From famous popiah to traditional beef kway teow, food lovers can soon enjoy a series of well-loved local fare from around Singapore, served fresh by some of the city’s notable young hawkers at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. From 5 March 2021, the ‘Past Meets Future’ pop-up at Town celebrates the time-honoured hawker culture, renewed by the ingenuity, drive and passion of Singapore’s next-generation hawkers.
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore ‘Past Meets Future’ Pop-Up: Next-Generation Hawkers Creations
Following the recent inscription of Singapore’s Hawker Culture on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, this pop-up shines the spotlight on the dedicated individuals who play a pivotal role in preserving the legacy, while giving it a fresh lease of life for future generations to come.
Organised by The Fullerton Hotel Singapore’s Executive Chef Zacharie Ong, the collaboration brings next-generation hawkers together under one roof, each serving their specialty dish as part of Town’s free-flow Dinner Feast on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes a line-up of fresh seafood, Asian and Western signature dishes that are freshly prepared upon order and served directly to the table.
“The local hawker culture is a tradition which should be celebrated and preserved and we are delighted to showcase these inspiring young hawkers at Town,” said Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale, General Manager of The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts. “Heritage is key to our identity here at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, a historic national monument, and this is reflected across our culinary offerings. As part of our commitment to bring authentic, heritage-rich experiences to our guests, we also hope that this collaboration can garner more recognition and support for these truly well-deserving local businesses.”
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore ‘Past Meets Future’ Pop-Up: The Line-Up
Featuring a monthly showcase of different hawkers until August this year, the pop-up collaboration will kick off with four hawkers: Eat 3 Cuts, Authentic Hock Lam Street Popular Beef Kway Teow, Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah and Tree Coconut Nasi Lemak.
Eat 3 Cuts, Sharon Poon
Chef-owner Sharon Poon graduated in Economics from the National University of Singapore and worked at financial institutions before finding her calling in the culinary world. The 32-year old uses recipes handed down from her mentor, a roast meat master with over 35 years of experience in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Her signature Pipa Duck, named after the Chinese musical instrument it resembles, is sliced open and flattened pre-roasting, creating a larger surface area for even cooking and full flavour absorption. Using a six-hour marinating process and a traditional charcoal oven, the end result is incredibly crisp skin and juicy meat with a robust and smoky aroma.
Authentic Hock Lam Street Popular Beef Kway Teow, Edwin Tan
Edwin Tan is the fourth-generation owner of the century-old family business, which began with his Chinese immigrant great-grandfather, Tan Chee Kok. Joining the kitchen since the age of 18, Edwin has been cooking beef noodles for over two decades using his family’s time-honoured recipe.
Today, he runs the North Canal Road shop, serving the comforting dish in aromatic broth or gravy variations topped with crushed peanuts and pickled vegetables.
Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah, Michael Ker
45-year-old Michael Ker is the third-generation owner of the famed Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah, founded by his grandfather in 1938. After working as a pharmacist for nearly a decade and completing a mentorship programme at the Singapore General Hospital, he left his job in 2013 to take over the family’s popiah skin business.
Due to the complexity involved in making popiah skin, it took Michael a year to pick up the skill of making it from scratch, followed by another few years to fully master the delicate art. Michael’s popiah is distinguished by the use of freshly made popiah skin, which lends a supple bite that complements the contrasting textures of the filling within.
Tree Coconut Nasi Lemak, Charlene Ong
26-year old Charlene Ong is a Biomedical Science graduate from the University of Queensland. After completing her studies abroad, she decided to open her own Chinese-style nasi lemak stall in Jalan Berseh Food Centre, with the aim of reviving the legacy of her semi-retired father who used to run the popular Simpang Bedok Nasi Lemak.
The young hawkerpreneur’s version is popular amongst regular customers for its rich and fragrant, yet noticeably light and fluffy, coconut rice that pairs perfectly with a sweet sambal chilli and satisfyingly crunchy, freshly fried chicken wings.
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore ‘Past Meets Future’ Pop-Up: Make A Date
The ‘Past Meets Future’ Dinner Feast at Town is priced at S$69* per adult and S$35* per child^ on Fridays and Saturdays, 6.30 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.
The standard Dinner Feast at Town (which does not include ‘Past Meets Future’ dishes) is priced at S$62* per adult and S$31* per child^ on Thursdays, 6.30 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.
For reservations, please contact Dining Reservations at (65) 6877 8911/8912 or email [email protected].
*Prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes. ^Children from 6 to 11 years old.
