AromaCookery – A scent-suous Singapore food blog

Kway Guan Huat's popiah master demonstrating the art of making popiah.

Remember Bob Blumer was in town to conduct a cooking workshop? I was very, very lucky to receive an invite to the workshop as well as a makan tour with Bob. Also in attendance were other food bloggers, Rebecca Lynne Tan from Sunday Times, and popular local blogger/writer Mr Miyagi (my hero!).

1st stop: Kway Guan Huat @ 95 Joo Chiat Road. They are one of Singapore’s oldest popiah skin makers, and their popiah skins are legendary.

Bob gets his hands sticky!

Kway Guan Huat’s popiah master makes it look so effortless, but it proves to be a tough act to follow! The popiah master tells us that it takes at least two years to master the process of making popiah skin, from mixing the dough to creating the paper-thin skins.

Bob's listening attentively to Zita, the popiah mistress.

Just next door is Kway Guan Huat’s popiah restaurant, helmed by Zita who enthusiastically explains to us what makes their popiah so good. Bob proves to be a very attentive student!

Our premium popiah, with prawn and crabmeat!

We used to buy Kway Guan Huat’s skins for our popiah parties at home, but I’ve not tried their popiah before. I was really impressed by the quality of the ingredients. Even the omelette has sauteed onions for extra oomph!

Premium popiah, S$2.50 each.

I tried a slice of popiah, and I’m definitely coming back another day! It’s truly impressive. The turnip filling is rich with seafood umami-ness, and each bite is bursting with delicious flavors and textures! Just as amazing is the unbelievably thin but resilient popiah skin.

Bob was blown away by his first popiah – he absolutely loved it. He even said he’d willingly pay 10 bucks for it! Mr Miyagi tweets, “Bob Blumer would pay $10 for popiah. Ang Mo always push prices up.” Haha!

Bob has a go at rolling popiah.

Next, Bob tries rolling his own popiah. It turns out to be just as full and tight as Zita’s. Looks like his recent sushi training has helped him become a natural popiah pro!

Arriving at Old Mother Hen.

Next stop: Old Mother Hen @ 136 Sims Avenue. This place is famous for both cze char and claypot rice.

Kung pao fallopian tubes.

Hmm…my first time eating fallopian tubes. In case you’re wondering, these are pig fallopian tubes. The texture is similar to pig intestines.

We were served many dishes – claypot rice (I like!), homemade tofu (very nice), frog legs (didn’t try), KL Hokkien noodles (yummy), and steamed herbal chicken (not bad).

Bob shares with us behind-the-scenes stories from Glutton for Punishment.

Chicken head is a delicacy? Not!

Hey, guess what? Bob Blumer has fantastic chopstick skills!

Sampling the rich stock made by the boss of Seng Kee.

The next stop was supposed to be laksa at Tanjong Katong/East Coast Road, where we were supposed to sample the three famous Katong laksa stalls there, and Bob would pick a winner. But we were running out of time, so there was only time for one last stop: Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee @ 316 Changi Road.

Fish maw soup & minced pork noodles.

By now, I was already quite full, but I couldn’t resist trying Seng Kee’s acclaimed fish maw soup and bak chor mee. Mmm, the fish maw broth is really robust!

I’m really grateful to the owners of Kway Guan Huat and Seng Kee for going out of their way to accommodate us. You see, the makan tour took place on a Monday, which is their day off, but they were very kind to open their shops and prepare food just for us. They must have taken at least a few hours to prepare the food, but we only stayed for not more than 15 minutes!

It was a pity that Bob’s schedule was so tight. He was really looking forward to eating laksa. Well, Bob, the next time you’re in Singapore, please stay a little longer, so that we can take you on a proper food tour!

I need to go on a diet! (photo courtesy of Mr Miyagi)

Many thanks to Stephanie of Discovery Travel & Living, and Rita and Priya of Weber Shandwick for the opportunity to get up close and personal with my idol!

Catch Bob Blumer on the latest season of Glutton for Punishment every Thursday at 10:30pm on Discovery Travel & Living (Starhub Channel 16).