Fancy yourself some fantastically shot foodporn? Well ask and you shall receive. The minds behind Chef’s Table are back and bringing the foodie spotlight to the East, with a world premiere of all-new food documentary Street Food. From Apr 26, salivate over mouth-watering delicacies and touching human-interest stories that will thaw even the most frozen of hearts. Exclusively featuring street vendors in a nine-part series, this Netflix original hopes to bring every featured country’s culture and cuisine to life, by casting a light on the tales that go on behind the stove.
Each episode ventures into a different city: Bangkok, Osaka, Delhi, Yogyakarta, Chiayi, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Cebu and Singapore; exploring not only the most popular street eats of the country, but also documenting the toil behind each and every plate. The series celebrates each pair of skilled hands that have helped painstakingly build a culinary legacy; as the emotional journeys of our unsung food heroes are captured in gorgeous technicolour, you can almost smell the aroma of freshly cooked street grub, right from your screen.
And it’s a proud time for Singapore. Our little red dot gets its own episode highlighting our mishmash—or should we say, rojak—of street food cuisines. The episode will showcase four beloved dishes, including Putu Piring, Wanton Noodles, and of course, culture-shaping fundamentals Chicken Rice and Chili Crab. The hands behind these dishes are some of Singapore’s finest chefs with a knack for traditional tastes, such as the late Master Tang who was the former head chef of Crystal Jade, responsible for the delectable Wanton Noodles and its piquant accompanying XO chilli.
Hungry already? Here are five other food documentaries to get you through the pangs.
Interestingly enough, and much to the dismay of our brothers across the causeway, Malaysia was left out of the mix. Netizens took to the internet to express their disappointment—and understandably so, as many Malaysian nationals pride themselves on the nation’s seemingly boundless street hawkers; with some even going as far as to criticise the Singaporean food scene for not being deserving of the airtime.
As expected, they chose Singapore instead of Malaysia. I give up
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Other countries chosen:
India
Indonesia
Japan
Korea
Philippines
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam https://t.co/Evcn5Fw2At— Zurairi A.R. (@zurairi) 11 April 2019
Our street food is one of the best if not the best and Penang is known as food heaven for its variety of street food and it’s unbelievable Malaysia is not in there,poor guys from Netflix missed a golden opportunity to taste our food https://t.co/msp2SfZCe8
— Benedict Nayagam (@bennybigwise) 12 April 2019
Awkward. But if you can see past the absence of Malaysia in the line-up, Street Food hosts a well-balanced variety of cities, packed with an abundance of rich culture in every street. Each episode serves up a table full of ethnic delicacies and stories of perseverance through adverse situations. Make sure you’ve had a bite to eat before you pull this one up on Netflix, though.
Watch Street Food on Netflix, starting Apr 26.
