AN AUTHENTIC SINGAPOREAN BREAKFAST WITH ICONIC LOCAL DISHES AT THE LOBBY LOUNGE, SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, SINGAPORE

 The iconic brands in the Lobby Lounge Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore with Bipan Kapur General Manager and Executive Chef Franco Brodini

(Singapore, November 24, 2018) When the team at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore finished renovating its lobby, management and owners sat down to discuss how they could retain the hotel’s connection to Singapore’s heritage. Everyone knows how important food is to the local culture. As a strong supporter for Singapore’s vibrant hawker culture, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore pledged support for the nomination of Hawker Culture in Singapore for UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. From here came the concept to develop The Lobby Lounge into this unique concept where top hawkers are brought together in a beautiful hotel setting for everyone to enjoy iconic local hawker food.

“We decided to partner with local restaurants to bring their food into the hotel,” explained Executive Chef Franco Brodini (pictured right). “We identified 20 top dishes that are representative of the food in Singapore. We then picked the ones that we wanted to work with – some of these people have been perfecting their dishes for 30 years. Mostly they cook them in their own establishments and they bring the food here. We do pop-up stations where they cook here as they are doing with the Roti Prata today.

“We are proud to collaborate with local hawkers to serve authentic local hawker fare to guests, especially tourists and business travellers. Inviting the hawkers to showcase their signatures dishes as mainstays on The Lobby Lounge’s menu, and featuring prominent hawkers at the monthly Heritage Pop-ups during lunch, are expressions of the hotel recognition and respect to these hawkers and their craft.” 

For guests who want to experience an authentic local breakfast this is the perfect option. For people who are new to the city, and may not know where to get the best local food, this takes the guess work out of it. If they are on a busy schedule it saves them time to be able to experience outside food in the hotel they are staying in. Singapore’s vibrant local food scene plays a quintessential part in its cultural heritage, and The Lobby Lounge supports the preservation of this culinary heritage. With the success of The Lobby Lounge’s Heritage Lunch Buffet, the restaurant has now extended the indulgence of perennial local favourites all under one roof with the launch of six signature dishes available during breakfast. The Lobby Lounge’s Heritage Breakfast offers an authentic Singaporean breakfast spread showcasing national breakfast favourites, such as Nasi Lemak, Roti Prata, Soft-Boiled Eggs with Kaya Toast, Wanton Mee, Carrot Cake and Hainanese Porridge. Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore worked with prominent local food advocate Dr Leslie Tayto curate the breakfast menu. The hotel also collaborated with popular local food brands, The Coconut Club and Springleaf Prata Place to showcase their respective signature recipes for Nasi Lemak and Roti Prata.

A Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Singapore 2018 awardee, The Coconut Club is renowned for its Nasi Lemak –jasmine rice infused with the fragrance of fresh coconut milk and served with crispy anchovies, peanuts, fried egg, sliced cucumber and sambal chilli that offers a real kick. The dish is completed with a serving of spice-marinated chicken deep-fried till crisp and golden-brown. 

Spring leaf Prata Place, which is famous for its Roti Prata with Dhal Cha and Fish Curry, features its hand-stretched dough that is fried with ghee for a fluffy centre and crisp outer layer. This famous Indian flat bread is best complemented with Dhal Cha and Fish Curry. No Singaporean breakfast line-up is complete without the most iconic local breakfast dish: Soft-Boiled Eggs with Kaya Toast. A labour of love, the kaya is made from scratch using the hotel’s Executive Chef Franco Brodini’s recipe, which he developed after countless tastings and months of research. Simple, yet gratifying, the kaya toast is served with soft-boiled eggs. Another favourite is the Wanton Mee featuring al dente ribbons of noodles tossed in a special black sauce made by Shang Palace’s Chinese Executive Chef Mok Kit Keung. The noodles are topped with fried pork and shrimp dumplings, barbecued pork and served with a side of dumpling soup. Get a taste of The Lobby Lounge’s very own Chef Yong Jia’sFried Carrot Cake—steamed turnip cake stir-fried with pickled radish, egg, spring onions and a generous amount of dark soy sauce. Rounding up the line-up is the Hainanese Porridge, a comforting bowl comprising silky porridge, homemade meatball and sliced pork. The flavour is enhanced with a dash of sesame oil and julienned ginger.

 Immerse the Youtiao into the porridge to soak up its goodness. These six signature breakfast dishes can be ordered from the à la carte menu, or enjoyed as part of the weekend buffet from 7:00am till 11:00am.The semi-buffet includes an à la carte selection, unlimited servings of the buffet spread and a cup of local beverage such as Kopi Tarik, Teh Tarik and Milo. The buffet also features other iconic dishes from the local cuisine, including Tiong Bahru Jian Bo Shui Kueh’s signature Shui Kueh; Ah Yee’s Soon Kueh; Harri Anns’s Yam Cake and Tau Suan; and Lina’s Confectionary’s Kueh Lopes with gula melaka syrup. The Lobby Lounge’s chefs will also whip up a feast that includes mee siam, fried economic noodles, lontong with sayur loden and beef serunding, fried glutinous rice, tau huay, and many more. The side dishes on the buffets pread will be available on a rotational basis.