Hello all, hope all of you are doing fine. Been a short while since I last did my last post, so here I am back to share good food with all of you. In today's post, I will be sharing a restaurant which I visited quite a while back but was able to visit them again very recently with a friend as both of us are running an errand near it, so why not meet up for a nice lunch in an interesting place. The place serves unique food that came as a fusion due to the colonial past of Singapore and with local Chinese flavours.
The Place
British Hainan
Address: 158 Kallang Way, Performance Building, #01-06, Singapore 349245
Tucked at the ground level of an industrial building in the central eastern part of Singapore, this is a restaurant that is filled with load of nostalgia and a place of interesting interior. A nice and cozy place to dine which is spacious and clean. A place not known to many but they are a hidden treasure serving really good food.
One special thing to note is that this restaurant is also doing its best to return to the community as a social enterprise by giving convicts whom have served their jail term a place for them to restart work life and make a living before heading to other eateries or restaurants for longer term employment.
Location is easily accessible if you drive but a little tougher if you are on public transport. Parking wise is plenty with parking lots right outside the restaurant or at the higher levels of the building.
Here's how the place looks like:
The first time I came to this place, I thought I walked into an antique store where there were so many interesting decoration which included old wooden furniture, chandelier, and various historic items such as the metal iron or even the sewing machine. The place also boast a British like entrance where it had a simple window that had classy curtains that look inviting for guest as they enter the restaurant. If you fancy a nice and cozy place to have a meal, look no further as I live the ambience that the restaurant provide.
The Food
Now to the main highlight of this post, let's talk about the food that is served here. The restaurant is called British Hainan and that's will be the special fusion food that I would like to share today. Singapore was colonized by the British upon Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore which made Singapore into the trade hub it is today due to the strategic location we have here. And because of the British occupancy, it brought about food that came from them and with the multiracial culture we have in Singapore, it gave birth to fusion food that had elements of British and also local Hainanese influence. Hainanese is a dialect group of Chinese from the southern part of China whom are known for their coffee and the flavourful food.
And so here's what we've ordered:
- Hainanese Pork Chop
- Hainanese Curry Rice
- IBC Root Beer (not a fusion food but it was a very nice beverage to go with what we've ordered)
Let's start looking at each of the food item closely as I review them
Hainanese Pork Chop
Now, here's British Hainan fusion food number one. We are all familiar with fried pork chop from the usual western meals that we eat. Typically served with fries and the pork chop is either served as it is or there will be some brown sauce or black pepper sauce that comes with it. However, this is where things get a little interesting where we see a special Hainanese influenced sauce drenched over the pork chop. The sauce is a made from tomato, carrot and onion stewed together to give it a light sour taste that had a sweet ending to it and this sauce with the chunky bits of vegetables, become part of the salad that is usually served with western food. And there is a more to it, the meat is being marinated by Chinese style and has a slight hint of oyster sauce and sesame sauce being used in the marination. This dish is their best seller and most people whom visit for the first time will order this.
Hainan Curry Rice
This dish has even more fusion added onto it. It had the same pork chop which was well marinated with Chinese styled sauces from the earlier dish but without the sauce, but this time round, it had a curry that is definitely also a mixture of cultures where it includes a curry that is totally non Malay or Indian styled but had elements of the Devil's curry from Kristang cuisine that is drenched on top of the pork chop and also a large piece of braised pork belly that is cooked to perfect tenderness. To balance out the strong flavours from the meats, a simple Chap Chye or commonly known as mixed vegetables that is stewed to absorb the flavour from the sauces it is cooked with.
For first timers, eat the Hainanese Pork Chop, second timers try this instead. You will not be disappointed with food of such quality and a big display of flavours from the culture that inspired each of the food components.
Beverage
A nice drink that quench thirst and creates another dimension of flavour to the food we eat. It is my first time drinking IBC Root Beer. In the past when I visited, I always ordered their set meal which included a soup and a drink of the day. Because of the weather, my friend and I decided to go for the root beer and it was a fantastic decision to quench our thirst.
Overall:
A nice place for fusion food that had a long history due to influence of the people that came into Singapore and also the colonial rulers of Singapore. And I am so glad that all of these happened so that we get to taste food that crossed culture due to interaction between the people and here we are, amazing dishes that brought out the character from each of the cuisine styles. Good ambience, good food and also an opportunity to support released inmates to regain their confidence before stepping out to the society to work. If I am in the area, I will visit them for sure.
Closing
Thank you for coming by and reading my post. Hope you like what I've shared and learn more about the special fusion food we have in Singapore due to cross cultural influence between locals, immigrants and colonial rulers. Singapore is a place where many cultures meet due to our multiracial society and we get many nice food as a result of it.
See you in the next post!