For the first time, a Singapore-style cooked food center has opened in New York. It brings flavors from the Southeast Asian island’s mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and other cultures to an American food court.
Urban Hawker, in midtown Manhattan, has 17 food sellers that were chosen by KF Seetoh, the food center’s curator. Eleven of the sellers come directly from Singapore. Each seller has a well-known dish such as crab chili, oyster omelet, Hainanese chicken rice or nasi lemak, a rice dish.
Seetoh said, “I came across Singaporeans who had been living in the United States in New York for like 20, 30, 35 years, and they still miss Singapore food.”
He added, “Street food in Singapore is not something you burn or deep fry. It’s fairly complex. They take six hours just to prepare a meal to get it ready at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.”
