Singapore is a melting pot in the truest sense of the term. There are four distinct cultures, namely: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan, each with its own specialty dishes.

A video produced and uploaded on the Singapore Tourism website a few months ago illustrated how there can never be just one national dish in Singapore. Because of this, tourists and foodies alike are spoiled for choice.

Four must-try dishes mentioned in the website yoursingapore.com include Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk), Fish Head Curry and Ayam Buah Keluak (Peranakan spicy chicken).

20 new items

In its desire to present a wider range of dishes, a Singapore-based restaurant chain recently updated its menu with over 20 new items. The “New Culinary Treasures of Singapore” at Wee Nam Kee range from appetizers and noodles to main dishes and chilled beverages.

“We’ve been open in the country for four years now and have begun receiving requests from customers for new items,” franchise owner Linfred Hans G. Yap of the Relish Group told Inquirer Lifestyle. Unlike Singaporeans who don’t mind eating the same dishes day in and day out, Filipinos want to try something new every so often, he added.

The dishes now on the menu were developed and tested by the Singaporean chefs at Wee Nam Kee before they could be rolled out in Yap’s eight existing branches. Some of the items we

sampled included Crispy Mantou bread with condensed milk that seemed more like dessert or an afternoon snack than an appetizer; and Prawn Paste Chicken Wings, again categorized as an appetizer but could very well be a meal if eaten with an order of chicken rice or some noodles.

Three new noodle dishes to sample include Singaporean Fish Noodle Soup flavored with almond essence; Spicy Sambal Rice Noodles; and Hainanese Chicken Curry Noodles.

Another chicken dish worth trying is the Salted Egg Chinese-style Fried Chicken, which offers a new flavor dimension courtesy of the egg’s salty goodness. Fans of fried rice might want to check out the Pineapple Fried Rice with pork floss that combines mixed vegetables, roast pork, ripe pineapple and sweet and spicy pork floss.

Bestsellers

Other items worth coming back for include the Cashew Coffee Spareribs flavored with a kopi spice rub; Tamarind Lemongrass Fish Fillet Stew that might remind Filipinos of our sinigang (pork, fish or chicken in a sour broth); Hainanese Curry Fish Fillet; Honey Garlic Spareribs; and a sweet and savory Prawn with Lychees and Peaches.

Yap might have been too quick to dismiss the Filipinos’ desire for new flavors. In fact, the original Hainanese chicken rice and the premium Yellow chicken continue to be the resto’s bestsellers. Served steamed on top of sliced cucumbers with a side of rice fragrant with chicken stock, it is the quintessential one-dish meal.

Established in 1989 in Singapore, Wee Nam Kee has been serving Hainanese chicken rice for the past 25 years.

In the Philippines, it has branches at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Serendra, Glorietta 2, Alabang Town Center, Promenade Greenhills, TriNoMa, Shangri-La East Wing and the new Fairview Terraces.