Yahoo Singapore looks back at the 10 dishes and drinks that
Singaporeans went crazy for in 2015.
Image: O’ma Spoon/
Instagram
10. Cold brewed
coffee
Nope, it’s not the same as iced coffee. Coffee
connoisseurs have long taken to this drink, which uses a centuries’
old method of coffee brewing. Now, cold brewed coffee (or cold
brews) are becoming such a cafe mainstay that some joke
of it
being the hipster’s go-to drink. How it’s made: ground coffee
is steeped overnight for that concentrated essence. The coffee
concentrate is then diluted with water and chilled, before being
served. The result is a cup of java that’s smoother and less acidic
than your average cup of heat-extracted coffee. You can even try
making your own cups of cold brews at home, with
this do-it-yourself
guide.
9. Coconut
water
Image: Provenance Distributions
Never has coconut water seemed so ubiquitous here until
this year. From supermarket buys to upmarket finds, this refreshing
tropical drink has been snapped up by Singaporeans. While
detractors might prefer getting it fresh from the coconut itself,
you can’t beat the convenience of packaged drinks; you’ll easily
find a dozen brands all over the drink aisles. While coconut water
might not be the “miracle water” that some tout
it to be, its popularity still shows no signs of diminishing.
8. Coconut ice
cream
Image: Pong Gelato/
Instagram
That hankering for
coconuts extends to this dessert too. Scoops of this ice-cream is
served in coconut husks and topped with nuts and sweet sauces, much
as it is done at street markets in Bangkok. Some stores such
as Koko
Ice Cream and Qoolco will serve the dish with a cup of
coconut water. You can also find a dairy-free alternative to the
coconut ice-cream at Pong
Gelato.
7. Gyu don (beef rice bowl)
More
cafes and restaurants have started serving bowls of this simple yet
so satisfying dish. While the primary ingredients tend to be just
sliced beef, rice and sauce, the quality meats used make this rice
bowl so irresistible. It’s comfort food at its best indeed. To add
to its appeal, some restaurants will serve up ebi roe, wobbly
“onsen” eggs and even foie gras on the rice bowl. Check
out our top 12 gyu don list here.
6. Cakeshakes
Image: The
Benjamins/ Facebook
These over-the-top
milkshakes may come with calorie-heavy towers of sweets.
But that hasn’t stopped Singaporeans from lapping them up. To
create these oversized desserts, candy floss, marshmallow, pretzels
and even chunks of cake stacked on top of richly indulgent
milkshakes. This foodie trend which originated in Canberra,
Australia continues to be the mainstay dessert of local cafes such
as The
Benjamins and Cake Spade.
5. Shibuya toast
Image: Dazzling
Cafe Singapore
Seriously, it’s as if
Singaporeans can’t ever fully sate their sweet tooth. This
Japanese-style toast has now made its way to Singapore, with local
cafes as well as new foodie stops serving up photogenic plates of
this dessert. These thick cubes of toast come covered with
ice-cream, fruits, honey and sweet-savoury sauces. Chief among the
newcomers isDazzling
Cafe from Taiwan, which offers the thick toast as one of
its signature dishes. Read
on for the 18 best places to go for all types of toast.
4. Gourmet burgers
Long gone are
the days when burgers come served as just convenience food. The
gourmet burger trend has transformed the grab-and-go dish to one
with tender grilled meats, mouthwatering presentation and glazed
buns that are toasted just right. While such top-of-the-range
burgers are not new to Singapore, 2015 has seen popular
international chains such as MEATLiquor from
London, The
Butchers Club Burger from Hong Kong set up shop here. Even
fast food chains like McDonald’s have
hopped onto the trend with customised burgers and premium
ingredients.
3. Korean Fried Chicken
Image: Chir Chir/
Instagram
The Hallyu craze hasn’t
died down one bit and the same goes for our love of Korean cuisine.
More specifically, the Korean fried chicken dish: those tender,
marinated sweet drumlets that Singaporeans can’t get enough of. In
fact, 2015 has seen even more specialty stores sprouting all over
Singapore. Franchise chain Chicken Up now has as many as five
outlets, while Chir Chir, Twins Korean Restaurant, Chicken Clinic,
Ssiksin Chicken and more new entrants have also opened within the
same year.See
our top 10 must-tries in this list.
2. Mookata
Image: Tom
Yum Kungfu/ Facebook
Is it the guilty
latherings of lard, the charcoal fire or the spicy marinades that
gets Singaporeans so in love with Mookata? Whatever it is, it looks
like the Thai-style barbeque steamboat trend is here to stay. This
do-it-yourself meal features a dome-shaped skillet where you’ll put
your plates of meats and seafood to grill and sizzle on. A
flavourful broth is also added to the soup “moat” surrounds the
skillet, which you can soak and boil your ingredients of
choice. Save
this list of top Mookata stops, so you’ll know where to go when
the craving hits.
1. Korean Bingsu
It’s the trending
dessert of 2015 and the Korean take on ice kachang. Made of milky
shaved ice, condensed milk and rice cakes, Korean bingsu typically
comes topped with an array of toppings such as red bean, sesame
powder, fruits and ice-cream. It helps that some stores here have
gone all out with the presentation, such that each serving becomes
a colourful tower of sweet treats. If you still can’t get enough of
bingsu, check out these 15
places to go for this Korean dessert.
how many have u
tried?
