Coffee, tea?: Waitresses in SIA uniforms at Beijing restaurant serve ‘Singapore’ food
SINGAPORE — Imagine experiencing the famous Singapore Airlines (SIA) service, not a mile high in the sky but at a Singapore-style restaurant in Beijing, replete with waitresses wearing sarong kebaya similar to the famous SIA uniform and sneakers, and a menu filled with hilarious typos and bizarrely named dishes.
This was the sight that greeted Arthur Pang, a 48-year-old Malaysian project manager who had dinner alone at Borderless on Sunday (17 April) as he said he was yearning for Singapore food.
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, Pang said the restaurant is managed by a team of local Chinese staff. Pang, who has been working in Beijing for eight years, said he chose the restaurant at Viva Plaza in the Shuangjing area based on a recommendation of a friend.
A look at the Borderless menu shows that the restaurant supposedly serves Singapore and Southeast Asian fare. Pang, who ordered curry chicken and pineapple fried rice, said that the dishes he had were “not authentic” but “not bad”.
The menu offers dishes with bewildering names such as “Singapore Barbegue Pore”, “Lion city throw bread”, “Fried tofu with minced Malay meat”, “Grasp the sand bone”, and “Beef remdamg” (sic).
“I miss Singapore and regional food as I used to work in Singapore for nine years. First thing that caught my eye was an ‘SIA Girl’ waiting tables, in sneakers. So to my amusement, I asked for the menu and behold, a jackpot of funny translations on their menu!” said Pang.
The native from Sabah said he was surprised that his public post on Facebook about his dining experience at the restaurant has gone viral. A check of the post as of 4pm shows that it has garnered more than three thousand shares since it was posted on Monday morning.
When asked about his overall experience, Pang said he plans to return to the restaurant, but with a group of friends the next time.
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