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Bak Kut Teh is a claypot pork rib dish cooked in a broth of herbs and spices. Its name is translated literally from the Hokkien dialect as ‘meat bone tea’.
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Bugis Street Brasserie named ‘Asian Fusion Restaurant of the Year’
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 Chairman of 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.
Millennium Gloucester General Manager Mr Chris Van Dam (left) and Bugis Street Brasserie Manager Mr Kevin Tran accepted the title at the London Asian Food Awards.
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 (rich, frothy tea) or chin chow (grass jelly drink).
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.”
Singapore Laksa is one of Singapore’s iconic dishes. It consists of thick rice vermicelli, fishcake slices and prawns served in a spicy curry cooked with coconut milk. 
Hokkien Mee is a dish that consists of noodles stir-fried with a generous serving of pork, prawns and squid. Pictured above is Bugis Street Brasserie’s Chairman’s Hokkien Mee.
Bugis Street Brasserie restaurants can also be found at Copthorne Tara London Kensington, Copthorne Hotel Birmingham, Copthorne Hotel Slough-Windsor and Millennium Premier New York Times Square.
The inaugural London Asian Food Awards recognises a variety of Asian restaurants and eateries across London. It is 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.
