Young restaurateur shares his top picks for Singaporean cuisine

It was Singaporean cuisine that ignited renowned young chef Nicco Santos’ simmering, lifelong passion. It was the perfect ingredients, as well as the passionate people, diverse culture and delicious food that made him love the country more.

His two years at culinary school admittedly left him uninspired, but when he tried the iconic Singaporean Chicken Rice, his passion was refueled and he eventually ventured into his own culinary journey.

He studied how to cook Laksa at Pulau Ubin, an island not far from mainland Singapore. Not long after, he stayed with Singaporean families to learn different recipes and dishes in a way that no book could teach.

Now, the young chef has put up three successful restaurants — Your Local, Hey Handsome and Any Any — all of which serve up Asian fusion or Singaporean and Malaysian comfort food.

For Nicco Santos, the best way to understand Singaporean food is to hear the stories behind them from the passionate aunties and uncles working at what they call hawker centers.

He swears by chicken rice, which is a melt-in-your-mouth dish of tender, blanched or roasted chicken; Nyona laksa, which is a creamy and spicy coconut-based noodle soup; satay or skewered grilled meat with sweet and spicy peanut gravy; and carrot cake, which is not the dessert variety but made of white carrot rice cakes, fried with garlic and eggs, and sometimes seasoned with sweet, dark soya sauce.

Food lovers can head to the many hawker centers all over Singapore. Chomp Chomp Hawker Center is a small, open food center in a quiet residential neighborhood in Serangoon. The Maxwell Food Center and the Tiong Bahru Market and Food Center are home to many famous stalls that serve the best of the best local delicacies, including Michelin Bib Gourmand Tian Tian Chicken Rice.

A unique Peranakan dish approved by chef Nicco is Ayam Buah Leluak. This flavorful dish is made with a spicy and tangy gravy of tamarind and pounded spices, kernels from Buah Keluak, and chicken or beef.

Bah kut teh or pork ribs tea are commonly found in Singapore and Malaysia. This herbal soup as chef Nicco said can be found at Ng Sio Ah, where it is served with chili and dark soya sauce accompanied with Kung Fu tea.

Along with borrowed ingredients and dishes comes are meals that are fusions of different ethnicities. The Fish Head Curry was created by a small Indian restaurant in the city-state to cater to the tastes of Chinese customers by using Fish Head, a Chinese delicacy with tamarind paste or coconut milk, Red Snapper and mixed vegetables.

“When I taste Singaporean food, I get different cultures and stories all in one bite, and what’s most amazing about it is that it fuses perfectly,” shared Nicco. Take it from the expert and visit Singapore to savor the culture, stories and the passion of its people!

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