Vibrant 18-day Food Fiesta 2024 with Seoul Hotteok, XL siew mai & mala mochi donuts
If food fairs light up your universe, we’re probably from the same planet (otherwise, prepare to be judged), and guess what? There’s one happening right now at Takashimaya Square from 14 Jun to 1 Jul 2024 called Food Fiesta.
The 18-day event returns with 54 vendors offering a myriad of Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and local street munchies, hearty mains, delectable desserts, food products and more!
The 3 of us came down on launch day and squeezed through the Friday crowd to uncover the various makan options available.
Our first stop was Wooga, offering bowls of Traditional Jjajang Myeon (S$14) and Fried Dumpling (S$6 for 3 pieces). However, we were drawn to the cute mini pancakes that were grilling on the hot griddle.
Succumbing to temptation, we tried the Seafood Pancake (S$8), Oyster Pancake (S$6) and Kimchi Pancake (S$5).
The Seafood Pancake was loaded with bits of prawn, squid, and veggies like carrots, green capsicum and chives. It was delicious and paired really well with the savoury soy dip. Light with a tangy kick of flavour, the Kimchi Pancake offered a simple yet satisfying variation— what an awesome start!
I’m incredibly proud of Sugar Belly, Singapore’s 1st local mochi donut. Though not as huge as the ever-so-popular Mister Donut, at least we are taking baby steps towards making a big splash. The donuts are made fresh and are fried on the spot.
The local brand is known for their range of sweet flavours but for this year’s Food Fiesta, they’ve unveiled their first-ever savoury creation: Mala Cheesy Ham (S$6) mochi donut.
The addictively chewy texture of the donut yielded to a crispy exterior, delivering a numbing Sichuan pepperiness to my tongue— the intriguing combination may have just become my new obsession.
Head over to Seoul Hotteok, and you’ll spot guys in white tees with towels wrapped around their heads. I’ve never been to Korea, but I recently had a run-in with hotteok that was overly sweet and thick.
I was skeptical about the Sarang Hotteok (S$7.50) we ordered. We had to wait as it was freshly made before our eyes. The pink heart-shaped pancake turned out to be soft, chewy and not so sweet, filled with heavenly Nutella. But be warned, it was piping hot!
We also checked out Qian Shui Wet Market selling a range of Chinese delights. We settled for the Scallion Oil QQ Noodles W Fresh Handmade Pork Balls (S$6.50) and OH’s Handmade Signature XL Siew Mai (S$5.90).
The noodles lived up to its name with its lovely bite. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious pork balls which had tons of flavour, but I was struggling to detect the taste of the scallion oil— I wished it had a stronger presence.
The siew mai was indeed larger than the standard size. Taste-wise, it was decent and filling, but it didn’t quite blow me away.
Maruamami hailing from Hokkaido, Japan sells mochi pancakes in a variety of flavours. Although most of the assorted flavours costs between S$4 to S$4.50 each, you’ll be able to purchase any 3 pieces for S$10.
We tried Green Tea, Black Sesame and Strawberry. Each of them had a creamy lava filling which was sweetened to perfection, and encased within a super stretchy and chewy white pancake.
If you love Japanese curry, keep a lookout for the cute counter seats at Champion’s Curry. Originating from Ishikawa, Japan, feast on the Kanazawa Beef Curry Rice (S$13) or top up S$5 for a freshly-fried Pork Cutlet.
You can also slurp on heartwarming bowls of Japanese soba at the Standing Soba Counter ISOEI.
There’s so much more food that I’d love to yap about, but I’ll wrap it up here and let you visit basement 2 of Ngee Ann City to explore Food Fiesta for yourself.
Let me know how it goes.
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