Despite coming from contrasting backgrounds, there is something that my paternal and maternal grandma have in common: Good soup.Â
On a hunt to find a familiar comfort that can never be replicated, I came across Canton Delicacies at Geylang Bahru. This is not your ordinary Canto joint ah. Established in 2018, the hawker stall is helmed by Chef Ericson Ng, 35, an ex-chef from Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel.
Entering the hotel culinary scene at the ripe age of 18, the Malaysian native has 11 years of experience with Cantonese cuisine as a Junior Sous Chef. “I wanted to develop my own creations… I want to challenge myself by being my own boss,” Chef Ericson explained.
Ok boss, shall we see how impressive your creations are?
What I tried at Canton DelicaciesÂ
Legit spoilt for choice… Despite my mum scowling at me to hurry up, I took more than 10 minutes to decide what to order.
Along with 14 different types of double-boiled soups on the menu, Canton Delicacies also has zi char-esque dishes that include Chef Ericson’s “proudest creation”, the Signature Claypot Curry Fish Head (S$24) that is drenched in aromatic rempah curry. I will add that to my list!
Finally. After some hemming and hawing, we settled on a Papaya Stewed Pork Ribs Soup (S$4), Salted Egg Pork Patties Steamed Rice (S$4), Steamed Garlic Lala (S$9) and Steamed Garlic Prawn with Vermicelli (S$11).
Confession: I could not resist having a sip of this piping broth before letting Ms Camera eat first.
Is Chef Ericson my grandma in disguise?! No words could describe how this was the prime example of harmonious simplicity. Laced with saccharine red dates and honey dates, the Papaya Stewed Pork Ribs Soup featured generous sections of papaya, tender pork ribs and a whole cordyceps flower.
According to Chef Ericson, his wide variety of soups each has different nutrition values and this one is categorised as 凉 (cooling), highlighted by that beautiful fungus that is beneficial for your lungs. Taste-wise, it unsurprisingly had a sweet full-bodied profile that was not cloying at all.
I was wishing for a heavy downpour there and then.
FYI, similar to his other broths that are stored in ‘soup drawers’, the liquid gold is cling-wrapped and double-boiled for more than 2 hours “to lock in nutrition”. Yes! This means that the rich flavours are enhanced with time too.
Moving on to the dish that we were most excited about. Guess what, Chef Ericson uses the same cavernous soup bowl for his Salted Egg Pork Patties Steamed Rice. So you will be delighted to find that this vessel is brimming with rice infused with braised sauce.
Oh, you cannot miss that thick and juicy minced pork patty topped with a cute circular salted egg. Best paired with a silver of saltish yellow, the meat slab was bursting with savouriness. I especially appreciated how it had a tinge of 花雕酒 (rice wine) that boasted a heady depth.
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Fret not, it was not overpowering. Like the majority of customers who patronise Canton Delights, I can imagine myself getting a bowl of soup and rice for a hearty lunch. Once again, the portion was impressive.
The seafood was pretty steady as well. However, I wished there was a tad less garlic in both the Steamed Garlic Lala and Steamed Garlic Prawn with Vermicelli.
Drizzled with tangy in-house chilli, the Tiger Lip Lala had a spicy kick to it that my mum enjoyed. Aside from the garlicky situation, we enjoyed the light base of Chef Ericson’s “special sauce” that is used in most of his steamed dishes. “As the dishes are marinated differently, you can taste different flavours with the sauce,” he shared.
The sauce in question is simmered in a crock pot and includes Chinese parsley, chicken stock, soya sauce and rice wine!
This shone through with the fresh Sea Prawns that were nestled on a translucent bed of vermicelli. Finely balancing between the briny prawns and the pungent garlic, the lightly salted sauce tied everything together. If you are not a garlic fan like me, I would recommend complementing this with an ample portion of rice.
As the dinner crowd gradually started to stream in, we left Canton Delicacies as happy campers. Argh, I almost wanted to turn back for my favourite Lotus Chicken Feet Soup (S$4).
Final ThoughtsÂ
Honestly, I do not have many notes but one thing is for sure, I truly admire Chef Ericson’s will to push through with what he believes in. “At Geylang Bahru, I have seen many hawker stalls close after operating for a few months!” he exclaimed after stating how his first venture was doing “not bad”.
Squeezing into the small kitchen space that houses his massive ‘soup drawer’ and black ceramic pots, I cannot imagine being in an environment that was so unfamiliar and literally uncomfortable. Seriously guys, of all the hawkers I have visited, Chef Ericson’s was the smallest.
“Aiya, I am used to it already,” the Chef laughed.
Best believe that I will travel across Singapore for another bowl of Marriott-standard double-boiled soup. Next time, with my grandmas in tow.
Expected damage: S$4 to S$8 per pax
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