Some Singapore chefs are using more local produce

On home ground
Whether it is to save the planet or because the food tastes better, some chefs are using more local produce
Huang Lijie, Straits Times 25 Jan 09;

A modern European restaurant, FiftyThree, which opened in Armenian Street last Monday, is the latest 'local' hero on the fine-dining scene.

Take its delicious salad of tomato, watermelon and strawberry dressed in a hibiscus reduction.

It is not just the taste that will make you go wow but also where the chef has sourced the hibiscus in it.

Chef Michael Han, 31, who helms the $1.2-million FiftyThree, saw potential in hibiscus blooms growing on a farm here, and used them in his dish.

It is one of several dishes on the menu that use ingredients grown locally.

His is the latest restaurant here taking part in a 'home-grown' success story (see separate story).

In doing so, the chefs are participating in the popular international local food movement, which has been around for about 40 years.

This is a way of eating that encourages the consumption of things grown on nearby farms using environment-friendly methods to sustain the ecosystem.

A pioneer of the phenomenon is well-known American chef Alice Waters, whose interest in using fresh, locally grown ingredients in her cooking saw her marry French cooking techniques with ingredients grown near her California restaurant, Chez Panisse.

It is a 'green' gastronomic consciousness that is gaining currency here too, slowly but surely, despite Singapore being more a concrete jungle than farming hinterland.

The motivation for chefs to jump on the bandwagon includes access to fresher, tastier ingredients that spend a shorter time in transit from farm to table, and greater affordability compared to expensive imported produce.

Farmers here - mostly based in the less-urbanised north-western part of the island - whom LifeStyle interviewed say they have noticed a recent spike in inquiries from chefs who are keen to feature their produce on restaurant menus.

Egg farm Chew's Agriculture in Lim Chu Kang, for example, has received 20 per cent more calls from interested chefs in the last two months, says its sales manager, Mr Tan Swee Teck.

Similarly, aeroponic vegetable farm Aero-Green Technology in Lim Chu Kang saw the number of restaurants to which it supplies salad greens double last year, from 15 to 30.

Dr Tan Kok Kheng, 61, director of mushroom farm Mycofarm in Yio Chu Kang, attributes the increased enthusiasm among chefs here for its pesticide-free mushrooms to the chefs' increasing environmental awareness.

He says: 'A lot of restaurants today are run by educated chefs who are well informed on global concerns and are concerned not just about making money but also ensuring that the food they serve their customers is wholesome.'

For FiftyThree's Han, the inspiration to incorporate - as much as possible - locally grown ingredients in the restaurant's dishes came from dining at British restaurant Acorn House.

The acclaimed London restaurant uses seasonal produce which it sources from local farms that have environment-friendly farming practices. Its dedication to 'sustainable' - as it is called - dining also means the restaurant does not use air-flown ingredients. This is because flying them guzzles fossil fuel and results in the emission of greenhouse gases.

For chef Willin Low, 36, of three- year-old restaurant Wild Rocket in Upper Wilkie Road, the inspiration to use local produce such as Mycofarm's hiratake black oyster mushroom in its mushroom fettucine in white truffle oil was sparked by a visit to Alice Water's Chez Panisse.

And when jackfruit trees growing near Wild Rocket were laden with fruit last year, he plucked them and used them in a jackfruit, feta cheese pancake he created specially for its Sunday brunch menu.

He says: 'It makes sense to use local produce whenever possible because you get them fresher and in abundance.'

Indeed, for some restaurateurs and chefs, the decision to adopt Localism was borne mainly from considerations of taste rather than virtuous ideas of saving the planet.

Madam Cecilia See, 46, manager of Tekong Seafood Restaurant in Changi Village Road, for example, says the restaurant began serving quail from Lian Wah Hang Farm in Lim Chu Kang about 10 years ago because it represents the cuisine they serve - rustic Singaporean cuisine.

She says: 'Deep-fried quail and stir-fried quail in curry sauce are common dishes eaten on Pulau Tekong, so we wanted to serve them at the restaurant. And fresh quail tastes much better than frozen imports.'

The restaurant also serves mostly fish caught by fishermen from waters in the region, such as garoupa, red snapper and golden pomfret.

In these cash-strapped times, serving local produce, which may be cheaper than imports, has also become increasingly appealing for restaurateurs.

Ms Barbara Chin, 39, owner of vegetarian restaurant LivinGreens in Beach Road, says its switch from Australian salad greens to those grown locally by Aero-Green Technology, which are cheaper by 20 to 50 per cent, has resulted in savings for the restaurant.

She adds: 'The locally grown lettuce doesn't lose out in taste to the imported ones we used to serve.'

Recent global food scares such as the melamine-tainted milk from China, coupled with the stringent inspections conducted by the Singapore food safety regulatory body, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) on farms here, have also boosted confidence in the quality of local produce.

Madam See of Tekong Seafood Restaurant, says: 'We don't have to worry about the safety of the quails we serve because we know AVA is very strict with its checks on the farms.'

Still, for a country that imports more than 90 per cent of its food, promoting Localism can be a challenge for chefs here.

For practitioners of the food movement, 'local' can mean anything from a narrow foodshed around one's own home to a radius spanning 240km.

Another challenge, says chef Oscar Pasinato, 38, of contemporary restaurant Buko Nero in Tanjong Pagar Road, is getting consumers to embrace local produce.

He says: 'We switched to using Mycofarm mushrooms in 2006 and we buy our fish fresh, directly from fishermen at the Senoko fish port.

'We take a lot of pride in letting our customers know where the ingredients come from, but there are some who think that if you serve local produce, you are giving them cheap food and overcharging them for it.'

One enlightened diner, however, is lawyer Wendy Teo, 36, who tries to pursue an environmentally friendly lifestyle such as driving a hybrid-fuel car.

She says: 'People usually pay a premium for imported produce because of its branding more than its taste and quality. So, I try to eat at restaurants such as Wild Rocket, which practise an environmentally conscious way of eating through using locally grown ingredients.'

Grow Locally
Straits Times 25 Jan 09;

If you are looking to try tasty, locally grown produce, try these eateries.

FiftyThree

Where: 53 Armenian Street, tel: 6334-5535

Open: Noon to 2pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, 7 to 9pm, Mondays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays

What: Allow your tastebuds to be tantalised by its inventive modern European cuisine, which tries to incorporate - as much as possible - locally grown produce such as mangosteens. These appear in the dish chocolate pave (above) which consists of Manjari dark chocolate and Tanariva milk chocolate, roasted Jerusalem artichoke, roasted buckwheat, mangosteen and Indian Alfonso mango sorbet, on the six-course dinner menu ($190).


Whitebait & Kale

Where: 1 Orchard Boulevard, Camden Medical Centre, 01-01, tel: 6333-8697 Open: Noon to 2pm and 7 to 9pm, Mondays to Saturdays; 10am to 4pm, Sundays

What: In addition to using locally grown Mycofarm mushrooms in various dishes, the contemporary restaurant is big on using seasonal ingredients and produce from overseas farms with eco-friendly practices.

Wild Rocket

Where: 10A Upper Wilkie Road, Hangout Hotel, tel: 6339-9448

Open: Noon to 3pm and 6.30 to 11pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11.30am to 3pm and 6.30 to 10.30pm, Sundays; closed on Mondays

What: Taste Mycofarm's hiratake black oyster mushrooms in its mushroom fettucine in white truffle oil ($18.50, above), and Mycofarm's Pioppino mushrooms atop its ribeye steak ($31.50).


Prive

Where: 2 Keppel Bay Vista, Marina at Keppel Bay, tel: 6776-0777

Open: 11.30am to 3pm, weekdays, 6 to 11.30pm, Mondays to Saturdays; closed Sundays

What: Mycofarm's mushrooms are used in its mushroom linguine with white wine cream sauce ($18)


Ichiban Sushi

Where: Various outlets, including 238 Thomson Road, Novena Square, 02-13/14, tel: 6255-7767

Open: 11.30am to 10pm daily

What: Uses low-cholesterol, vitamin E-enriched eggs from egg farm Chew's Agriculture in Lim Chu Kang in all egg dishes, such as its chawanmushi (steamed egg custard, $3.90, below).


Buko Nero

Where: 126 Tanjong Pagar Road, tel: 6324-6225

Open: Noon to 2.30pm, Fridays and Saturdays, 6.30 to 9.30pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays; closed on Mondays and Sundays

What: Mycofarm mushrooms are found in the tau kwa (beancurd) tower ($17.50) and in its range of pastas ($21 to $26).


O'Briens

Where: Various outlets, including 293 Holland Rd, 01-05/06 Cold Storage Jelita Shopping Centre, tel: 6219-7246

Open: 8am to 9.30pm daily

What: The gourmet sandwich bar switched from salad greens from Australia and Malaysia to Aero-Green Technology's locally grown vegetables 18 months ago. The greens are found in its wraps, salads and sandwiches, such as tuna and egg sandwich ($9.90, above).


Ya Kun

Where: Various outlets, including 18 China Street, 01-01, tel: 6438-3638

Open: 7.30am to 7pm, weekdays; 8am to 5pm, weekends

What: Signature kaya (egg and coconut jam, bottom, left) which uses eggs from Chew's Agriculture in Lim Chu Kang.


Anjappar Authentic Chenttinaad Restaurant

Where: 76-78 Race Course Road and 102 Syed Alwi Road, tel: 6296-5545 and 6392-5545

Open: 11.30am to 10.30pm daily, and noon to midnight, daily

What: Roasted quail dish ($5.50) which uses birds from Lian Wah Hang Farm in Lim Chu Kang.


Tekong Seafood Restaurant

Where: Block 6 Changi Village Road, 01-2100, tel: 6542-8923

Open: 11am to 11.30pm daily

What: Its deep fried quail and stir-fried quail in curry are popular ($4 for each quail). The birds come from Lian Wah Hang Farm in Lim Chu Kang.