The fury of a woman scorned, preserving our hawker culture and Jason Atherton leaving Singapore—read on for a quick round-up of the city’s burgeoning (and dying) trends.
Timbre +
Hot: Timbre
Not: Hawkers
An exciting new 24,000 sq ft open-air food hall concept by the Timbre group launched last Friday at Ayer Rajah Crescent and it features a dream combination of hip eateries and local hawker stalls. Making the launch of Timbre+ a bigger deal is the comeback of veteran chef Damian D’Silva, who will be launching a new venture there.
But while our culinary scene is buzzing with exciting new openings, local hawker institutions like East Coast zi char stall Leng Heng Claypot Deluxe and Chinatown radish and yam cake stall Ah Lo Cooked Food are closing for good. And if that hasn’t made you appreciate our street food a little more, this viral video might change your mind.
i will no longer write for SPH as the editors there do not allow me freedom of speech. in fact, that was the reason why i posted the article on LKY would not want to be hero-worshipped
Posted by Lee Wei Ling on Thursday, March 31, 2016
Hot: Dr Lee Wei Ling
Not: Censorship
The internet was abuzz over the weekend when Dr Lee Wei Ling announced on her Facebook page that she will no longer write for The Straits Times as parts of her articles were edited out due to “sensitive issues”. This conscious uncoupling of Lee Kuan Yew’s fiery scion and our national newspaper comes as a (juicy) surprise, even with freedom of speech being a contentious issue in Singapore for years.
MacRitchie Reservoir, photo credit: Zaqqy J
Hot: Chestnut Park
Not: MacRitchie
The first phase of Chestnut Nature Park, Singapore’s newest green space, was officially launched last Saturday. The 17-hectare area will have separate hiking and biking trails spanning 2.1km and 1.6km respectively, while the full 81 hectare reserve will open by the end of the year. Ironically, it’s located next to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which was the subject of a debate about how the construction of the Cross Island MRT Line will affect its ecosystem.
Jason Atherton
Hot: Michelin-starred chefs
Not: Jason Atherton
The World Gourmet Summit, happening through Apr 24, is bringing top international chefs here for pop-up dining events and workshops. Coincidentally, Resorts World Sentosa is launching Curate, a restaurant featuring an ever-changing menu by Michelin-lauded chefs this month. In shocking news, celebrity chef Jason Atherton, who co-owned Esquina, Pollen, The Study and The Library, has left Singapore’s culinary scene. Said Unlisted Collection’s Loh Lik Peng in an Apr 1 Straits Times article, “It didn’t make sense for Jason to be here when he is also involved in our other businesses overseas. Singapore is too small an operation to sustain.”
