Orang Laut SG opens its first pop-up cafe at Clarke Quay serving Southern Islander dishes

Terumbu will be at Chef X in Clarke Quay Central from Oct 23 to Dec 26, serving traditional dishes like bubur lambuk tenggiri and showcasing the community's culinary heritage.

The Terumbu pop-up at Chef X in Clarke Quay will feature authentic Orang Laut dishes (left) made by Orang Laut SG founder Firdaus Sani's mum Noorani Rani, with help from his aunt Rohaini. (Photos: Orang Laut SG)

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Until now, if you wanted to taste the food of Singapore’s Orang Laut community, you would have to order it online from Orang Laut SG to enjoy at home. Since 2020, the community-led organisation has been selling its traditional Southern Islander dishes through weekend deliveries and the occasional pop-up and cultural event.

From Friday (Oct 23), you can simply walk into Chef X at Clarke Quay Central and order a meal. For the first time, Orang Laut SG is operating a cafe, serving the food of Singapore’s former islanders to the public.

Called Terumbu (“coral reefs” in Malay), the pop-up runs until Dec 26. It is the 15th residency at Chef X, an initiative by Far East Organisation that offers home-based and private-dining cooks the opportunity to operate a commercial restaurant, complete with a professional kitchen, dining space and mentorship for a limited duration.

WHAT'S ON THE ORANG LAUT MENU?

The Terumbu pop-up at Chef X in Clarke Quay will feature authentic Orang Laut dishes. (Photo: Orang Laut SG)

The Terumbu menu is a concise affair, anchored by two savoury offerings. The first, a Pulau Bowl (S$15.90), comprises three seafood dishes served with jasmine rice and vegetables. There is asam pedas ikan karang, coral reef fish simmered in a spicy, tangy gravy; sotong hitam, squid cooked in its own ink; and sambal udang, spicy stir-fried prawns.

While the dishes may sound similar to Malay cooking, their ingredients reveal the nuances of island cuisine. For instance, the sotong hitam uses green-eyed squid or sotong nos, traditionally caught by line fishing.

“Our family uses this particular squid because of the amount of black ink that it has, and the way it's cooked is also different. So what you will taste is the thickness of the sotong hitam,” said Orang Laut SG founder Firdaus Sani, a fourth-generation Orang Pulau and Orang Laut, whose family hails from Pulau Semakau.

Bubur lambuk tenggiri will be one of the dishes served at the Terumbu pop-up at Chef X. (Photo: Orang Laut SG)

The second is bubur lambuk tenggiri, a fish porridge that is quite unlike the bubur lambuk commonly shared at mosques during Ramadan.

“This was actually an everyday dish for us because a lot of times, the islanders had plenty of leftover coral fish. They'd grind the bones and everything, and make the bubur (porridge) because they didn’t have a fridge and this was a way for them to not be wasteful,” Firdaus explained.

At Terumbu, the Spanish mackerel porridge – simmered with lemongrass, coconut milk and black pepper – will come with prawns (S$11.90), squid (S$11.90) or both (S$13.90).

In keeping with the spirit of Orang Laut SG’s efforts, Terumbu will be a family and community affair.

The dishes will be cooked by Orang Laut SG founder Firdaus Sani's mother, Noorani Rani (left), with aunt Rohaini helping to run the floor. (Photo: Orang Laut SG)

Firdaus’s mother, Noorani Rani, will do most of the cooking, while his aunt Rohaini will help run the floor, supported by his cousins. The recipes were passed down from Firdaus’s grandmother Nenek Ninah, guided by the family philosophy of ikut hati kau (follow your heart) rather than precise measurements.

The kueh koleh-koleh and puteri salat served at dessert will be made by a former Pulau Bukom islander.

The dishes were selected to showcase how coastal dishes differ from the broader Nusantara canon.

“On the menu, we say there will be coral fish, but we don’t say what specific fish we will be using because we want to work with and support our islander community (of fishermen). There are still bubu (fish trap) makers who go out to sea, and we get some of our supplies from them, so the type of fish might change according to what they catch. In that way, there's a connection from sea to table,” said Firdaus.

Orang Laut SG founder Firdaus Sani. (Photo: Orang Laut SG)

“What we are offering is part of the Malay Nusantara offering. To present Southern Islander cooking as something wholly separate from Malay cuisine would do a disservice to the community’s historical kinship with the wider region.”

The distinction, he continued, lies more in the ingredients, fishing traditions and ways of cooking shaped by life along the coast.

PRESERVING SOUTHERN ISLANDS FOOD HERITAGE

Firdaus Sani and his family on a boat to Pulau Semakau. (Photo: Orang Laut SG)

Founded in 2020, Orang Laut SG began as an Instagram page documenting the memories, traditions and food of communities displaced from Singapore’s Southern Islands.

According to its website , the terms Orang Laut (“people of the sea”) and Orang Pulau (“people of the islands”) describe identities that may overlap but are not interchangeable. Both encompass histories and relationships with Singapore’s maritime landscape that predate its modern development.

Pulau Semakau, where Firdaus’s family lived for generations, is now Singapore’s offshore landfill. His family was relocated to the mainland in 1977 as Singapore’s islands underwent redevelopment.

“Food is an important visible representation of our culture,” Firdaus said. “You can taste, you can smell, you can experience it. It’s accessible to anyone who wants to experience the culture of the Southern Islanders. Though we have been removed from the islands, this is something we are still connected to.”

The recipes were passed down from Firdaus Sani's grandmother, Nenek Ninah, seen in this photo with their relative, Nenek Ru, on Pulau Semakau. (Photo: Orang Laut SG)

That said, Firdaus pointed out that there is no single definitive Orang Laut cuisine. Different island communities developed their own repertoires according to what they could catch, grow or obtain, and their cooking evolved as times and circumstances changed.

The residency comes amid plans for further development of Singapore’s western islands, making the preservation of these histories particularly pertinent.

“I want to reinforce that these spaces are not empty spaces,” Firdaus said. “There used to be communities there, and livelihoods are still attached to these islands and spaces.”

To that end, Terumbu will also feature a community gallery exploring the heritage of the Southern Islands.

For Singaporeans, Terumbu is a reminder that our culinary history extends well beyond our hawker centres and familial foods. There are other older food traditions, shaped by communities whose homes have since disappeared from the map, but whose knowledge and memories remain very much alive.

Terumbu will run at Chef X at #03-103/104 Clarke Quay Central, from Oct 23 to Dec 26.

A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.

Terumbu 将于 10 月 23 日至 12 月 26 日在克拉码头中心的 Chef X 餐厅，供应 bubur lambuk tenggiri 等传统菜肴，展示社区的烹饪传统。

克拉码头 Chef X 的 Terumbu 快闪店将提供正宗的 Orang Laut 菜肴（左），由 Orang Laut SG 创始人 Firdaus Sani 的妈妈 Noorani Rani 在他姨妈 Rohaini 的帮助下制作。 （照片：Orang Laut SG）

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此前，如果您想品尝新加坡南岛民（Orang Laut）的美食，只能通过 Orang Laut SG 网站在线订购，才能在家享用。自 2020 年起，这个由社区主导的组织开始通过周末配送以及不定期举办的快闪店和文化活动，销售其传统的南岛民菜肴。

从周五（10月23日）起，您可以直接前往克拉码头中心的Chef X餐厅点餐。这是Orang Laut SG首次开设咖啡馆，将新加坡前岛民的特色美食带给公众。

这家名为 Terumbu（马来语意为“珊瑚礁”）的快闪餐厅将营业至 12 月 26 日。这是 Chef X 的第 15 个驻场项目，Chef X 是远东机构发起的一项计划，旨在为家庭厨师和私人餐饮厨师提供经营商​​业餐厅的机会，包括专业的厨房、用餐空间和导师指导，但时间有限。

ORANG LAUT 菜单上有什么？

克拉码头 Chef X 的 Terumbu 快闪店将提供正宗的 Orang Laut 菜肴。 （照片：Orang Laut SG）

Terumbu的菜单简洁明了，主打两道美味佳肴。第一道是Pulau Bowl（15.90新元），包含三道海鲜，配以茉莉香米和蔬菜。其中包括：酸辣卡朗鱼（asam pedas ikan karang），用酸辣酱汁慢炖的珊瑚礁鱼；墨鱼（sotong hitam），用墨鱼汁烹制的鱿鱼；以及叁巴虾（sambal udang），香辣炒虾。

这些菜肴虽然听起来与马来菜相似，但其食材却展现了岛屿美食的独特风味。例如，黑鱿鱼（sotong hitam）选用的是绿眼鱿鱼（sotong nos），这种鱿鱼传统上是用钓线捕捞的。

“我们家选用这种鱿鱼是因为它的墨汁比较多，而且烹饪方法也不同。所以你尝到的就是黑鱿鱼的浓稠度，” Orang Laut SG 的创始人 Firdaus Sani 说。他是第四代 Orang Pulau 和 Orang Laut 人，他的家族来自 Pulau Semakau。

Bubur Lampuk tenggiri 将成为 Chef X 的 Terumbu 快闪店提供的菜肴之一。（照片：Orang Laut SG）

第二种是 buburambak tenggiri，这是一种鱼粥，与斋月期间清真寺常见的 buburambak 完全不同。

“这其实是我们家的日常菜肴，因为很多时候，岛民们会剩下很多珊瑚鱼。他们会把鱼骨什么的磨碎，做成粥，因为他们没有冰箱，这样可以避免浪费，”菲尔道斯解释说。

在 Terumbu，西班牙鲭鱼粥——用香茅、椰奶和黑胡椒慢炖而成——会配上虾（11.90 新元）、鱿鱼（11.90 新元）或两者都配（13.90 新元）。

秉承 Orang Laut SG 的精神，Terumbu 将成为一场家庭和社区盛事。

这些菜肴将由 Orang Laut SG 创始人 Firdaus Sani 的母亲 Noorani Rani（左）烹制，她的姑姑 Rohaini 将协助管理现场。（图片：Orang Laut SG）

菲尔道斯的母亲努拉尼·拉尼将负责大部分烹饪工作，他的姑姑罗海尼则会在厨房帮忙，他的堂兄弟姐妹们也会协助他。这些食谱都是菲尔道斯的祖母内内克·尼娜传下来的，遵循的是家族的理念——“ikut hati kau”（跟随你的心），而不是精确的计量。

甜点中的 kueh koleh-koleh 和 puteri salat 将由前 Bukom 岛岛民制作。

选择这些菜肴是为了展示沿海菜肴与更广泛的努桑塔拉菜肴有何不同。

“菜单上我们会写明有珊瑚鱼，但不会具体说明用的是哪种鱼，因为我们希望与岛上的渔民社区合作并支持他们。岛上仍然有一些渔网制作者出海捕鱼，我们的一些食材也来自他们，所以鱼的种类可能会根据他们的捕捞情况而有所变化。这样一来，就实现了从海洋到餐桌的联系，”菲尔道斯说道。

Orang Laut SG 创始人 Firdaus Sani。 （照片：Orang Laut SG）

“我们提供的菜肴是马来群岛美食的一部分。如果将南部岛民的烹饪与马来菜肴完全割裂开来，那就辜负了该社群与更广泛地区之间悠久的历史渊源。”

他接着说，区别更多在于食材、捕鱼传统以及受沿海生活影响而形成的烹饪方式。

保护南部岛屿的饮食文化遗产

Firdaus Sani 和他的家人在前往实马高岛的船上。 （照片：Orang Laut SG）

Orang Laut SG 成立于 2020 年，最初是一个 Instagram 页面，记录了从新加坡南部岛屿流离失所的社区的记忆、传统和美食。

根据其网站介绍，“Orang Laut”（海洋之民）和“Orang Pulau”（岛屿之民）这两个词描述的是两种身份认同，它们之间可能存在重叠，但并非可以互换。两者都涵盖了新加坡现代发展之前就已存在的与海洋环境相关的历史和联系。

菲尔道斯家族世代居住的实马高岛如今已成为新加坡的离岸垃圾填埋场。1977年，随着新加坡岛屿的重建，他的家人被迁往新加坡本岛。

“食物是我们文化的重要可见体现，”菲尔道斯说。“你可以品尝它，可以闻到它的香气，可以亲身感受它。任何想要体验南方岛民文化的人都可以轻松获得它。虽然我们已经离开了岛屿，但这仍然是我们与岛屿之间紧密的联系。”

这些食谱是 Firdaus Sani 的祖母 Nenek Ninah 传承下来的，这张照片中可以看到她和亲戚 Nenek Ru 在实马高岛。 （照片：Orang Laut SG）

尽管如此，菲尔道斯指出，并不存在一种统一的“奥朗劳特”菜系。不同的岛屿社群根据他们能够捕捞、种植或获得的食材，发展出各自的烹饪传统，并且随着时代和环境的变化，他们的烹饪技艺也在不断演变。

新加坡西部岛屿正计划进一步开发，因此，保护​​这些历史遗迹显得尤为重要。

“我想强调的是，这些地方并非空地，”菲尔道斯说。“那里曾经有社区，人们的生计仍然与这些岛屿和空间息息相关。”

为此，特伦布还将设立一个社区画廊，探索南部岛屿的文化遗产。

对新加坡人来说，Terumbu餐厅提醒我们，我们的饮食历史远不止于小贩中心和家常菜。还有其他更古老的饮食传统，它们源于那些家园已从地图上消失的社群，但他们的知识和记忆却依然鲜活地存在着。

Terumbu 将于 10 月 23 日至 12 月 26 日在克拉码头中心 #03-103/104 Chef X 举办。

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