, food, people, service and music are the focus. We recommend Darling Eggs or salami ciabatta for lunch—do come early though, it’s a popular place.
Need we say more? This hugely popular chain of course whips up a mean breakfast. They have a kaya toast set and butter sugar toast set and soft‑boiled eggs, and loads more.
Advertisement
We think it'd be entirely possible to polish off a box of 30 wings from 4Fingers. They come in two choices: soy garlic and spicy, but we really can't decide which we like better. Go for a mix ($7.90 for six pieces).
Choose flavors like crispy (original), honey BBQ and "Buay Tahan" (spicy) ($9.90 for 4 pieces). This is Beer Market, so keep an eye out for cheap beer deals.
Try the Skinny Wings ($6.80) here. They're half of a regular mid joint chicken wing, but so full of flavor.
Lots of excellent bar grub to choose from here at Ice Cold Beer, but do yourself a favor and don't skip the chicken wings ($12 for three pieces and $18 for six pieces).
This list wouldn't be complete without the Swedish furniture giant. Its juicy wings go for $2.80 for two pieces and $7.50 for six pieces.
Sure, this gastrobar puts out excellent glammed up versions of our local hawker fare, like Hokkien mee and nasi lemak, but don't forget to order yourself a plate of chicken wings ($15 for five pieces)—you won't regret it.
Um, unlikely contender? But we do have to say they make some pretty damn good honey paprika crispy wings ($10).
The legendary prawn paste chicken wings here are extremely addictive ($12 for half a dozen). Grab a beer to top it all off.
Think you can handle the heat? Take up this eatery's spicy buffalo wings challenge and choose from levels one to 35. Be warned: the spicier they are, the more expensive they get. Prices range from $20 for half a dozen and $32 for a dozen, and it increases by a dollar with every level up.
Awesome live music, beer and some deep fried chicken wings ($13, marinated in Timbre's top-secret seasoning)—the perfect combination.
Advertisement
