About Dunkle – The Local
The Dunkle was born in Adelaide in 2002. It was not by choice, nor was it a coincidence. He was there for his tertiary education and thought almost nothing about the environment in this quaint, quiet, and small town. Yes, it was so small, it did not have the food that Dunkle was used to eating. Finding South East Asian food was difficult, and this is what the Dunkle grew up on.
The Dunkle remembers when he first stepped into the downtown of Adelaide, Rundle Mall. There was a side street where a small Malaysian eatery was located. He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped in and ordered a bowl of laksa – happy that he could finally find some sort of remnants of his hometown food. It was AUD12.90! The Dunkle was a student. He was more surprised when the food arrived – yellow noodles, 2 pieces of shrimp, 5 pieces of fishcake, and a watery broth. At this time, you could get a bowl like this for less than AUD2.50 back in Singapore or for even cheaper in Malaysia.
The reality that South East Asian food was scarce, and Asian food was expensive, kicked in. They too did not taste authentic. Dunkle was scared, because he was committed to existing in this small town for the better part of 3 years. He had to do something. He needed to make his own food from scratch, and it was not going to be an easy task.
The basics of all Asian food is spice. It may not be spicy, but they all included some sort of spice. Even a braised pork belly needs some star anise and cinnamon – which was not a part of his knowledge back then. The Dunkle had to learn cooking from base research, and what he discovered was something out of his own surprise – HE LIKED IT.
The research was fun. The process was fun. The serving of the final product was fun. And most importantly, he discovered that food makes the world go round. It brought people together from all different walks of life, of different races, and of different social status. When people ate together and when they enjoyed good food, it was as if they were stripped of all the superficial layers that covered their identities. It was as if people returned to their own basic human self.
And The Dunkle wanted to see more. He yearned to see how good food influences people. He wanted to research into how to create good food to bring people together, and to share good food experiences. Thus, the journey into cooking from scratch and the possible fusion of different cultural tastes began.
Enjoy the evolution of The Dunkle!
About DanDan – The Expat
The story of how DanDan came to be in Singapore, now in his 6th year, is a curious little tale.
In 2014 Dan was approached for a marketing role located in Singapore, and after hearing the recruiters spiel he ultimately decided to turn it down, as his interests lay in other projects, conflicting with what they were offering – and at that stage he had no interest in leaving Australia. A few months later a different recruiter brought the same role to Dan’s attention – He wasn’t really interested the second time either until his Mother began to elucidate on her magical life in Singapore during the 60s, before he was born.
His Dad had held a post with AAP Reuters in Singapore covering international news where he was both journalist and press photographer for the Vietnam War, and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Dan had a very keen interest in photography at the time and after assembling all of his father’s old photography gear on the verandah – you could say he was keen as curry – and from then he became very interested in the Singapore experience.
Dan grew up with Char Kway Teow and Prawn Laksa and thought they were asian/aussie fusion – The big green bible “The Complete Asian Cookbook” by OAM Australian Cook, Charmaine Solomon, was a staple in his household, as were the asian spices and flavours emanating from the kitchen. Lup cheong was a frequent character in the kitchen, even though it was referred to as “chinese sausage”, and Dan still thought of its presence in the meal as an Aussie fusion.
So, having been immersed in Asian cooking culture his entire youth, Dan found Singapore a complete joy upon landing and was able to enjoy the delicacies of his youth at hawker centres throughout the red dot – his very first meal was the Char Kway Teow at 18 Zion Road.
Dan made the expat mistake of settling in River Valley in his first year – The company real estate person, literally showed him 20 properties, 17 of them in RV so it made sense that he was being steered to live there.
This unwise choice was what led Dan to being dubbed DanDan by a Malaysian Jinjang auntie work colleague – and the name stuck! Since then, DanDan has moved to the trendy Peranakan food district, Joo Chiat, right in the heart of Katong and has not looked back in his quest for the best Singaporean dishes – The Original Katong Laksa, Sin Hoi Sai Red Wine Pork Ribs, 427 Durian Fruits and Mongbok – to name a few. As well as the stunning Baroque chinese architecture and the colour heritage of Koon Seng Road.
The Fake Peranakans FAQs
What are The Fake Peranakans?
As above, The Fake Peranakans are Dunkle (a local Singaporean foodie) and DanDan (an Aussie expat living in Singapore).
What is Tanjong Katong?
A residential neighbourhood located in the East Coast of Singapore and known for its colourful shophouses, Peranakan history and local eateries. Predominant fare includes Laksa, Char Kway Teow, and Tze Char.
What does Tanjong mean?
Tanjong is a Malay word that means "cape" in English.
What does Katong mean?
Katong is a now-extinct exotic species of sea turtle, but the name also suggests a sea mirage caused by looking at the shoreline. As Katong used to be located by the sea, this name was chosen for Tanjong Katong.
How many hawker centres are there in Singapore?
The NEA currently manages 114 hawker centres in Singapore, as of March 2020. There are over 6000 cooked food stalls within these hawker centres.