Oh, the food you’ll find in Singapore. The island is
home to a medley of culinary experiences, whether you’re hankering
after traditional hawker fare, modern flavours or classics from the
city’s tapestry of diverse cultures. And you will find all of them
at the Singapore Food Festival 2017, from 14—30 Jul, starting with
the festival’s signature event, STREAT. There are also great
opportunities to get a taste of the city’s passion for various
cuisines through a selection of food-inspired works of art, films
and stories. So join in and sample the flavours of
Singapore.
At this signature event of the Singapore Food Festival,
traditional local fare will be given a contemporary twist thanks to
two homegrown chefs. Malcolm Lee of
one-Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant Candlenut will collaborate with mod-Sin pioneer, Willin
Low of Wild Rocket, on a pop-up restaurant, serving a
3-course mod-Sin and modern Peranakan Tok Panjang menu (SGD 50),
where diners will get to sample a variety of three appetizers and
three mains served communal style, with the meal capped off with
individual desserts for everyone. Save some space for the other
food and drinks available—nine stalls are featured in the line-up,
which include New Ubin Seafood, Peranakan Khek, Whampoa Prawn
Noodle, collaborations between Taste Affair and The Masses, as well
as between Keng Eng Kee and Good Chance Popiah. Bevvies from Native
Bar will also be served.
Clifford
Square (beside Fullerton Bay Hotel). 14—15 Jul.
5-10.30pm. Free admission.
Local cuisine and culture form the backbone of this
gastronomic event that comprises of three segments. Join a
cook-off, workshop or tour at Chocolate Wonderland (14—16 Jul). Or
soak in Singapore’s Peranakan (Straits
Chinese) heritage at the Singapore Cultural Experience (11—19 Jul).
Finally, sample kueh (bite-sized
snacks) from one of Singapore’s most iconic brands, Bengawan Solo,
when you join the ION Orchard Food and Heritage
Trail (11—31 Jul). Work off the calories by indulging in retail
therapy (and great discounts) at the mall, which is home to both
luxury labels and high street brands. ION Orchard Culinary
Creations 2017 also coincides with the Great
Singapore Sale.
ION
Orchard. 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801. +65 6238
8228. 9 Jun—31 Jul. Free admission.
Steep yourself in the rich heritage of the Katong-Joo
Chiat precinct at one of Heritage Town Festival’s two events. Join the Heritage
Food Trail (22 & 29 Jul, SGD 55) and explore the
neighbourhood’s distinct character through its food, culture and
architecture. You’ll also get a chance to make Peranakan handicraft as part of the Community Arts and
Food Culture Showcase (23 Jul, SGD 38). Since the district is the
historic epicentre of Peranakan culture, learn more about its significance
at The Intan, a heritage home museum that offers private tours.
Make sure to book an appointment before dropping by.
Various locations.+65 6741 2125. 1—31 Jul.
Various times. Free-SGD 55.
Fancy a glass of vino with your chicken rice? You can
at these wine-meets-hawker affairs curated by Merchants Wine Store, featuring boutique
Australian and New Zealander wines to sip on. Maxwell Food Centre
and Old Airport Road Food Centre are among the participating hawker
centres, and there will even be a winemaker present at a few
sessions to answer all your burning questions about the pairing.
Complete the immersive experience with a trip to either of
Merchants Wine Store’s two bistros, on Duxton Road and Joo Chiat
Road.
Various locations. 14—30 Jul (except
Mondays). 6.30-8.30pm. SGD 88.
Before you bite into your kueh, sign up for one of these workshops
by Rainbow Lapis. Make kuehand
learn about how to pair them with artisanal tea at Tea Chapter (SGD
80); craft a kueh-inspired cocktail at Bar
Stories (SGD 98); and head to Kaldi's Berry (SGD 80), where you’ll
learn how to pair the snack with different types of coffee. Steep
yourself further in the Peranakan heritage, of which kueh is an important cultural aspect, by taking a walk
around the Joo Chiat neighbourhood to find out more about the
culture’s architecture and cuisine.
Tea Chapter. 9
& 11 Neil Road, Singapore 088808. 15 Jul. 2-5pm. SGD
80.
Bar Stories.
55-57 Haji Lane 2nd Floor, Singapore 189248. 22 Jul. 4.30-6.30pm.
SGD 98.
Kaldi’s Berry.
231 Mountbatten Road, Urban Mangrove [Mountbatten Centre Block D]
#02-01, Singapore 397999. 23 Jul. 10am-12.30pm. SGD 80.
Let celebrity and foodie Moses Lim show you how locals
eat. In this media tour of one of the island’s oldest hawker
centres, Maxwell Food Centre, lucky members of the public–who will
be handpicked by Moses Lim through an impromptu on-site contest at
3pm–can join in as hawkers share stories and take participants
behind the scenes of their craft. Then, head across the road from
the food centre to learn more about one of the religions in
Singapore at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and
Museum. Hop on a free guided tour of the temple, which
cost SGD 62 million to construct and was built specifically to
house the tooth relic of Buddha.
Maxwell Food
Centre. 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184. 16 Jul.
3-4.30pm. Free for lucky members of the public.
Watch dancers sashay while you tuck into a five-course
meal at this event, which brings together the
performing and culinary arts. Dance instructor Naomi Tan is the
choreographer behind the show, while Nixon Low, the former head
chef of modern European restaurant Portico who
now heads the kitchen at Jiakpalang, will sort out the gastronomic half of the
equation. To take in more contemporary dance in Singapore,
the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, the
city’s major performing arts venue, should be your first stop.
Jiakpalang Eating
House. 456 Alexandra Road, #01-06, Singapore 119962. 20—22
Jul. Adults (five-course menu) SGD 78, Children (three-course menu;
4- to 10-year-olds) SGD 38.
If all you know of the Lion City’s food is our humble
hawker fare, here’s a half-day talk by General Assembly that will clue you in to ‘modern
Singaporean’ cuisine. The relatively new coinage refers to dishes
that are refined, elevated versions of traditional classics. To
really dig deep, turn to the chefs and industry captains like Arrif
Ziaudeen, founder of restaurant booking platform Chope, who will
share his insights at this symposium. Topics include "The Future of
Food" and "Taste Talks: Neo Sin, Mod Sin or Origin Sin?"
[email protected]. 71-77 Stamford Road,
MPH Building, Singapore 178895. +65 6828 0942. 23 Jul. 10am-3pm.
Free admission.
Ondeh ondeh (coconut and gula
melaka snacks) by HariAnn’s, yi
bua (Hainanese coconut rice cakes) by Hainan Xiao Chi,
and lemper (Indonesian glutinous rice
with meat fillings) by Malay vendor Ratu Lempur. These bite-sized
snacks get their time to shine when Kueh Appreciation Day returns,
alongside kueh-making demonstration classes
(SGD20 and up) and rare kueh exclusive
to the event.
ToTT Store. 896
Dunearn Road, #01-01A, Singapore 589472. +65 6219 7077. 23 Jul.
10am-4pm. Free admission.
Learn to cook and plate traditional local dishes (SGD
25) from professionals as part of At-SunriceGlobalChef Academy’s new
leisure culinary programme. You can even craft a Singapore-inspired
mocktail or cocktail (SGD 20), including a Sing Mojito, or hunt for
local herbs and spices when you go on a tour of At-Sunrice’s spice
garden (SGD 5).
Sakae
Building. 28 Tai Seng Street, Level 5, Singapore
534106. 22 & 29 Jul. 10am-6pm.
SGD 5-SGD 25.
Learn the secrets to taking mouth-watering pictures of
food from the pros behind The
Foodistand chef Petrina Loh of Morsels.
Participate in the hands-on session that includes food styling,
plating and photography. Bring your own camera if you prefer, or
let the workshop team help you take a professional shot of your
creations. Light bites will be provided should you get peckish.
After your workshop, spend some time checking out Dempsey Hill, a tranquil hideaway which
is now one of Singapore’s best lifestyle enclaves.
Morsels. 25
Dempsey Road, #01-04, Singapore 249670. +65 9831 8558. 23 Jul.
3–5pm. SGD 90 per pax.
Old-school arcade machines, craft brews and off-menu
dishes cooked up in collaboration between restaurant chefs and
hawkers at Timbre+. These are some things to expect at
the gastropark’s stalls as part of Open Stoves. Then, head out to
Timbre+’s beer garden where you can whet your appetites with food
from the live wok stations. Once you’ve filled your bellies, wind
down with the bands that’ll be playing live music from the centre
stage.
Timbre+. 73A
Ayer Rajah Crescent, JTC LaunchPad @ one-north, Singapore 139957.
+65 6252 2545. 28—30 Jul. Fri—Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-midnight. Free
admission.
Go back in time with giveaways of old school snacks and
toys, games such as fishing fountain and hopscotch, and roving
character mascots from the 1980s, all while tucking into
traditional hawker dishes of the time at The 50 Cents Fest. Everything will be sold at 50
cents, or in multiples of 50 cents, and you can expect ‘abacus
seeds’ (yam gnocchi), Cantonese paper-wrapped chicken, Hokkien
rickshaw noodles, and ice balls, among other local traditional
dishes which are tough to find these days. After the feast, cap off
your evening at Smith Street Taps at the nearby Chinatown Complex Food
Centre for craft beer on draught.
Chinatown Food
Street. Smith Street, Singapore 050335. 29—30 Jul.
Sat 12pm-11pm; Sun 11am-11pm. Free admission.
Calling all tea lovers: celebrate the aromatic beverage
at the inaugural two-day festival with over 25 brands—among
them Pin Tea, Hush Tea—to explore our country’s rich tea
heritage through talks and demonstrations. For a more traditional
slant, pop by Yixing Xuan Teahousealong Tanjong Pagar
Road for a Chinese tea appreciation workshop.
ION
Orchard. 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801. 22—23 Jul.
10am-10pm. Free admission.
Mediterranean, modern European, Asian fusion: you name
it, you’ll find it on Chope. For the first time, the restaurant
booking platform is celebrating the Singapore Food Festival by
offering free signature local dishes with every reservation placed
at one of the site’s partners, including Baba Chews Bar &
Eatery, Redpan and Violet Oon Satay Bar & Grill. Make a
booking at other participating restaurants to enjoy bundled set
meals, which include locally-inspired dishes. Every booking at
participating restaurants earns you an extra 50 Chope-Dollars!
Various
locations. 1—31 Jul. Free.
Soon, you’ll be able to enjoy char
siew (barbecued pork) rice and beef rendang (spicy Malay curry) while you’re tens of
thousands of feet in the air—if you are flying Singapore Airlines, that is. The
airline will give a sneak peek at its upcoming in-flight menu,
which features local favourites such as bak kut
teh (pork rib soup), Hainanese pork chop
and roti prata (fried flatbread). Take
note, though: the menu varies depending on which flight you’re on.
If you aren’t flying on Singapore Airlines, Changi Airport is also
home to scores of eateries, some of which are open 24/7.
On-board select SIA
flights. 1–31Jul.
Traditions in Singaporean cuisine extend beyond hawker
centres—there are many restaurants in the city whose histories
stretch back for decades. As part of this festival, 52 restaurants—including 12 heritage
ones such as Yum Cha and Tim Palace—will create brand-new dishes
inspired by the city and its many cultures.
Various
locations. 1 Jul—30 Sep. Various prices.
Want a hip souvenir to take home? Pick out a homemade
cocktail. Homegrown brand Sunday
Punch has been bottling its own cocktails for close to
three years now, and it’s launching two new drinks inspired by the
flavours of Singapore. The gin-based East Side pays homage
to laksa(Peranakan noodle soup), while Kopi
B puts a spin on the classic Boulevardier with bourbon fat-washed
with butter and vermouth infused with coffee grounds.
For more information, visit drinksundaypunch.com. +65 9634 2121. 14—30 Jul. SGD 38/a
pair of 100ml bottles, and SGD 68-78/500ml.
SSF