Let’s be real. If you are anything like me, your monthly groceries come from the Fairprice/Sheng Shiong/Giant supermarket near your house, supplemented by a checkout at RedMart. We are a society of convenience-obsessed customers, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Don’t get me wrong; I do not hate the wet market.
I grew up being an errand boy for my mum, and she often always dispatched me to the wet market. At a very young age, the market was the most intimidating place to be, where the rules were often not in your favour if you were not adept at haggling and could not tell the difference between parsley and coriander.
Or worse, the Malay translations of those herbs.
Up to this day, the wet market remains as a last resort. I will only go if I could not find something at Fairprice.
Except for meat. Like, really good quality meat. Good steaks in restaurants have spoilt my taste buds to premium meat cuts.
Premium halal butcheries are still a dime a dozen here in Singapore, but here are a few places already existing for you to indulge in some fantastic meat.
1. Zac Butchery
A household name for premium halal meat, Zac Butchery has beefed up the city’s supply of quality cuts since its inception.
The off- and online butchery specialises in bringing in the freshest quality meats mainly from Australia, New Zealand and South America to produce their own brand of hams, cold cuts and sausages right here in Singapore.
They also supply raw meat such as portions of Wagyu beef rib-eye and Angus beef Sirloin for home cooks who appreciate a good steak.
Bonus tip: Zac Butchery is one of the brands under Portopantry, and there is always a one-day only factory sale every month where you can enjoy huge savings on their products. Follow @portopantry to get notified.
2. The Meatery
Newly opened by a husband and wife team who saw a gap in the market for quality halal prime meat, The Meatery welcomes the general public to purchase (among other things) their special blend burger patties, beef and lamb sausages, and a wide variety of prime cuts that sometimes don’t make it to their display chiller due to limited space!
If that’s not good enough, the products are chockfull of superlatives that are music to any conscious eater’s ears: hormone-free, antibiotic-free, grass-fed, grain-fed, free-range, organic, and of course my favourite–halal-certified!
If you are a steak newbie, check out their Instagram for valuable knowledge on everything meat, inspo recipes, and lots of mouthwatering photos.
3. The Meat Up Butchery
The Meat Up is a premium halal butchery in the heartlands of Tampines opened by Italian-born butcher Cesare Cantarella who has been living in Singapore for the past 25 years.
The unique selling point for this butchery is its dry-aged meat. Dry-aging is a slow process that supposedly intensify the meat to a more robust, full-flavoured taste.
Cantarella handles the dry aging process himself to ensure quality meat always.
