Looks like things are really heating up in Singapore this season. On top of the Singapore Street Festival and National Day festivities (and promotions!), the Singapore Food Festival (SFF) is back to bring us all, “A Fresh Taste of Tradition”. Taking place from the 17 July to 2 August 2015, our vibrant food legacy will play a starring role across the island. Here’s a low down on the exciting line-up of 13 gastronomic events celebrating our ever-evolving local food scene (in chronological order).
1. Singapore Restaurant Month
Various Locations, 1 July – 10 August 2015
The first ever Singapore Restaurant Month will be celebrating more than just local food. They will be highlighting some of our island’s very own produce, including fish, eggs and vegetables in 50 dishes from 50 restaurants. The list will include 12 heritage establishments, such as Fatty Weng, as well as, Portico, Timbre and more.
Read more about SRM in our previous post as we looked at what Portico, Palm Beach Restaurant and Prima Revolving Restaurant had to offer.
2. Hawker Spotlight: 51 Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road, 17 July – 2 August All Day
Built in 1973, Blk 51 Old Airport Road is not only one of Singapore’s oldest hawker centre, but also my favourite place to find Big Prawn/Pork Rib Noodles. Right next to Dakota MRT station, this food centre has been serving the East of Singapore with excellent and affordable hawker delights including Oyster Omelettes, Satay, Indian Rojak and so much more. This year, SFF celebrates its history and, of course, good food by dressing it up as part of the festivities.
3. Carousel Celebrates SG50 with 50 Local Dishes
Royal Plaza on Scotts Lobby Level, 17 July – 10 August 2015 from 0330PM to 0530PM
Carousel will be serving up over 50 local favourites, including Laksa Yong Tau Foo and Mee Siam Goreng (a dry yet rich adaptation of the traditional Mee Siam). The mid-afternoon feast will also include a lavish selection of local deserts. They will keep things interesting by having two menus on rotation during the promotion period.
Price for adults and children (4 – 11 years old) are S$42++ and S$27++ from Monday to Thursday, and S$48++ and S$32++ from Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays.)
4. Mod-Local Fest
Chinatown Food Street at Smith Street, 17 – 2 August 2015
Celebrity Chef Jimmy Chok and radio personality Fen Ying have joined hands with Chinatown Food Street’s team of chefs to recreate 10 local heritage dishes with a modern twist. It will be served in a fine dining setting during the Mod-Local Noir Dinner (S$50 nett/pax for 10-Course dinner) on the 17 and 18 July 2015 from 0700PM to 0900PM, where guests will be treated to performances, on-stage activities and special appearances from Chef Jimmy and Fen Ying.
The Mod-Local Fest Pop-up food container (from S$2.50 onwards) will be held over two weekends from 24 July to 1 August 2015 from 1200PM to 1100PM for those who missed out on the Noir Dinner. You will be able to taste the same dishes, all while learning about the history of Singapore’s hawker food scene through the specially curated Deliciously Singaporean food exhibition.
Check out their website for more details.
5. Singapore Hawker Feast 2015
Ngee Ann Civic Plaza, 18 – 19 July 2015 from 12 noon to 10PM
In celebration of our jubilee year, SFF presents the ultimate hawker food paradise right in the heart of Orchard Road. Your favourite hawkers from across Singapore will all be gathered in front of Ngee Ann City (where the fountain is) to become your one-stop solution to all your cravings. Everything from Fried Carrot Cake, Mee Goreng and Vadai will be on sale at an average price of S$5, by a voucher system.
6. Living Culinary Treasure by Violet Onn Singapore
881 Bukit Timah Road, 21 – 1 August 2015 (various fixed dates) from 0930AM to 0100PM
Singapore Food Ambassador Violet Oon will be holding eight workshops, from Hakka Cuisine by Violet Oon and Mrs Mary Yee, Peranakan Cuisine by Wee Eng Hwa to learning how to make, throw and pull roti prata in a hands-on class by hawker Zulkifli Bin Packeer Bawa. It promises to be a heart-warming experience of sharing culinary traditions in an intimate kitchen setting and will close with the showcase of recipes from the Chinese Women’s Association Cookbook.
Check out Violet’s website for more details.
7. STORIES by My Private Chef
Siloso Road, Singapore 099981, 22 – 25 July 2015 from 1215PM to 0215PM and from 0630PM to 0900PM
My Private Chef and Sentosa Leisure Group will be holding STORIES, a pop-up restaurant, to celebrate diners through stories about Fort Siloso and Sentosa and a five-course dinner (S$138/pax) with wine-pairing (S$158/pax). This Singaporean-based menu was developed by leading local chefs including Candlenut Restaurant’s Malcolm Lee and Sentosa Leisure Group’s Kenneth Francisco.
8. STREAT by the Singapore Tourism Board
Clifford Square, 24 – 25 July 2015 from 0600PM to 1000PM
Internationally renowned Chef Justin Quek of Sky on 57 from MBS will be presenting a series of modern-Singaporean tapas. He will be serving Nyonya-inspired Pacific Oysters in Ginger Flower Dressing (which was my favourite as it imparted a lovely citrus flavour) and Gula Java Crème Brulee from his very own pop-up during the event, alongside 16 other stalls presenting innovative dishes such as Nasi Kerabu and Suckling Pig Sandwich with Salted Vegetable Relish.
9. Singapore Favourite Food Village 2015 – A Wok Down Memory Lane at Ellenborough Market
Read Bridge at Clarke Quay, 24 July – 2 August 2015 from 0500 to 1100PM
Back then, Ellenborough Market was a bustling market and trading centre in Ellenborough Street by the Singapore River. Teochews populate the area, and soon nearby hawker stalls catering to them started popping up. A fire destroyed the market on 30 January 1968, but SFF promises to bring back part of our beautiful past this year. Of course, it is through food. Authentic food offerings will be on sale at S$2 – 14/dish or S$2 – 5/drink alongside heritage showcases and nostalgic Teochew Opera.
Singapore Favourite Food is giving away pairs of Ellenborough Market Café Weekday Dinner Dining Vouchers (worth S$48 each) on their Facebook as part of the festivities.
Check out their website for more information.
10. The Line presents SG50 + 50 by Shangri-La Hotel
22 Orange Grove Road, 24 – 31 July 2015 from 0600PM to 1030PM
Executive Sous Chef Ryan Dadufalza nods to tradition and testament of creativity through five dishes prepared using innovative methods. Guests will be treated to traditional treats such as Ondeh Ondeh in a whole new way – Spherification of Ondeh Ondeh.
Check out their website for more information.
11. AKAR Heritage Social Kitchen by Singapore Halal Culinary Federation
735 North Bridge Road, Every Weekend from 24 July – 2 August 2015
Explore the past, present and future of homely Malay cuisine while dining with celebrity chefs during AKAR. Chef Siti Mastura will serving up her Nasi Jagong (Sweet Corn Rice), Chef Bob with his Kachang Phool (Spiced Fava Beans) and Chef Iskandar with his twist of Gulai Buntut (Oxtail Soup).
Check out their website for more information.
12. Kueh Appreciation Day 2015 by Slow Food
896 Dunearn Road #01-01A Sime Darby Centre, 26 July 2015 from 1000AM to 0300PM
Besides enjoying a grand selection of our favourite kuehs from various ethnic and dialect groups, locals will be treated to rarely seen specialities like the Eurasian Pang Suzie (Soft bun with fillings), Hainanese Larp (Rice Dumpling) and the Teochew Sausage Bean Kueh. Those who are a bit more hands on can attend Kueh-Making Demonstrations by culinary expert Madam Mary Gomes for Pang Suzie, Lush Epicurean Culinary Consultancy’s Chef Eric Low for Soon Kueh and HarriAnn’s Chef Alan Tan for Nyonya Ondeh Ondeh at S$12.
Check out their website for more information and register here for the Kueh-Making Demonstrations.
13. Suvai 2015 by the Indian Chefs & Culinary Association
Tan Quee Lan Street (Opposite Bugis Junction), 30 July – 2 August 2015 from 1200PM to 1100PM
Local Chefs Devagi, Arifin, Jonathan Lee and John See will be working with international chefs from Germany and Australia to serve up traditional and modern interpretations of our favourite Indian dishes. My favourite was the Masala Slushies with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream that’s perfect for the summer. There will be 27 delectable dishes such as the Spiced Lemon Yoghurt Chicken Wings, Indian Spiced Larb Moo, Paayasam Pannacotta with Nitrogen Frozen berries and more at S$5 – 15. The event will also be attempting two Guinness World Records – “Largest Amount of Curry” cooked at a single time in the “Largest (11-meter) Cooking Vessel”.
Check out their website for more details.
Pingback: Singapore Food Festival 2015 Sneak Peek