Food court heats up...

I was not expecting that I was going to put this thing up on my blog, but forwarding the article to people did generate different sort of response.

Aug 9, 2005
London to have S'pore-style foodcourt
by Lim Wei Chean



HOUSEWIFE Nicola Yeo reckons she ate more varieties of food in just three days in Singapore than she has in four decades in England.

During her stomach-popping binge, the Briton sampled mee goreng, carrot cake, char kway teow, oyster omelette, laksa, Korean barbecue, dim sum, beef noodles, fishball noodles, nasi padang and teppanyaki.

And her favourite local dish: chicken rice.

The 40-year-old mother of two came to Singapore on a trip to study the island's 98 foodcourts with public relations consultant Horatio Cheng and property manager Les Hardie.

The trip was sponsored by Rosewheel, a British property developer that recently bought the five-storey Newport Sandringham building in London's Chinatown and wants to make a Singapore-style foodcourt the centre piece of the building's £50 million (S$147 million) facelift.

Mr Cheng and Mr Hardie are involved in the project, while Ms Yeo was asked to come on the trip to give feedback on the kind of food and environment that might be popular with the British public.

Mr Cheng said: 'The British have a reputation for bad cuisine and currently lots of Londoners are making do with fast food and sandwiches because they do not know the alternatives.

'We are introducing the foodcourt as a unique eating experience, offering them novelty in food type, preparation methods and presentation.'

Not only were the trio amazed at the food variety available here, but they were also fascinated by the mini-woks, hot plates and claypots that the food is served in.

It was Ms Yeo's first visit to Singapore and so far she is impressed.

'Everything is just so clean and pleasant. Food and shopping here is just amazing.'

Under the guidance of former Kopitiam staff member Ellen Chew, who was hired as the project consultant, the group has visited many of the island's foodcourts, beginning with the oldest, Scotts Picnic.

Although they loved the variety and the concept, they felt some adjustments will be necessary for the British market. For one thing, the chilli content of the laksa will need reducing to suit the British palate. The seating will also need to be changed.

Ms Yeo said: 'During peak hours, it is a common practice for strangers to share tables. That is unlikely to be welcomed in London.'
But Rosewheel will be adopting the hygiene rating used by food stalls here. They also plan to invite some local retail outlets to open up there and have invited another Singaporean, retail manager Angela Ong, as a consultant.

It's by no means the first time Singaporean food culture has been exported.

According to IE Singapore, there are currently 35 Singaporean food service companies with an estimated of 370 outlets operating overseas, mostly in Asia-Pacific countries.

They range from foodcourt operator Food Junction Holdings, which operates 17 foodcourts in Singapore and Malaysia and is scheduled to open its first outlet in China next year, to Ya Kun, which has outlets in countries like Indonesia and South Korea.

IE Singapore's director of corporate group (lifestyle) Tan Li Lin said: 'From Korea to Kuwait, our companies have been exploring overseas expansion to carve out new businesses.'

For K.F. Seetoh, creator of the Makansutra food guide, news of the London foodcourt was especially welcome.

'This shows the folks in London acknowledge that we have the best Asian street food culture,' he said.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In reply:


Daleboy Michael horatio Chang said in Singapore:

'The British have a reputation for bad cuisine and currently lots of Londoners are making do with fast food and sandwiches because they do not know the alternatives.'
I bet his knowledge of British food hardly extend beyond the front door of his parents' fish and chip shop in Liverpool.

So it isn't just the Lonodn Chinatown community have to learn from Daleboy's better vision brought from Liverpool. The British people as a whole also have to learn from Daleboy's alternatives.

Rosewheel really get the right 'public relation consultant'. Both his contempt of London Chinatown and British people's reputation are fine example of his high point in life representing Rosewheel in its true colour.

Christine, can yuo forward this to you new found close friend Daleboy in his Rosewheel email address please. Don;t get too close to him, you may get more of his habits to betray the community.

Regards
Jabez


----------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr.Huang,
Please forward this onto the Sraits Tmes,
Thank you.

Dear Straits Times,

I was interested to see a copy of the article that had recently appeared in your publication relating to London Chinatown. I note that Hoaratio Cheng a PR consultant and Les Hardies a director of Rosewheel are looking for ideas in Singapore about what to do with the retail part of the building they have bought in Londons Chinatown. Despite months of pressure from the local council namely Westminster and also from the Chinese community in Chinatown no body has a clue about what Roswheel's intentions are in the area.

What we do know is that last month Horatio Cheng promised us all her that Rosewheel would be putting in a planning application but the month came and went and nothing transpired. This company have told the Chinese community in London that they want to work with us all here but have done nothing for us except draught some minor proposals for the ex tenants that they so unceremoniously kicked out of their long established community shops. They have made promises like they will provide a Chinese community centre but we as yet have not even seen one sketch let alone a drawing showing us here whether or not something would be acheivable.

In here we have had months of boarded up shops and pneumatic drilling and still Rosewheel tell the community they do not know what they want to do. We keep asking what sort of developer are you that doesn't have any idea what you want to turn your development into. It plainly just does not make sense. The leader of Westminster Council Simon Milton has sent two letters over the past months asking Rosewheel what their intentions are but to no avail they keep tight lipped and say nothing. Horatio Cheng himself is no longer answering telephone calls from the local chinese community.

In other words we are not thought of any importance and Rosewheel with Les Hardies, Robert Bourne and Angela Davies will just carry on regardless. No doubt you have great food courts in Singapore but whether or not Rosewheel can make this sort of development work in London Chinatown is debatable not because a food court may or may not work but rather because Rosewheel have not made one friend in this area amongst the chinese community here. They have in fact done completely the opposite by upsetting and running roughshod over every chinese business they have come in contact with. They seem not bothered by local chinese values and have said in the past that they are happy to move the old chinese groups out to make way for other people from the East. I seem to remember they said that the people in London Chinatown here have had their chance and they should step aside for those coming from outside . So you can see why they are so keen to bring in people from Singapore etc. However be careful because I am sure it won't be long before they are treating them the same way that they are treating the present chinese population here.

We in here asked for traditional chinese values of respect and understanding and have ended up with none so yes export your food courts to London but try to do it without Rosewheel as to be hoonest nobody in london Chinatown trusts them if you dont beleive me ask Westminster Council!

Regards Jon Chin (Chinese business owner in Chinatown)