It’s always refreshing to get slapped in the face by numbers that shock. During a Save our Seafood Luncheon at Fairmont Singapore (80 Bras Basah Rd., 6339-7777), I was told that Singaporeans get through 100,000 tons of seafood a year. For a population of four million-ish, that works out to be roughly 25 kilos per head. Thanks to WWF Singapore (that’s World Wide Fund for Nature; no greasy, protein shake-guzzling, overgrown men with chicken legs were spotted) for the five course meal using only sustainable seafood, such as wild caught Australian coral trout and Sri Lankan mud crabs, as well as their handy seafood guides. Also in attendance was Aun Koh, aka Chubby Hubby, who even got up and gave a short speech about this important issue. If you feel passionately about the environment, or just want a good excuse to get all decked out in a penguin suit, these good folks are also throwing an exclusive charity dinner titled Saving our Seas 2010 on Nov 25 at Klapsons, The Boutique Hotel. To find out more, email [email protected].
In between chatting with charming chef Curtis Stone and garnering valuable information about my seafood, I managed to pop by Gaia Korean Restaurant (#03-10/12 Tower 1, Suntec City Mall, 3 Tamesek Boulevard, 6339-3313) for a quick but satisfying meal. The concept is simply home style Korean food. Many of the dishes are made from scratch by owner, Mrs. Oh. My picks are the lotus root slices braised in a sweet, sticky sauce (similar to the Shanghainese version but without the glutinous rice filling and osmanthus honey), a crisp-bottomed seafood pancake ($17) and marinated pork ribs ($15). Her ox bone soup ($16) is a milky-colored broth that’s been boiled for at least 24 hours and really speaks to my Cantonese roots.
