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

Copyright all rights reserved

The dynamic and irascible Travelling Gourmet TM goes to…

MILLIONAIRES’ Row in a quiet exclusive suburb of sunny Singapore called Siglap.

Friends in high places…

I have friends in high…and low places worldwide…and many of those in high places live here in huge bungalows with equally huge swimming pools.
In affluent Siglap, you will find the sparkling new restaurant of my friend, Chef Pung. aptly called...Tasty Court. There are those who say independent restaurants are good, and hotel restaurants are bad, and then there are those who say hotel restaurants are good, and independent restaurants are bad. As The Travelling Gourmet TM, I humbly and respectfully say: “There are good and bad restaurants EVERYWHERE ! As an independent restaurant…I found

TASTY Court is very well designed with a bright, cheerful ambience with large rectangular mirrors framed by multi-coloured Peranakan tiles. Three diamond shaped glittering chandeliers dangle from the ceiling. The ‘aura’ and ‘feng shui’ if this place is very conducive to enjoying a good meal! It is like that classic Beach Boys’ song “Good Vibrations!” Chef Pung welcomed me warmly. Chef Pung has a happy aura and is modest and humble despite his skill. He was at SAFRA Toa Payoh previously.

I sat down at a square wood-edged marble table…sipping my soothing Chrysanthemum tea, it was not long before the delicious delights arrived…The restaurant was quite full despite it being a Monday…normally a quiet day in restaurants.

The Hare Cho/Shrimp Beignet is really crispy and tasty made with prawns, there are actual chunks of fresh prawn meat inside! So yummie with batons of carrot, cucumber and daikon…refreshingly pickled of course.

Sustainable seafood is ‘de rigeur’ nowadays…and so the Chicken Stock Fish Maw Soup with goodies like braised and slightly crunchy Fish Maw was most satisfying…and NO shark’s fin! A good hot soup can be a meal in itself, I always say.

And the shark has, pretty teeth dear…

Oh mein Gott! FLAMING Chicken is for the pyromaniac in you wahahahah! I love it! Tender moist chicken with no red blood in the bone and joints and a crispy skin with a potato crisp-crunch for a stimulating texture contrast. Eating is believing…

Do not miss succulent LANGOUSTINE in a sexy creamy, cheesy sauce! Yum! Yum! Nom! Nom! Not overcooked and delicious on the palate…heavenly.

As The Travelling Gourmet TM I am very honoured to call many Chefs my good friends. To a man, top, top Chefs like mes amis, eminent Paul Bocuse, Tetsuya Wakuda, Heinz Beck, Anne-Sophie Pic (the rose among the thorns), kind and good hearted Hubertus Real, Georges Blanc, Raül Balam Ruscadela and more, they are as humble as they are skilful, creative and talented!

Comrades-in-arms

Chef Pung of Tasty Court, The Travelling Gourmet TM and Executive Chef Eric of the Intercontinental Hotel

As for the poseurs and crackpots like oliver, lawson and ramsay…Les hommes ne vivraient pas longtemps en société s’ils n’étaient les dupes les uns des autres. It means from the French, “Men would not live long in society if they were not the dupes of one another.” Le mérite, que le monde ne récompense qu’à la mesure de ses apparences. Imbeciles are best ignored. Do NOT waste your hard earned money on over-pretentious, over-rated, over-Yahya-Papaya horrible restaurants like ‘burnt ends’ (YUCKS!) where everything is burnt and nobody takes your phone calls with incredibly bad service! Better for you to come to a place where people genuinely welcome you…where good food served a la minute makes you happy…

like Tasty Court in “Millionaires’ Row” Siglap…a really good independent restaurant. Come here soon. You will be glad you came 🙂

To eat is a necessity but to eat intelligently is an art – Dr. Michael Lim is The Travelling Gourmet TM:-)

Tasty Court By Chef Pung,

1 Figaro St,

Siglap

Singapore 458322

Tel: +65 6538 3533 Reservations recommended, especially on Fri and Sat for dinner