From her favourite places for heritage cuisine to the restaurants she heads to for a higher-end experience, Jia Group’s CEO and founder dishes up her top dining destinations in Singapore
Restaurateur Yenn Wong might run one of Hong Kong’s most successful hospitality groups, with restaurants whose menus span the globe, from Issan and Indonesian food to Spanish and South American cuisine, but it is the fare of her homeland that is her true love. “Singaporean food is like no other cuisine,” says Wong. “What I love most about it is the authenticity and the bold flavours.”
It’s understandable, then, that Wong has been sorely missing the cuisine over the 18 months since her last trip home, particularly as she feels that Singaporean cuisine outside of the city state rarely delivers quite the same flavours and experience. Here, she shares some of her favourite spots in Singapore, and given her experience in the restaurant business at the helm of Jia Group, whose Hong Kong restaurants include star establishments such as Duddell’s, Louise, Mono, and Ando, these are destinations guaranteed to be worth a try.
What do you miss most on the food and drink front when you are away from Singapore or haven’t been back for a while?
I miss Singaporean local fare. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to find Singaporean food that tastes as good outside of Singapore. My all-time favourite dish is bak chor mee. This much-loved noodle dish is found in hawker centres all around Singapore and is a bowl of noodles served with meat, homemade sauce, soup and a whole lot of toppings––it’s delicious.
What is the first dish you eat when you return and where do you go for it?
The first place I visit when I get to Singapore is Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles at Crawford Lane. My order is always the SG$10 version with extra chilli and vinegar.