Aaron Ong
The sky outside is still a deep, bruised purple. Inside the food centre at Toa Payoh Lorong 8, the air is cool and heavy with the scent of damp concrete and raw ginger. I sit…
A chef stands behind a trough of white-hot binchotan charcoal. He holds a fan in one hand and carefully turns a row of wooden chicken skewers with the other. He does not rush. He waits…
The air at Chinatown Complex Food Centre always carries a thin layer of grey soot by the time the evening arrives. I stand near the edge of the green tiled floor. The noise of the…
When I first started photographing food in Singapore, I had a very narrow view of what Japanese dining looked like. I walked right past the smoky, loud, narrow storefronts of local izakayas. I thought they…
The red plastic chair scrapes against the tiled floor. I set my camera bag on the empty seat next to me. The afternoon heat at Old Airport Road Food Centre is thick. A slow ceiling…
I clearly remember my first time bringing a professional camera into Shukuu Izakaya & Sake Bar on Stanley Street. I walked in with a rigid plan to photograph their famous mentaiko rosti. I spent a…
The wet market floor at Tekka Centre reflects the deep blue of the pre-dawn sky. It is exactly five in the morning. The main overhead lights are still off. A heavy, damp quiet hangs in…
I have spent the last three years carrying my camera through the smoky, cramped corridors of the acclaimed “best izakaya” Singapore has. I’ve tried all of these spots, spending countless nights waiting for the perfect…
The asphalt is slick with leftover midnight rain. It is 4:30 AM on Balestier Road. The city is completely silent, wrapped in a heavy, humid darkness. I stand on the corner across from Sing Hon…
Let me tell you about the first time I walked into Fortune Centre with my camera. I expected a standard Singaporean food court experience: loud, chaotic, and heavily focused on the usual meat-heavy local dishes.…