Singapore’s unique dining style comes to Manhattan

COOKING A DISH from one culture while living in another is simply a matter of ingredients and technique. Translating an entire dining style is harder. No matter how tasty the , how artfully nicotine-stained the walls and how much Édith Piaf warbles from the speakers, eating at a bistro in Phoenix will always be different from eating at one in Lyon. The trick, as a new Singapore-style hawker centre in midtown Manhattan shows, is knowing which parts of the experience can be transplanted successfully, and which should be left at home.In Singapore, are large, semi-outdoor spaces (they have roofs but no walls). Food stalls line the perimeter while customers stake out seats at tables in the middle. Ubiquitous and cheap, they are in Singapore, where your columnist once lived. They let groups of friends with different tastes and dietary requirements eat together. They are unpretentious and fun: vendors banter and flirt with their customers and the open setting encourages relaxed conversation.