mycc

After an eventful day spent at Universal Studios with Transformers, Minions and Sesame Street, it was time to nurse our stomachs! I know that we are very late in visiting the Malaysian Food Street at Resorts World Sentosa ("RWS") but as the saying goes, better late than never!

Instead of diving straight for the food, I decided to spend some time in understanding the place rather than conveniently classifying it as another food court. Yes, the truth is, it is another food court just like the many around in Singapore but what needs to be appreciated about this place is the theme attributed. Over here, the emphasis is obviously on Malaysian cuisine, which makes sense since RWS is co-owned by Genting Singapore. Through the major races and ethnic groups that make up the multi-racial Malaysia, Malaysian cuisine is truly a diverse mix of social and cultural influences that differ from state to state.

Walking around the area and watching the various hawkers fire up their woks, you cannot help but notice that most of the Malaysian fare originate from Penang which is predominantly Chinese and offers a diversity of Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese cuisines. Let us take you through on a virtual culinary tour around the Malaysian Food Street!



Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice with Salted Fish (S$9.50/-)

The owner, Mdm Heun, started the business in 1986 due to her passion in cooking and has created the unique heated charcoal cover that ensures the generously filled claypot chicken rice is thoroughly cooked while keeping its distinct traditional taste.







While the price of this claypot rice might put some people off since it was relatively more expensive compared to the other dishes on offer, we felt that it was value for money, in lieu consideration of its quality, quantity and of course the location.

Served in a classic claypot, it was brimming full with ingredients such as chunks of tender chicken, Chinese sausage and slices of Chinese mushroom to enrich the flavours and fragrance. We enjoyed the tender chicken but admittedly, I could barely taste any salted fish in it. While this was shared among the table and a chunk or two of the salted fish was added in, I would have preferred it more if it was diced and evenly distributed so that one can get to enjoy the savouriness of the salted fish paired with the well-flavoured chicken in each mouthful. Not to mention the fragrance of the sesame oil and Chinese wine!

We also liked that the rice was just nice, not overly damp which would otherwise ruin the texture of the dish; In fact, there were three different kinds of rice in the dish for a soft fluffy texture and it was a small step in marking a great difference.

Fern & Kiwi originated from New Zealand, with the management behind opening their first cafe back in 1988. With 25 years of experience and 21 cafes under the brand name Lone Star Cafe, they decided to venture overseas with Singapore as the selected destination last year with its offering of food, wines, beers, music and live entertainment all served in a friendly and fun atmosphere.

Admittedly, I am not an expert when it comes to the authentic New Zealand cuisine. Some research pre-dinner led me to discover that it is largely similar to Australian and British food with influences from Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim. It is also driven by local ingredients and seasonal variations and interestingly, "dinner" (also know as "tea") is the main meal of the day where families typically gather and share their evenings. This inspired restaurants to generally provide a larger proportion of the diet!

So, should we be expecting big portions of food?! Mmmmm...

Split into a bar and restaurant, we went for the latter which was located on the first floor. Upon reaching the entrance of the restaurant, we were given the option to take a manually-operated lift or the flight of stairs. Feeling lazy, we decided to try the lift which involved us holding on to a button to propel it upwards!


Upon being ushered to our table, we were prompted for a bottle of "Still" or "Sparkling" water and I naturally assumed that they do not serve tap iced water. It was after ordering a S$12 bottle of "Still" water did we realise that they actually serve iced water for free.

Sea salt & pepper squid (S$18.5/++)

While the name suggested an Oriental touch since salt and pepper is quite a common method of preparing dishes, this came as a slight surprise to us. Instead of the usual deep-fried version sprinkled with salt and pepper, the underlying dressing was based on a sweetened soy sauce with hint of coriander, chilli and lemon. The squid was beautifully cooked, which retained a nice crunch without tasting too rubbery. This was complemented by the crispy batter coating which unfortunately was falling off the fresh seafood. The portion size was generous and what I particularly enjoyed were the large chunks of squid rather than petite portions.



While the New Zealanders term it the "Eye Fillet", most people would be more familiar with the term "Tenderloin". Due to the cut being closer to the rear of the cow, the muscle actually does little work and explains why it is usually the most tender beef cut.