A rarity not too long ago, speciality food stores are a dime a dozen today, spanning mega food halls to quaint boutiques. In this new column, we showcase one grocer in each issue to spotlight the epicurean treasures to be discovered.
Kicking off, we pay homage to one of the pioneers: German Market Place, which opened in August 1999 to cater to the growing number of German expats working here. Today, it attracts both expats and locals with its 3,500 types of products, most of which are made in Germany.
“When an expat visits, it would be as if he/she has stepped back into the village store or the supermarket at home,” says director and owner Fiona Rassig. The country might be thousands of miles away, but these bites certainly make it feel a wee bit closer.
609, Bukit Timah Road.
Fresh loaves are available here but, if you’d rather make your own, a variety of German flour like roggenmehl (for dark rye bread) and roggen-dinkelbrot (for rye-spelt bread), as well as live yeast, are also available.
Herring is one of the most commonly eaten fish in German cuisine. This canned version pickled in a marinade of pepper, bay leaves and onions is salty with a slight spice kick – perfect in a salad.
Low fat cheese is almost mythical, so imagine our delight when we stumbled on quark with only 0.3 per cent fat. It tastes similar to yogurt (only thicker), and is versatile enough to be had as a dip or as a healthier alternative to cream cheese.
While cheese sticks are perfect as a savoury snack (we recommend pairing with quark as a dip), chocolate covered cream bars – the bigger of which has a surprising tinge of orange zest – will sate those craving a sugar rush.
Forget futzing around with glass jars. These tubes of remoulade and mustard are pure genius. Simply squeeze these over your canapes and toss them when you’re done. No cleanups, just party tricks in a snap.
Gourmet & Travel is available at leading bookstores including Kinokuniya, Times and MPH. The digital edition for both iPad and Android devices can be downloaded via platforms such as the Apple Newsstand and Magzter. Both print and digital editions are priced at S$12.
