SINGAPORE: Singapore "hawker heroes" trump British celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay in local food cook-off

Record ID: 645024

  • Title: SINGAPORE: Singapore "hawker heroes" trump British celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay in local food cook-off
  • Date: 7th July 2013
  • Summary: SINGAPORE (JULY 7, 2013) (REUTERS) CROWD GATHERED OUTSIDE COOK-OFF VENUE SIGN READING (English): "IT'S SINGAPORE VS. RAMSAY" VARIOUS OF ONLOOKER CARRYING SIGN READING (English): "GORDON OUR FOOD SO PEDAS (SPICY) EVENT TABASCO CAN'T WIN" PERCUSSION BAND BANGING ON POTS AND PANS ONLOOKER HOLDING UP SIGN READING (English): "COME TO MY KITCHEN, WE CAN MAKE HELL TOGETHER" VARIOUS OF GORDON RAMSAY PUSHING THROUGH CROWD SURROUNDED BY SECURITY AND MEDIA VARIOUS OF RAMSAY STANDING WITH STREET VENDORS, WAITING FOR CHALLENGE TO BEGIN RAMSAY STANDING WITH LOCAL HAWKERS, CLXON SOUNDING SIGNALLING CHALLENGE KICK-OFF VARIOUS OF RAMSAY COOKING LAKSA NOODLES IN TENT WOMAN HOLDING CAMERA PHONE RAMSAY PREPARING LAKSA VARIOUS OF RAMSAY GIVING OUT FOOD TO TASTERS VARIOUS OF TASTERS GATHER IN TENT TO SAMPLE FOOD PREPARED DISHES IN TRAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) 30-YEAR-OLD TEACHER, RACHEL CHAN, SAYING: "I think both sides have equal chances, especially for the chilli crab and the chicken rice. There are good points of each dish, especially for the chilli crab -- one is tangy and the other one is sweet -- so it really depends on the eater's preference." (SOUNDBITE) (English) 17-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, SEAN LIM, SAYING: "I think, so far, I'm Team Gordon." REPORTER ASKING QUESTION: "Why?" SOUNDBITE) (English) 17-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, SEAN LIM, SAYING: "I think the chilli crab is better, it has more flavour and it's more spicy and I love spicy food." VARIOUS OF FOO KUI LIAN OF 'TIAN TIAN CHICKEN RICE' WINNING IN THE CHICKEN RICE CATEGORY, BEING CONGRATULATED BY RAMSAY VARIOUS OF RAMSAY BEING ANNOUNCED AS WINNER OF CHILLI CRAB CATEGORY, BEING CONGRATULATED BY ANG TIAM MENG OF 'JUMBO SEAFOOD RESTAURANT' RAMSAY BEING AWARDED GOLDEN CHOPSTICKS FOR HIS WIN IN CHILLI CRAB CATEGORY RAMSAY ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN FRONT OF MICROPHONES (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHEF, GORDON RAMSAY, SAYING: "Do you know what? The real winners tonight are the Singaporeans. Where did I go wrong? I think for the laksa, I needed a little bit more coconut, a little bit more spice. It's tough to get up to speed in 48 hours to how good these dishes are. But, for me, what I'm taking home is another confirmation to how good these hawkers food is and what it stands for." RAMSAY TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHEF, GORDON RAMSAY, SAYING: "Chefs are obsessed with other chefs beating them. But to see the generosity and the way they treated me inside their hawker stalls and I'm the disruption, you know, I'm the one that's turning their little world upside down and being a pain in the arse so for them to still be that gratifying and tell me how to cook their food, honestly, it's humbling. I mean really humbling." MEDIA AND CROWD OUTSIDE VENUE AT THE END OF THE EVENT
  • Embargoed: 22nd July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Singapore
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5DSNIYCYJV91HRFIM9G91NBDC
  • Story Text: More than 5,000 people gathered to catch a glimpse of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in Singapore on Sunday (July 7) in a cook-off competition with local street food hawkers.
    The 46-year-old took up the challenge of going against three of the top Singapore street food vendors in an event organised by a group of Singapore's food bloggers as well as SingTel, the city-state's biggest telecom service provider.
    The Michelin-starred chef had put his own spin on three Singaporean signature dishes -- chicken rice, chilli crab and laksa -- during the competition to win over a crowd of mostly local tasters.
    A thousand tasters from the public judged and voted for their preferred version of each dish during the event at a downtown hawker centre.
    Ramsay took time off to greet fans as well as show off his culinary skills at making laksa, a local spicy noodle soup.
    Singapore food lovers like 30-year-old teacher Rachel Chan were divided over which versions to choose during the judging.
    "I think both sides have equal chances, especially for the chilli crab and the chicken rice. There are good points of each dish, especially for the chilli crab -- one is tangy and the other one is sweet -- so it really depends on the eater's preference," she said.
    "I think so far I'm Team Gordon. I think the chilli crab is better, it has more flavour and it's more spicy and I love spicy food," said 17-year-old student Sean Lim.
    The result was a close one where Ramsay lost out 2 to 1 to the local hawkers.
    Ramsay won in the chilli crab category trumping local favourite Mr. Ang Kiam Meng from Jumbo Seafood, but lost out in the chicken rice category to Mrs. Foo Kui Lian of Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, as well as in the laksa category to Mr. Ryan Koh of 328 Katong Laksa.
    Ramsay had spent time over the past few days learning from the three local hawkers in their respective categories.
    He was full of praise for his local competitors and said he needed more time to fully understand how to cook the Singaporean classics.
    "Do you know what? The real winners tonight are the Singaporeans. Where did I go wrong? I think for the laksa, I needed a little bit more coconut, a little bit more spice. It's tough to get up to speed in 48 hours to how good these dishes are," he said.
    "But, for me, what I'm taking home is another confirmation to how good these hawkers food is and what it stands for," he added.
    The celebrity chef known for his fiery temper in reality cooking shows such as "Hell's Kitchen" was humble in defeat.
    "Chefs are obsessed with other chefs beating them," Ramsay told reporters.
    "But to see the generosity and the way they treated me inside their hawker stalls and I'm the disruption, you know, I'm the one that's turning their little world upside down and being a pain in the arse so for them to still be that gratifying and tell me how to cook their food, honestly, it's humbling. I mean really humbling," he said.
    In June, 2.5 million people cast their votes to determine who were Singapore's most popular hawkers to go up against Ramsay in the cook-off.
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