HBO Asia serves hot new show about Singapore’s ‘food obsession’

HBO Asia is premiering today a show that looks to serve the most definitive guide to Singapore’s food culture through the tastebuds of popular food vlogger Mark Wiens.

Food Affair with Mark Wiens is HBO Asia Originals’ “first non-scripted food series” hosted by the Thailand-based American YouTuber. With over nine million subscribers and a well-lived mantra that “food is the reason you should travel,” Mark is easily the right person to deep-dive into the history and untold stories of personalities behind Singapore’s “diverse and dynamic” cuisine, ranging from haute to hawker fare.

Every episode features an esteemed panel of guests — a fine-dining chef, a culinary veteran and a hawker hero — as Mark eats his way to discovering why Singapore is home to more than 50 Michelin-starred establishments and over 60 Bib Gourmand locations, alongside its bustling hawker centers. The six-episode series can be accessed via HBO and HBO GO, and debuts at the same time on HBO Max in the US.

Food Affair with Mark Wiens is the brainchild of Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo, recipient of the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest arts accolade, for his contributions to reviving the film industry in his country.

During a recent one-on-one with The STAR in Singapore, he said the idea for the show was born over the pandemic.

“I’m obsessed with food,” began the man behind the HBO anthology series Folklore 1 and 2 (2018, 2021) and the award-winning Food Lore (2019), where he got to work with Filipino director Erik Matti. “I’ve been doing food-centric things for the last 15 years or so. I really love Singaporean soul food which is essentially hawker fare.”

His latest show under his Zhao Wei Films was whipped up to present, through food, his country’s multicultural society and heritage.

“I thought, we’re just a tiny, little island, right? It literally just takes you 45 minutes from one end to the other end without traffic. But we have so many high-end restaurants and, you know, the culture for food is so diverse,” said Eric.

“I think the Singaporean food that inspires all of us is essentially the mix in terms of ratio. You know, it’s like you’ve got the Malays, the Indians, the Chinese and (you have the) Eurasians.

“And why not do a series where you put the street food on the same level as your high-end food and at the end is pure heart? Of course, we wanted to not just show food, but to show the people behind the food,” he further told The STAR.

Mark immediately came to mind as a host as he made quite an impression on Eric when they were introduced to each other by the latter’s sons some years ago.

“When my youngest boy, Lucas, discovered that Mark was coming to Singapore, he managed to get Mark to go to our favorite Wonton Mee noodle stall. And my boys had fantasized about how Mark would eat the noodles. And Mark so kindly said, ‘I’ll be there, I’ll go and check it out,’” he shared.

“So, he came. I remember he came with his wife and tried the Wonton Mee. What a beautiful man. It was so good to have him on board for Food Affair,” Eric said, praising the Food Affair host. “He’s a natural. He’s got a wonderful aura. He has a good soul and he really loves his food.”

As for his director, he tapped Gillian Tan, founder of the TV production company Munkysuperstar Pictures and YouTube channel Clicknetwork, and whose career took off in 2003 as the creator-director of Singapore’s first English reality show.

Eric said he has always wanted to collaborate with Gillian whose expertise is non-scripted narratives. For the female filmmaker, it was an easy yes because she’s a certified foodie as well.

“It was kind of a natural yes, for me, to do a series on food. But not just about the food. I also wanted to go into the stories of the chefs, of the people who create the food, the people who own the restaurants that I found fascinating. For me, it was an exciting project,” she said.

The STAR also asked the showrunners for personal recommendations to those who are new to Singaporean cuisine or simply want to experience more of it.

For Gillian, she would advise them to try the dish Bak Chor Mee. “We didn’t feature it in the show, but it does make a small appearance in one of the episodes as one of the chefs created a dish that was sort of inspired by it,” she said.

“It’s a minced-meat noodle dish, it’s dry, it’s got vinegar, ah it’s lovely! I think it’s something you can only find in Singapore. I cannot think of something that’s close to it outside of Singapore.”

She also suggested Laksa, which has various kinds and is available in other countries, but the one in Singapore is cooked in Peranakan style, defined as “a mix of Chinese ingredients and Malay/Indonesian spices.”

“There are many different kinds of Laksa but the one here, there’s a lot of coconut milk, curry. In Penang, for example, they’re a little bit more fish-y flavor, more sour, so it’s a little bit different and the broth is lighter,” Gillian said. “I like the one that is sort of Peranakan-style in Singapore, a bit richer. It’s rich, (has) coconut (milk), curry broth.”

Both Gillian and Eric suggested the Hainanese Curry Rice, touted as one of Singapore’s beloved comfort dishes. “There are like five different types of curry, you know. And then they will start cooking at three o’clock in the morning. (There’s) assam (fish) curry, pork curry, chicken curry, vegetable curry and you got the sotong (squid) curry. My god, all these curry sauces are different in taste. Amazing!” Eric said.

The director was also quick to include his favorite Mee Siam, which according to him, “you can’t get it anywhere else.” “It’s the ‘poor cousin’ of Laksa, which is the famous one,” he said, quipping that he always goes for the “underdog.”

When it came to selecting the restaurants, people and food to shine a light on in the series, Gillian said, “Everything comes down to — apart from the food which obviously has to taste good and look good — the people behind the food have to be comfortable on camera. That was something quite difficult because you have some chefs who are great but then they’re like, ‘I really don’t want to be on camera.’

“(Others) sounded okay with it, but they just kind of thought, you know, ‘We’re not able to really articulate our thoughts as confidently on camera,’ because they’re not used to it. They’re used to the kitchen. But then in front of the camera, it’s a whole different story.

“But ultimately, we wanted to help showcase people that had interesting stories to tell. So, food is good, taste is good and good story of the person.”

Overall, they said the shoot experience was more fun than challenging, and the only big challenge, as Gillian pointed out, was “try to have Eric not eat the food while we were filming (laughs).”

“It was very fun. It was a lovely experience,” Eric readily agreed. “It was just good vibes.”

That’s why they’re hoping for HBO Asia to greenlight a Season 2 for Food Affair with Mark Wiens. “We’re hoping for more seasons — and if we can travel outside of Singapore, why not?” Eric said.