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A Singaporean hawker serving Singaporean-style Western food to Westerners in a Western country appears to have struck a chord with Western palates.

Smokin' Joe from Urban Hawker

If you haven't heard by now, a few months ago, a handful of hawkers from Singapore took a leap of faith by bringing their expertise and local cuisine halfway across the world to New York City.

Handpicked and led by Makansutra founder K. F. Seetoh, the hawkers set up shop in what was the Big Apple's first-ever Singapore-style hawker food centre, which is aptly named Urban Hawker.

The hawkers consist of familiar Singaporean names like White Restaurant, Kopifellas and Ashes Burnnit, as well as some relatively newer ones such as Hainan Jones, Prawnaholic Collections and Smokin' Joe.

As it turns out, one of these newer players – Joseph Yeo, the owner and chef at Smokin' Joe – has been making a name for himself in the empire state.

Singapore hawker's fish and chips better than Gordon Ramsay's

A Western food stall that also serves Hainanese curry rice, Smokin' Joe recently won praise from a New York Post food critic Steve Cuozzo.

Cuozzo wrote a glowing review of the hawker's fish and chips, saying that it is "nothing like the common New York City article", which he described typically tasted mainly of oil.

In the next line, he slams renowned celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's rendition of the dish, saying it not only exemplifies his description of the dish, but also lamented that it costs US$1 more than Smokin' Joe's, which costs US$16 a plate.

Admittedly, Yeo's fish and chips did not make a huge impact when it came to first impressions as per Cuozzo's lacklustre description of the unassuming dish: "Two generic-looking breaded filets on a pile of fries, with a side of coleslaw."

The secret: Marrying East and West

However, Cuozzo changed his mind as soon as he tasted it, exclaiming that Yeo's fish and chips blew him away, so much so that he had to return to savour the dish not once, but thrice, over the next few consecutive days just to be sure.

With a seemingly added spring to his step, this was how the food critic later described the dish: "The main element's a miraculously moist cut of swai, a neutral-flavored fish from Vietnam that's ideally suited to absorb and project the rotating multitude of Asian and Western spices and seasonings used in the marination."

And it turns out that the secret to Yeo's fish and chips and what sets it apart from its New York City counterparts lies within the marinade and batter, according to Smokin' Joe's Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Smokin' Joe (@smokinjoenyc)

Cuozzo let the cat out of the bag in his review, stating that the spices Yeo uses to add flavour to his fish are oyster sauce, soy sauce, paprika, oregano and thyme, but changes from day to day.

Speaking to Mothership, Yeo said the east meets west flavouring profile was intentional and is his own way of adding a unique twist to the classic fish and chips dish.

With that said, he also intends to stick to his roots and serve the most authentic version of Singaporean food there is in New York City.

While Yeo has tweaked his recipes, such as toning down the spice levels to cater to New Yorkers' palates, he said he makes it a point to not stray too far off from Singaporean flavours.

"So based on the feedback I received, [I will] then finetune here and there, but [I will] make sure [the food] still tastes like what we have in Singapore."

"Best" in New York City

And the result?

According to Cuozzo: "The sweet and spicy result starburst radiates from within — a crispy but not crunchy coating of bread crumbs, egg and flour that’s deep-fried at a high temperature."

Hailing it as a "masterpiece", he went out on a limb, going so far to call Yeo's fish and chips it the best fish and chips in New York City.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Smokin' Joe (@smokinjoenyc)

And it turns out that Cuozzo is not the only happy customer.

"Very happy" to bring pride to Singapore

According to Yeo, he has been getting good feedback from New Yorkers about his food, where most of them have "never tasted anything like this before".

Some of them cannot seem to get enough, and like Cuozzo, has returned repeatedly to Smokin' Joe's for more, he said.

In what is perhaps a brave venture into a foreign land, Yeo takes comfort that some of his customers have become familiar faces at his humble little Singaporean stall.

He said: "I feel honoured that I have the chance to introduce our type of fish and chips to the U.S., and that they like it. Also very happy that I brought pride to Singapore."

More about Urban Hawker

Top image from Instagram of @smokinjoenyc and @alangoshertv