From murtabak to chicken rice: 70-year-old New Zealander goes on island-wide food tour without repeating a dish

It's been four years since Terry McLaughlin last stepped foot in Singapore.

Now that he's back for a short two-week trip, the New Zealander is on a personal mission.

He is keen on eating his way around the country, without repeating a dish. Given the variety of food on offer here, that shouldn't be too difficult a task.

The first stop of this ambitious food tour would bring Terry to a familiar location.

Back to Bugis

North Bridge Road is where Zam Zam Restaurant sits and, back in 2006, Terry didn't live too far from this iconic food joint.

He mentioned that it's become something of a tradition to start off with his first meal at the Indian Muslim restaurant. 

After landing from Christchurch on the afternoon of July 31, the 70-year-old had earmarked Zam Zam Restaurant as his first dinner spot.

Terry opted for a mutton murtabak and was left "a bit disappointed".

According to him, the murtabak was "dry" and "leathery" compared to how he remembered it to be. It didn't help that the serving size might have shrunk as well.

This was not the start Terry was hoping for.

He added: "I was really looking forward to this trip, which will probably be my last time here since I'm 70 and rapidly approaching my use-by date, so I don't want to take away too many sad memories."

Day 11 and still going strong

The rather discouraging start to his food tour did not damped Terry's mood it seems.

His next few days had him travelling around the country enjoying, and many times remembering, the taste of Singapore food.

On Aug 10, Terry posted on the Facebook group Can Eat! Hawker Food that he might actually achieve his goal of not repeating a dish during his stay here.

He updated that he's "eaten 30 meals, consisting of 33 separate dishes" and has yet to eat any dish twice so far. 

Terry's most recent meal is likely Singapore's most recognised dish, chicken rice.

And where else would someone go for a plate of chicken rice but Maxwell Food Centre?

He was well aware of the chicken rice rivalry between the two popular stalls, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Terry opted for the latter, where the queue consisted of solely him. Tian Tian, on the other hand, had about 20 people eagerly waiting in line.

Not that this bothered Terry. He was more than pleased with his $8 chicken rice set. The chicken was "tender" and "juicy", and the included bok choy was on point too.

A slight criticism he had was the rice being less flavourful than he remembered.

It's a never-ending list

Throughout his short stint here, Terry religiously updated the Can Eat! Hawker Food community on his food hunts.

What's clear is that two weeks is not enough time for him to hit all his favourite locations.

Whether it's a char kway teow breakfast at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre or a hearty bowl of mee rebus at Haig Road, Terry's love for Singaporean food is unquestionable.

After all, not many of us are waking up pre-dawn to have a 6.45am breakfast at a hawker centre.

With just a couple days left in Singapore, it might be time to start prioritising what the remaining meals will be.

Now that's easier said than done, especially when you are as big a foodie as Terry.

In the comments section, he commented that "off the top of [his] head", he is looking to have laksa, bak kut teh, curry mee and briyani. 

Mind you, this is barely scratching the surface of the almost endless list of dishes he listed.

A Facebook user replied: "Looks like an extended holiday is in order."

For now, it seems like Terry will be enjoying the last lap of his food tour.

Keep a look out at your neighbourhood hawker centres and, who knows, you might find a hungry New Zealander on a mission.

ALSO READ: 'People were literally staring at me': French woman heads to Chinatown for first hawker centre meal

amierul@asiaone.com

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