The refrain that Singapore is a small city somehow doesn’t seem to hold its weight when it comes to food. Not only are we dotted with award-winning restaurants, our own food brands are finding wide support for the quality that’s being produced.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a myriad of gourmet items being whipped up by small scale businesses that sometimes start out at home. Everything from beer to rempah paste and heritage tonic drinks now have carved a niche for themselves along with a stable community of clients who love their products.
Here, we detail some truly special businesses that’s worth supporting.
Kwong Woh Hing Soy Sauce
We’re not all about fancy food and drink here at Seats.Asia. In fact, we go deep into the backbone of Asian cooking to spotlight a condiment none of us can live without: Soy Sauce. At heritage company Kwong Woh Hing, each bottle is traditionally brewed, harnessing the tropical heat and humidity to ferment soybeans and wheat. The result is a range of traditional and premium sauces in both the light and dark versions. These are fermented for over a year and carry a strong bouquet and a deep umami.
Jamu by Dana Safia
Jamu – the traditional health-promoting Indonesian tonic drink made from local botanicals – is given an artisanal facelift. Jamu by Dana Safia is a Singapore startup that brews varieties of jamu into glass bottles and delivered right to your home. The firm uses only the freshest ingredients using techniques honed over generations.
Shermay’s Singapore Fine Food
Move over those generic supermarket sambals with questionably long shelf lives. Shermay’s Singapore Fine Food which sprung from Shermay’s Cooking School has a delectable range of sambals which would fire up even the most seasoned of tastebuds. Choose from condiments like its iconic cilicuka – an heirloom recipe passed down through generations – to the sambal hijau which would kick up your fried chicken and keropok up multiple flavour notches. All the products are halal-certified.
Batu Lesung Spice Company
Some of the most well-loved local dishes are also the most laborious to make thanks to long cooking times involving a myriad of spices. Those of us who are time strapped would do well to turn to Batu Lesung Spice Company which makes pre-made spice mixes that would only then require the meat of you choice. Choose from the panggang marinade, to the classic rendang, as well as the curry to make whipping up heritage meals a breeze.
Crust beer
Have you ever taken a sip of beer and somehow recall the taste of bread? If it’s a bottle by Crust Beer, you’d be hitting the nail on the head. The Singapore company sources for surplus bread from restaurants and hotels and turns it into artisanal lagers, IPAs and ales – all in the name of fighting food waste and supporting a circular economy.
