Singapore Food Festival 2014

This year’s Singapore Food Festival will be held from 11 to 20 July and will be themed “Walk Down Memory Lane”. As we continue to celebrate Singapore’s rich food legacy, we can also expect modern interpretations of local dishes at this year’s festival. 

Participating stalls include the South East Sliders @ ION Orchard, Nyonya Mobile, Suvai 2014, Singapore Chinese Dialect Heritage Feast at Chinatown Food Street and BBQ by the Beach. The festival will also include the ION Orchard Local Food Trail, where you can experience Singapore’s diverse food culture.

We were ushered into Tanjong Beach at Sentosa for a preview of the Singapore Food Festival to view the different booths and their offerings. We’ve rounded up some of the ones we think you ought to try!

The Food at the Singapore Food Festival

South East Sliders

Recommendation: Lim Peh Slider

This was a clear winner among us. The beef rendang was cooked, shredded and served in a pastry pocket spread with Swiss Cheese. This modern spin on the classic beef rendang has been made less spicy so that it appeals to the masses. Chef Damian D’Silva mentioned that “there’s no shortcut to rendang”, which goes to show how much work and care goes into taking this familiar dish up a notch.

Nyonya Mobile

Recommendation: Buah Keluak by Chef Malcolm from Candlenut

While we only got to try the Beef Buah Keluak – a wagyu beef rib slathered in a rich buah keluak gravy – which we loved, I’ll also be keeping an eye out for the Buah Keluak Ice Cream in future.

The Nyonya Mobile experience goes beyond food sampling. There will also be exhibitions on food and spices, Peranakan traditional attire, Peranakan Wedding Customs and Peranakan language and heritage. The Nyonya Mobile will be travelling around Singapore at different places from 12-17 July, helmed by chefs Nelson Li, Kenny Chan and Malcolm Lee. Visit the website for more details on the schedule.

Suvai

Recommendation: Grilled Roulade Prata by Chef Sultanul Arfin

We’ve all had oily but delicious pratas at some point. Suvai’s Grilled Roulade Prata has convinced me that healthier options can be just as tasty. Their version is stuffed with minced mutton. Instead of cooking it on a hotplate with oil, Suvai rolled and grilled theirs to be relevant to people who want to eat healthier. The result? A crispy, hearty roll that even had a bit of sweetness to it. This should really appeal to the health-conscious and the taste-conscious.

For this year’s SFF, expect other events organised by the Indian Chefs and Culinary Association (Singapore). This includes the international chef competition, celebrity masterclasses and a family cooking challenge.

Singapore Chinese Dialect Heritage Fest

Recommendation: Rickshaw Noodles and Paper Baked Chicken

I’ve never tried Rickshaw Noodles before. This flavourful bowl of stewed Hokkien yellow noodles in pork broth was rich in flavour and made better when topped with fried garlic, shallots and anchovies. The Paper Baked Chicken was also great – the best thing about this dish is that the paper prevents the chicken’s aroma and essence from escaping.

Other signature dishes that will be featured at Chinatown Food Street include Hainanese Chicken Rice Balls. You can even embark on a Chinese Heritage Food Trail to learn more about each dish. 

BBQ By the Beach

Recommendation: Barbeque Lamb 

They’ve brought this concept back from SFF 2012, but this time, they’ve kicked it up a notch by introducing the first ever Sand Dining concept in Singapore. Renowned local sand sculptor, Joo Heng Tan, has created sand dining sets where you can relax and get fully into the the beach dining atmosphere. While they are famous for their seafood dishes, the barbequed lamb was one that really stood out.

They have also adopted a different way of grilling, using the traditional Hawaiian underground barbeque pit known as the “imu”. There are also the barbeque sambal chilli stingray, grilled beef rump and other seafood dishes that you definitely don’t want to miss. This costs about $79-$99 for adults and $29-39 for children aged three to ten.

There will also be an ION Orchard Local Food Trail where you can learn about Singapore’s rich food heritage. Get a taste of Singapore’s varied cuisine during food samplings and demonstrations. Participating establishments include Lim Chee Guan, which will be offering Singapore’s perennial favourite bak kwa, Bengawan Solo, Punggol Nasi Padang, Killiney Café, Food Opera, Eu Yan Sang and Wang San Yang.

This food trail will run from 11 July to 20 July, from Mondays to Fridays only. It starts at 11am, and it’s free. However, pre-registration is required. You can call +65 238 8228 to register or visit www.ionorchard.com for more information.

Promotions at the Singapore Food Festival

The Indian Restaurants Association (Singapore) is organising a Curry Fish Head promotion in conjunction with The Banana Leaf Apolo, Jade of India Restaurant, Anjappar Restaurant, Samy’s Curry and Karu’s Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant. Each of these restaurants will be giving out 50 dishes of fish head curry with a minimum spend of $100 during Singapore Food Festival 2014.

Other dining establishments will be offering their own special promotions to celebrate the Singapore Food Festival. If you would like to find out more about this year’s Singapore Food Festival, visit their website.

This post was brought to you by the Singapore Tourism Board.