Laksa-inspired cocktail? Singapore Food Festival returns with more unusual food pairings
How about a laksa-inspired cocktail to go with your bowl of prawn noodles?
The 24th edition of the annual Singapore Food Festival will be returning from 14 to 30 July, offering more unusual food and drink pairings as well as dining experiences. During a media preview on Tuesday (27 June), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) unveiled close to 20 events that will be taking place throughout the festival, including being the anchor event STREAT.
A pop-up restaurant curated by Peranakan chef Malcom Lee and chef Willin Low, STREAT comprises of nine stalls offering local dishes fused with a unique spin. Among the stalls include a beverage stall by local bar Native and local cocktail brand Sunday Punch, who will be shaking up eclectic drinks such as the laksa-inspired “East Side” cocktail.
Chefs Lee and Low will also be whipping up interesting dishes such as laksa with garlic toast and mussels at STREAT, which will take place from 14 to 15 July at Clifford Square.
And if you’re interested in the quality of foods by Singapore’s very own culinary Olympians, the team of chefs who won a gold medal at last year’s Ika Hoga Culinary Olympics will also be having their own stall at the pop-up event.
“Food is tied so closely to our identity of being Singaporean. One dish alone can tell stories of passions, struggles and of our heritage.,” said Ranita Sundramoorthy, director of attractions, dining and retail at STB. “As the only event in Singapore dedicated to showcasing local food, we wanted to go to the core of what it means to be truly Singaporean and enable visitors to savor Singapore in every bite.”
Foodies can also look out for other festivals happening in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival, such as the Singapore Tea Festival and the three-month-long Singapore Restaurant Festival.
Presented by homegrown brand 1872 Clipper Tea Co., the Singapore Tea Festival aims to promote the culture of tea drinking by bringing together tea aficionados and craftsmen and offering a myriad of different tea flavours paired with tea-inspired desserts such as Blissful Berry Tea and Jasmine Green Tea-infused doughnuts. Tea lovers can look forward to the event at ION Orchard from 22 to 23 July.
Another unique addition to this year’s Singapore Food Festival will be its series of arts-related events, such as a photo exhibition dedicating to 15 of Singapore’s long-time hawkers.
Presented by Singaporean photographer Alvin Foo, the exhibition by Canon Singapore is called “One Dish, One Chef, Generation of Stories” and will be held from 14 July to 11 August at the Singapore Visitor Centre along Orchard Road.
A must-see treat for foodies who also enjoy performing arts is “Project Plait: Inheritance”, an interactive dining experience that combines contemporary dance with dining.
A collaboration between Singapore’s contemporary dancer Naomi Tan and Chef Nixon Low from Jiakpalang Eating House, this unique dining experience takes you through the history, evolution and the future of food in Singapore.
In line with the Singapore Food Festival, Singapore Airlines will also be promoting iconic local cuisines on board its flights from 1 to 31 July.
Based on an online public vote conducted by the national carrier in March 2017, SIA will be offering 12 different local fares for passengers who fly Suites, First Class and Business Class.
The dishes are: chicken rice, laksa, “Singapore-style laksa”, carrot cake, roti prata with fish curry, fish ball kway teow soup, nasi biryani, nasi lemak, nonya assam fish, Peranakan Hokkien mee soup, Singapore Bak Kut Tek and Teochew Bak Chor Mee.
Passengers of economy and premium economy class won’t be left out as a separate list of local dishes will be offered: Yu Pian mee fen (fish bee hoon), char siew rice, roasted chicken rice, Hainanese pork chop, beef rendang with turmeric rice and gulai kambing with rice.
Full list of Singapore Food Festival events as follows:
STREAT
Where: Clifford Square
When: 14 to 15 July
Hawker Spotlight 2017
Where: Maxwell Food Centre
When: 16 July
The 50 Cents Fest: Those Years
Where: Chinatown Food Street
When: 29 to 30 July
ION Orchard Culinary Creations 2017
Where: ION Orchard
When: 9 June to 31 July
Kueh Appreciation Day
Where: ToTT Store
When: 23 July
A New Taste
Where: At-Sunrice Globalchef Academy
When: 22 and 29 July
Heritage Town Festival
Where: Trail: Kim Choo Artiste Residency; Showcase: Village Hotel Katong
When: 22 and 29 July; 23 July respectively
Hawker Wine Safari
Where: Maxwell, Old Airport Road, Hong Lim, Newton and Tiong Bahru Food Centres
When: 14 to 30 July
Kueh Pairing Workshop Series
Where: Various locations
When: 15, 22 and 23 July
Singapore Tea Festival
Where: ION Orchard
When: 22 to 23 July
Transforming Your Food Images workshop
Where: 25 Dempsey Road
When: 23 July
Project Plait: Inheritance
Where: Jiakpalang Eating House
When: 20, 21 and 22 July
Food For Thought
lyf@SMU
23 July
Open Stoves
Where: Timbre+
When: 28, 29 and 30 July
One Dish, One Chef, Generation of Stories
Where: Singapore Visitor Centre Level 2
When: 14 July to 11 August
Singapore Restaurant Festival
Where: 52 participating restaurants
When: 1 July to 30 September
More information on Singapore Food Festival are available on the website.
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