Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet TM

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The energetic and debonair Travelling Gourmet TM goes to a remote part of sunny Singapore to…

MEGA Shopping Center called Waterway Point in Ponggol! I was impressed with this place that just opened for business on January 18, 2016. This makes it Singapore’s NEWEST Shopping and Dining Mecca for the food lover and shopaholic. I must confess to being a lover of fine food and winsome wines but as for being a shopaholic…The only drawback is that it is very far off the beaten track in the “boondocks”… Never mind, there is always the good ol’ MRT…if the poor quality China trains do not break down that it…

My challenge (how I hate that word!) was to try the specialities of SIX different Food and Beverage places in 2 and a half hours! My very first stop was at a Japanese restaurant…

OSAKA OHSO!

I liked the plump Gyoza filled with Pork, Cabbage and Ginger! Gyoza made with minced chicken just does not taste the same! Other Japanese specialities like Udon tittilated my palate for more food…Itada Ki Mas!

11:52 The next stop…Good Morning Vietnam! So Pho for Vietnamese cuisine…My good friends like Green Beret Colonel Roger Donlon used to fight the evil Viet Cong in the dense jungles of Vietnam…but I love Vietnamese food. Col. Donlon was the first winner of the Medal of Honour in Vietnam, America’s highest military honour. He was credited will killing over 200 Vietcong that attacked his Special Forces Camp in Nam Dong…single handedly.

Pho Bo with its appetizing broth is so goood! I can never get enough f the silky koay-teow like noodles and the thin slices of tender beef…Mmm…Pinewood tables and chairs with square “Nyonya” terracotta tiles on the floor and a bright cheery ambience was to my liking. Two lady chefs from Vietnam were in the kitchen when I went to check it out. I asked them, “…have you got real “nuoc mam”? They replied, enthusiastically nodding their heads, “Có!”. Có means yes in Vietnamese. Try also the Dory Fish on a hot plate served in the Hanoi Style. I love “nuoc mam” I have a secret stash specially made for me by my friend, a Vietnamese lady in Saigon. I refuse to use ‘Ho Chi Minh’ city as I am not a communist! My friends in the US and Allied Special Forces fought and killed the evil Vietcong and NVA in the steamy and deadly jungles…

12:15 Dian Xiao Er. This is a comfort food Chinese “Tea House” restaurant popular with families,and the older “I must have RICE” generation…I like the view of the scenic bridge which has no official name so I call it “Ponggol Bridge”. Dian Xiao Er is a local Singapore start-up. A big Junk is on display. Tender, moist and oh la la-succulent herbal Roast Duck is the speciality “must-savour’ dish here. I loathe and detest that asinine goodndoo phrase “die-die must try”. When you are dead you cannot try or eat anything. Bloedsinnig! Two sauces to enhance the flavour of the gamey duck meat are “Ten Herb Wonder” made with Tang Kui, Bai Shao and other Top Secret herbs, as well as aphrosidiacal Wild Ginseng with that unmistable taste and aroma of Ginseng. Porcelain ware here is the Luzern brand, which, despite its name, is made in China. Other tempting treats include Fried Cod Fish (delightfully crisp outside, tender and moist inside), and Salted Duck Egg Lotus Root which packs a spicy kick.

12:50 La vie est belle in “The French Table” n’est pas? One of the classic dishes I was trained to make when I trained at the famous Lenotre Culinary School in Paris, France, was quintessential Confit de Canard. You may be horrified to learn that the duck is cooked in duck fat…before being roasted to a perfect crispiness outside! You can enjoy this dish here and the fork-tender duck is well done. My friend, Nelson Chua, is the Chef and Kitchen Director. Nelson confided proudly, “The French Table…we are the biggest importer of French Duck Legs in Singapore! The other popular dish is Crab Meat Pasta. The cuisine here is French with a marked Japanese influence. baked Unagi and Foie Gras was an unusual combination. A comforting pizza is the Pizza Al Fungi with mushrooms and liberally dosed with oh so aromatic Truffle Oil! For the sweet, Chef Nelson made Poached Pear with Honey Yoghurt…garnished with Physalis Berry and sprinkled with Brunoise of Strawberries and Blueberries!

13:37 Grove Vegetarian…for the VEGAN in you. YES! It is all vegetarian and many claim that a “green” diet is more healthy and you can live longer. I have no quarrels with that viewpoint even though like most, I am an omnivore!

More to follow…