Hawker Heros Vs Gordon Ramsay

Singtel brought Gordon Ramsay to Singapore in a huge faceoff challenge, who won? 

According to Justin Lee, ( Photos are from him too! ) our Hawker Heros fared much better. If you are wondering what is this big challenge all about, check out Singtel's main site. You can also click on the banner linked to their site, image taken from their site.

In summary, I've gotten photos from one of the judges so you can all take a look first hand, before the official release! So, what is the big hooha all about? Why is everyone at Newton Circus for the big cookoff? Check out some photos of the LIVE event that was also streamed LIVE.

The huge turnout at Newton Circus on 7th July 2013

Gordon Ramsay preparing Chicken Rice, Singapore style!

Laksa is an alien life form reincarnated as food...Gordon Ramsay's face says it all when preparing Laksa. Deep concentration!

Team Singapore Hawker Heroes: Foo Kui Lian, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (#HawkerHeroes)

Can you guess which is hers and which is Gordon Ramsay's chicken rice?

Team Singapore Hawker Heroes: Ang Kiam Meng, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant (#HawkerHeroes)

Which portion do you think is done by Ramsay?  No matter the constraints, a chef should always make his food look good.

Team Singapore Hawker Heroes: Ryan Koh, 328 Katong Laksa (#HawkerHeroes)

This is the hardest to charge as both didn't do any proper presentation...which do you think is Ramsay's Laksa?

Hawker Heros Vs Gordon Ramsay - Verdict

Disclaimer: Please note that these are comments made by Justin, the photos are also shot by him, and his views are not representative of the rest. Find out more about Justin Lee by clicking here for his blog.

"Gordon Ramsay's chicken rice. Oversteamed rice, bad chili, dry chicken."

" Gordon Ramsay's Chili Crab taste interesting. I wouldn't say it's bad. It is not sweet and gooey."

" Gordon Ramsay's Laksa. More like curry mee. Not enough coconut, prawn paste and chili. "

I think the photo below says it all...with the exception of the Chili crab, as Justin isn't a fan of Chili Crab in the first place. He said it was a very tough fight between the two portions. My own opinion is, in order not to be unfairly influenced, it should have been a blind tasting. Why would Singtel host a faceoff challenge but name who made which portion? There is so much room for discourse, as fans of Ramsay would just like his dish whereas fans of the Hawker Heros will defend our local chefs no matter what. This is quite an interesting challenge however, is Singtel intending a sequel - The Blind Taste Test Challenge?

The verdict is out! Chicken Rice and Laksa Wins, while our local chili crab loses. Ramsay, in an interview, states he loves Singapore food... I actually like him a lot better in his interviews, since he isn't screaming at anyone like in Hell's Kitchen. His accent is also rather charming and he's so personable and humble too, at least from the interview.

The sound quality is really bad on this video, and it is created by Singtel. I would have thought the Singtel team would have enchanced the sound quality. Gripes aside, Gordon has accepted the challenge!

The actual day, cooking under many constraints, and for 1000 people! That's not easy...I wonder how did our Hawker Heros do it, they normally sell less than 500 plates a day.