Singapore Food Festival makes its return from 19 to 30 July 2023, inviting everyone to savour a taste of Singapore’s culinary traditions and flavours through different activities including tours, workshops and chef masterclasses.
Organised by the Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Food Festival 2023 is a showcase of the diverse and ever-evolving cuisine by Singapore’s world-class talents. There will be festival-exclusives and different dishes for the public to enjoy.
The centrepiece of Singapore Food Festival 2023 is the Festival Village at BayFront Event Space. This brings together more than 100 brands across different gastronomic zones. Entry passes to the Festival Village start from $8.
Here are six highlights of this year’s Singapore Food Festival and at the Festival Village.
Singapore Food Festival Highlights
1. SG Food Walk
This zone at the Festival Village will feature festival-exclusives such as curry chicken fried popiah (thin crepe-like roll) from Mr. Popiah and calamari nachos with a remoulade made from belimbing (a fruit native to Malaysia and Indonesia) – a collaboration between sustainability-focused restaurant Kausmo and local fish farm Ah Hua Kelong.
Other festival-only options include papachos (North Indian crackers), veggie bajji (fritter) and prawn mee (yellow noodles) roll by The Black Hole Group; and bakmi hae bee hiam (wheat noodles with dried shrimp chilli paste) from Kulon.
2. Cafe Boulevard
A tribute to Singapore’s thriving café culture and the passion of local coffee artisans, Café Boulevard at the Festival Village features fine coffee and bakes from homegrown names such as oat milk brand Oatside, Le Matin Patisserie, and Hapi Café in collaboration with Pourabucha kombucha.
3. Sweets Alley
This Festival Village zone caters to those with sugar cravings and features a mix of traditional and modern sweets such as Chinese desserts from traditional dessert shop Yat Ka Yan, Nonya-style handmade ang ku kueh (glutinous rice flour skin encasing a sweet or savoury filling) from Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh, and artisanal local ice cream company Creamier with exclusive flavours such as sesame tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) and waffled putu piring (palm sugar-filled rice flour cake).
4. SG Mama Shop
Located at the Festival Village, this is a collaboration between local e-commerce platform Food Culture Singapore and Easygo AI Vending Machine. Look out for the world’s first sustainable soy wine Sachi and Made with Passion brands Hook Coffee and Mekhala cooking pastes and sauces. The items line the shelves in the iconic setting of a recreated mama shop, an important element of Singapore’s rich cultural heritage.
Festival-goers can also sample old and new generations of traditional beverages and snacks, and purchase exclusive merchandise commemorating SFF’s 30th anniversary such as the eco-friendly reusable bag by Sidersonline.
5. Catch Chefs in Action
Within the Festival Village, festival-goers will be able to participate in hybrid masterclasses conducted by renowned chefs including Ivan Yeo of Blue Smoke, Eric Neo of the Singapore Chef’s Association, Paul Longworth of Rhubarb Le Restaurant, and Shen Tan of Ownself Make Chef.
Get hands-on as granola café Dearborn and Sourbombe Artisanal Bakery join forces to offer food enthusiasts the chance to curate their own customised indulgence – a personalised granola bag or bespoke bombolini, put together from a selection of the brands’ best-selling items.
6. Singapore Food Festival Workshops
A series of workshops have also been lined up including Indie Singapore Tours’ Market, Mingle, Mixology tour, which takes participants to Tiong Bahru market for fresh herbs for their own concoction.
Those looking for a sugar rush can join pastry chef Yeo Min of Pastories in Joo Chiat for a heritage shophouse cake workshop, or make traditional min jiang kueh (peanut pancake) with Halal-certified Munchi Pancakes at Lau Pa Sat.
For the full set of details of what’s on from 19 to 30 July 2023, visit the Singapore Food Festival website.
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