What’s on the 'mee siam' cake that was given to PM Lee after his last parliament sitting as Prime Minister?
The cake weighs 10kg and was created by a team of chefs from Shangri-La Singapore led by Chef Herve Potus.
The cake depicted Mr Lee's favourite items including books, Nyonya kueh and mee siam. (Photo: Instagram/rachelong_)
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The parliamentary session on Wednesday (May 8) marked Mr Lee Hsien Loong's last one as Singapore's third Prime Minister. To commemorate the occasion, the PAP women MPs got him a cake featuring some of "his favourite items".
According to MP Rachel Ong, the cake was "to show (their) appreciation for all [PM Lee] has done".
Depicted on the cake was an assortment of some of his favourite items including:
- Mee siam (a possible reference to the iconic "mee siam mai hum" meme of 2006)
- Nyonya kueh
- A fruit platter, featuring yellow watermelon, papaya and more
- A cup of coffee
- A Peranakan table runner
- Assorted books including Life 100 People Who Changed the World, How To Solve Coding Problems and Elon Musk: How The Billionaire CEO Of SpaceX And Tesla Is Shaping Our Future
- A phone displaying his Facebook page
- A button with the label 'Table 72' (a possible reference to his current age)
The cake also featured the message: "Kamsiah PM". Kamsiah means thank you in the Hokkien dialect.
A few cheeky commenters noted that the cake was missing Mr Lee's "magic cup", a reference to the cup he sipped from when he made speeches during the COVID-19 pandemic, oftentimes before he switched to a different language.
The cake was created by chefs from Shangri-La Singapore led by Area Executive Pastry Chef Herve Potus, together with pastry chef Lee Yan Jium and chef Stephanie Khor, who was also the artist who designed the items.
Weighing at an impressive 10kg, the cake was covered in fondant made with a marble effect and it comprised crunchy feuilletine and two layers of chocolate sponge fudge, sandwiched with a light cocoa butter cream.
The cake was brought out to the Members’ Room after parliament adjourned by the hotel's chefs led by Chef Potus.
He told CNA Lifestyle that the pastry team began by finding out PM Lee's favourite items and pastimes, and did a few rounds of sketches before the design was approved.
"We did not have time but the team managed to complete the cake by May 8," said Chef Potus.
He added: "I take this as more of an opportunity rather than a challenge. We are grateful that our team was able to be a part of this project as PM Lee passes on the baton.
"I feel incredibly proud and very honoured to be a part of this journey as the team celebrates PM Lee’s legacy and his contribution to Singapore."
Sharing a video of the cake on his social media pages, PM Lee expressed his gratitude for "all MPs, NMPs, and NCMPs, past and present, for (their) contributions to robust and serious debates" in parliament.
He also received a few laughs after saying: "Just for the avoidance of doubt, I am stepping down as PM, not as MP."
Mr Lee will be officially stepping down as Prime Minister on May 15, after 20 years in the role. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will then take over as Singapore's fourth Prime Minister.
