The ASEAN Food Trail was launched this evening by Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Balaji Sadasivan. Ambassadors representing the ASEAN countries, members of the ASEAN business and student communities, as well as Singapore businessmen in the ASEAN Business Advisory Council were treated to a gastronomical feast at the launch of the ASEAN Food Trail, hosted by Mr Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board.

To mark the occasion, an award-winning culinary team of Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel concocted a special dish aptly named “A Taste of Solidarity”. This quintessentially ASEAN dish symbolises the harmonious co-existence and unity of the ten ASEAN countries through the fusion of flavours and ingredients commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisines such as pineapple, green papaya, dried mango, star fruit, dried shrimp, red ginger flower, roasted ground peanut, lime leaf, lemongrass, chicken bak kua, basil, coconut and fish gravy. Mimicking the popular Chinese New Year dish, “Yu Sheng”, and its style of eating, this dish is to be tossed with chopsticks as high in the air as possible to bring prosperity, fortune and good luck and at the same time, mixing the ingredients together in a seamless blend.

As part of the evening’s celebrations, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Mr Lim Neo Chian and Ambassadors from the ASEAN countries were roped in to put the finishing touches to the dish, by tossing the ingredients with gusto, signifying the cohesion and unity among ASEAN.
Mr Lim Neo Chian, STB’s Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive said, “Singapore is pleased to celebrate ASEAN’s 40th anniversary through food which is very close to the hearts and palates of the residents of this food paradise. Being a multi-cultural city and a melting pot of cultures, we offer visitors tantalising bites of the best of Asia as well as a scrumptious spread of local food, which we actively promote through signature and well-loved annual events such as the Singapore Food Festival. The ASEAN Food Trail is an excellent opportunity to sample the gastronomical delights of ASEAN countries while fostering stronger inter-cultural understanding.”

“Southeast Asia’s cuisine is full of flavours and textures, and the presentation rich and colourful. With the creation of “A Taste of Solidarity”, we hope to bring out the distinctive flavours that belong to the region,” says Chef Kong Kok Kiang who is the Senior Sous Chef of the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel and a member of the award-winning team that created the dish.

The other two chefs behind the creation include Chef Lee Hoong Wan, Executive Sous Chef, and Chef Chan Tuck Wai, Junior Sous Chef.
Other commemorative events that have been organized as part of the year-long ASEAN 40th anniversary celebrations include ASEAN Rocks!, featuring performances by rock bands from ASEAN countries at Hard Rock Café Singapore; the Postcards Across ASEAN initiative where schoolchildren in all ASEAN countries share their diverse heritage by designing and sending postcards to each other as well as supporting an ASEAN contingent on Leg 4 of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race.

For more on the ASEAN 40th Anniversary celebrations, please visit http://www.mfa.gov.sg/Asean40th/ASEANPopUp3.htm

The ASEAN Food Trail

Singapore Food Festival 2007
9 – 22 Jul 2007
Café Brio’s, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
Buffet Lunch $39.00 / $19.50 (adult/child)
Buffet Dinner $48.00/ $24.00 (adult/child)
Sunday Brunch $78.00 With free flow of champagne, wine and beer
$62.00 Brunch only
$25.00 (child)
Lunch is served from 12 noon to 2.30pm and dinner from 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Sunday
brunch is served from 12 noon to 3pm. Prices quoted are subject to service charge and
GST. For reservations, please call Café Brio’s at 6233 1100.

Photography by Eugene Tang/SingaporeSights. All Rights reserved.