Destination Flavour: Singapore

‍Episode 1

Singapore is a place that Adam has a strong personal connection with. That’s because his mother was born there, as were his grandfather and great-grandfather before that... and many of his father’s Hainanese relatives also call Singapore home. In this episode, Adam catches up with a cousin from his father’s side of family, to learn how he has been making Hainanese chicken rice for over 30 years. The experience also inspires his quest to create his Salute to Singapore banquet menu for the feast that will happen in just six weeks' time—let the food adventures begin.

Episode 2

In this episode, Adam’s Salute to Singapore banquet dinner quest continues as he goes in search of inspiration for a meat dish. Adam happens to be in town at the end of Ramadan, so he meets up with a local Muslim family, who not only show him how to cook an authentic beef rendang, but also include him in their day-long Hari Raya celebration and feast.

Episode 3

This week, Adam starts at the National Gallery of Singapore, where amongst the artworks is a restaurant called National Kitchen by Violet Oon. Violet is a Peranakan food legend, and her restaurant here helps to tell the story of Singapore through the menu she has created.

Episode 4

Adam goes in search of the best seafood that Singapore has to offer. His journey begins inside the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort complex, where some of the world’s most celebrated celebrity chefs have opened eateries. The list includes Australia’s very own chef, Tetsuya Wakuda, who in 2010 opened Waku Ghin here. Adam then goes offshore from Singapore, to a kitchen on the water near the national park island of Pulau Ubin. Here he shows us how to cook one of the most quintessentially Singaporean dishes, chilli crab.

Episode 5

Adam continues his search for seafood inspiration by heading to the famous Newton Food Centre. Here he gives us Hawker Stall 101, on how to line up a seafood feast like no other. He then heads to the suburb of Katong, where, more than 55 years ago the famous Katong laksa was born. Here he catches up with Nancy Lim and her son Ryan, who run 328 Katong Laksa, a small chain of stores widely regarded as selling the best version of the famed seafood noodle soup in all of Singapore.

Episode 6

In this episode, Adam is in search of Singapore’s best vegetable dishes. His journey kicks off with a very Singaporean breakfast at the Singapore Zoo. He first meets and greets the resident orangutan population and then finds a quiet corner of the zoo to show us how to prepare a Hainanese breakfast favourite—kaya toast with half-cooked eggs and Hainanese coffee.

Episode 7

In his quest to find the best ingredients for his banquet dinner, Adam Liaw visits a colourful fruit and veg market in Geylang and a Michelin-starred restaurant that’s doing extraordinary things with the humble tomato.

Episode 8

In between a couple of cocktail-tasting pit stops, Adam Liaw discovers some of the finest desserts in Singapore, from homemade Peranakan sweet treats to a sophisticated dessert bar that stays open till 2am.

Episode 9

In this, the final episode, Adam Liaw gathers what he’s learned over the past few weeks to serve up an impressive five-course banquet dinner to some distinguished guests, one of whom is his mother.