“Street food in Singapore is not something you burn or deep-fry. It’s fairly complex. They take six hours just to prepare a meal to get it ready at 10am or 11am.”
The idea for the food hall was born when Seetoh met late US celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in 2013 in Singapore at a street food event. Bourdain was enthusiastic about the idea of a New York hawker market.Seetoh, who has been dubbed the “Guru of Grub” by CNN, later approached Eldon Scott, president of Urbanspace, a property manager who curates immersive public markets, who quickly agreed.“The amazing thing about him saying yes was that he’s never been to Singapore,” Seetoh said.
Singapore food gets a boost in US thanks to Anthony Bourdain, Crazy Rich Asians
Seetoh hopes that this hawker centre will be the first of many in the country.
“It’s just like exporting grandmother’s deliciousness, the food that I grew up with,” he said.
“Food was good but something was missing without plastic plates, cutlery, and sweltering heat,” said Magdalene Sim, a Singaporean, on social media. “The queues were the same though.”
Customer Julie Lee, on her third visit, raved about Hainan Jones’ chicken over rice. “Everyone should give it a try. So much flavour, so tender,” she said.
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