Raffles Courtyard presents ‘Hawker Stories’ at Raffles Courtyard, a series celebrating popular hawker specialties and homegrown culinary talents. From March 16 to May 29, the event was feature hawker stalls that had been shuttered during the pandemic.
Each hawker has been handpicked in collaboration with local food company Makansutra and its founder KF Seetoh. From 5 – 9 pm daily, the hawkers will serve their specialty dishes over four instalments.
Pasha Siraj of former hawker stall Luckmeow. Photo courtesy: Raffles, Singapore
The first installment began on March 16 with modern Indian specialties by chef-owner Pasha Siraj of former hawker stall Luckmeow which shut its doors in September 2021. Guests had the opportunity to revisit favourites from their hawker stall and sample the new charming Indian-fusion fare crafted by chef-owner Pasha Siraj.
Hawker David Lim started serving excellent beef kway teow out of his Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Teow stall in Siglap. Photo courtesy: Raffles, Singapore
In the following months, the culinary series will highlight homegrown hawker talents in Singapore, including influencer, chef and hawkerpreneur Hady Jay of Mr Tersmell, whose specialties include traditional Malay delicacies Pulut Kuning and Pulut Hitam; veteran hawker David Lim, grandson of the renowned Hock Lam Beef Noodle founder and owner of Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Teow; and Darren Teo and Henry Yap of specialty fusion hawker stalls Seafood Pirates and Yap’s Noodles respectively, which were shuttered during the pandemic lockdown. Since their closure, Darren and Henry have teamed up to open 51 Noodle House, which serves special fusion noodle dishes.
Singapore’s vibrant hawker culture has been officially inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Photo courtesy: Raffles, Singapore
Since 2020, Singapore’s vibrant hawker culture has been officially inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Raffles Hotel Singapore provides a fitting gathering space for the community to revisit familiar hawker favourites, explore new hawker delights, and even mingle with hawkers in-person.
“Following our Private Chef Collaboration series at Raffles Courtyard last year, we are proud to continue celebrating Singapore’s dynamic food culture – this time turning the spotlight to and supporting our local hawker heroes, while offering the community opportunities to savour well-loved specialties that may no longer be readily available due to the pandemic,” said Christian Westbeld, Managing Director, Raffles Hotel Singapore.
Makansutra founder and entrepreneur-photojournalist KF Seetoh said, “Hawker culture is an integral part of what makes Singapore so special and we are grateful for the opportunity to champion our local heroes and share their love for food with the community.”
Luckmeow was available at Raffles Courtyard daily from March 16 to 27, 5 to 9 pm daily.
