Tag: wet market

If You Can’t Cook, This Fish Stall Will Teach You How To Prep And Serve Seafood Like A Pro

One of the things that’s synonymous with the old school lifestyle of elderly Singaporeans is the wet market.

It’s a place that bustles with so much life and a gathering spot for the previous generations, yet millennials and the younger generations fervently avoid it.

As a millennial, I can attest that the smell and wet floors bothers me. I do try to avoid the wet market as much as possible, though sometimes I do join my grandfather on his grocery shopping trips.

Now, enter Dish The Fish.

A Modern Fishmonger

This fishmongering business began as an outlet in West Coast Plaza, equipped with a kitchen and cooking studio for cooking demonstrations and sampling.

Equipped with elegant wood-panelled walls, glass displays (so aunties don’t aggressively poke and pick) and iPads for ordering, Dish The Fish might be a modern fishmonger, but they’re not losing out to their traditional counterparts.

Now they have a 2nd outlet in Beo Crescent Market, that looks more like a traditional wet market stall.

They bring in a wide variety of seafood from various sources, with popular Asian fishes such as Threadfin, Grouper (Garoupa?) and Pomfret and even lesser known fishes such as Tongue Sole, Yellow Ribbonfish and Asian Whiting (better known as Sua Jiam).

If you’re lucky, you might even find seasonal catches such as Salmon, Turbot and the rare Kinki (a type of Japanese rockfish).

On a personal note, the Asian Whiting is SENSATIONAL when lightly battered and deep fried. Moving on!

Don’t forget to check their online store to see what’s on sale, in season or out of stock. You can order the fish online and they’ll deliver it to you!

I am ashamed to say that I cannot cook. If you’re like me, Dish The Fish is a godsend.

The staff are knowledgeable and helpful, and will assist you with making a choice on choosing the “right” fish and how to determine what’s fresh or not.

Basically, they teach you how to be competent with seafood.

That’s not all, they even give tips on how to prepare the fish and the best way to cook the fish of your choice.

Cooking Studio

While this is formally known as a cooking studio, it’s more of a dine-in restaurant situation. What better way to teach you the best method to prepare a certain fish, than to cook, serve and taste it?

The menu isn’t extensive, and it comprises only seafood. They serve prawns, so if you’re allergic, this is your heads up.

Now, the menu is small, with 4 set meals and 4 à la carte dishes available. However, one thing’s for sure, the seafood is FRESH.

For the set meals that are reasonably priced from $10.80 to $12.80, you have a choice of Teochew Style Steamed Whole Snapper, Thai Style Steamed Prawns, or maybe something different with an Aburi Salmon Bowl.

The à la carte menu showcases 2 curry dishes that uses stingray and fish head respectively. The remaining 2 options allow you to fully customise your dish – choose your seafood of choice and cooking style.

Eh, Can Join Member!

That’s right, this fishmonger even has a membership program.

You will get $5 rebate as a welcome bonus when you register as a member at any of their stalls. As a member, every $10 spent will give you $0.10 cash rebate that you can redeem any time AND you’ll also know about exclusive promotions and products first.

It’s time to introduce my parents to this.

Dish The Fish is a great place to start if you’re new in the kitchen and venturing into handling and cooking seafood. With their friendly and knowledgeable staff, it won’t take long before you’re dishing out seafood dishes at home like a seasoned chef!

Dish The Fish
Address: 38A Beo Crescent Market #01-24, Singapore 169982
Opening Hours: Tue, Wed, Sat – Sun: 7am – 12pm
Contact no.: 8742 8957

Address: 154 West Coast Road, West Coast Plaza, #B1-22/23/24, Singapore 127371
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 10am – 9pm
Contact no.: 6988 9271
Website

Also read This App Will Be Your Cheat Sheet When Bae Asks You, “Where Should We Go Ah?”

(Header Image Source: UOB and Dish The Fish)

Meet S’pore’s Spice Boy And His Muji-Style Spice Shop In AMK

Meet Jack.

He’s a 28 year old Spice Maker in Singapore.

Anthony the Spice Maker is a hipster looking spice shop tucked away in Ang Mo Kio’s wet market. At first glance, anyone would think it’s a fancy stall selling tea leaves or coffee beans. Take a closer look and you’ll realise that it’s a shop selling spices.

Let’s be real, most of us would look at him and think, “Sure not this Chinese boy can sell Indian spices?”

Well, you’ll be surprised. He’s a Chinese boy with an Indian soul. He knows his spices inside out. He added, “For a Chinese guy, I can handle spice pretty well.”

If you were to ask any millennials whether they cook, 70% would probably say no. Eating out everyday seems like an easier option. If you ask me to replicate my mom’s home cooked dishes, I’ll probably give up and order McDonald’s instead.

Heck, I bet half us don’t even know the names of the different spices to begin with.

So that’s where Anthony The Spice Maker comes in. He makes cooking easier for all you millennials out there who are learning how to cook.

The Spice Mecca

The store was first started by Jack’s grandfather in 1986. After completing his National Service obligations, Jack was finally hit with the realisation that he needed a job. That’s when his father, Anthony, told him to join the business. Since then, Jack has been running the Ang Mo Kio outlet while his father runs the one in Chinatown.

Naturally, a first time cook will feel intimidated stepping into this shop.

“So many spices? Where do I start?”

Jack will come to your rescue. If you’re a newcomer, he’ll take his time to explain the differences between the ready-made rempahs that are available in the fridge and the dry spice blends that are packaged nicely in those brown paper bags.

The spices that he sells are perfect for busy young couples or home cooks. If you’re working a 9 – 5 job, you know that all you want at the end of the day is a quick simple meal. He explains that if you’re someone with a busy lifestyle, he’ll recommend the ready made rempah which is crafted for time-starved customers.

He prides in the fact that he uses high grade spices to make his rempahs. No preservatives, M.S.G. and artificial additives are used in the making of his rempahs. So if you’re health conscious, this is the healthier option as compared to buying those instant rempah you can get at most supermarkets.

If you’re a slightly advanced home cook and you trust that people won’t get food poisoning from your cooking, he will recommend getting the dry spice blends which you can use to adjust to your preferences. We heard that their best selling Curry Powder Singapura has quite a bit of a kick to it!

Best part, his spices are basically dummy-proof. Each packaging comes with a label that lists the ingredients and an instruction that explains what it is used for.

While the spice blends and rempah are available online, I highly recommend going down to the outlet instead. You’ll be able to interact with him and get a better understanding of what you’re buying.

However if you are pressed for time, you can check out the available spices online. In fact, if you know anyone who’s missing home cooked flavours, they ship their spices as well.

(Header Image Source: Discover SG)