A spotlight has been shone on Singapore, as Bugis Street Brasserie, the well known F&B outlet at Millennium Gloucester London Hotel clinched the top award ‘Asian Fusion Restaurant of the Year’ at the London Asian Food Awards.
Bugis Street Brasserie was inspired by the heyday of Singapore’s once ‘infamous’ Bugis Street, best known for its night life and local street food. The restaurant came onto the London food scene in the late 1990s at Millennium Gloucester, which was acquired by Mr Kwek Leng Beng, Executive Chairman of City Developments Limited (CDL).
The restaurant is the brainchild of Mr Kwek, who is also Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C). He wanted to put authentic Singaporean cuisine on the global food map.
Soon after, the London Bugis started gaining popularity, not infamy, for its range of Singaporean and Malaysian dishes. The new hotel owners brought over Singaporean and Southeast Asian food classics such as laksa, bak kut teh, chicken rice and nasi goreng across to the European continent.
The restaurant became a go-to for overseas Singaporeans looking for a taste of home abroad. They included UK-based students as well as Asian tourists to London.
As word spread, Bugis won over critics, London locals and tourists seeking authentic Asian cuisine in the British capital. Today, many of its clients are Europeans and Americans who have experienced Asian food during their travels to the East.
These ‘classics’ were adapted to keep the restaurant contemporary. Guests for instance can also savour Mr Kwek’s favourites, aptly named Chairman’s Hokkien Mee and Chairman’s Nonya-style Pork, washed down with a glass of teh tarik or chin chow.
The brand Bugis Street Brasserie has spread to M&C’s other hotel locations such as Copthorne Tara London Kensington and Millennium Premier New York Times Square. M&C is also exploring expanding the brand to other properties in the region.
Mr Kwek said, “I believe Singaporean food is a cut above the rest, and I wanted to fly the Singapore flag in London, the food capital of the world. This award shows that Bugis Street Brasserie can be seen as a venue where Singaporeans as well Londoners can sit and enjoy Singaporean food.”
The inaugural London Asian Food Awards was organised by Oceanic Consulting, which hosts several annual awards campaigns in the UK, such as the London Curry Awards and The English Asian Food Awards. Bugis Street Brasserie knocked out nine other Asian restaurants to win the title.
M&C is the hotel arm of CDL. Both M&C and CDL are members of Hong Leong Group.
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