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The highly anticipated Singapore Food Festival (SFF) is set to make a comeback from 19 to 30 July. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the annual event looks set to immerse visitors in Singapore’s food culture, from its rich history to up-and-coming dining trends.
At the heart of the festivities lies the Festival Village, which will showcase more than 100 local brands and three new zones. They are the Food Cartel, which will host pop-up restaurants, unique bar concepts and the chance to mingle with renowned chefs. The Sweets Alley beckons dessert lovers with its indulgent treats, while Café Boulevard is a charming setting for visitors to savour aromatic brews.
Also not to be missed is the SG Food Walk, a collective of over 40 heritage, bespoke and contemporary food stalls and restaurants, offering exclusive dishes only available during the festival. Notable brands include The Hainan Story, Dian Lao Er, Elemen, La Levain, Kulon and Rumah Makan Minang.
With a packed food line-up, we zero in on the Festival Village’s seven zones for seven types of foodies.
1. For bona fide foodies: Food Cartel
Credit: Sourbombe x Dearborn Build Your Own Bombe. (Photo: Singapore Food Festival)
Food Cartel brings together a variety of pop-up restaurants and innovative bar concepts where visitors can dig into festival-exclusive creations such as the Ultimate Sake Fried Rice by the famed Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice or sip on Pandan Gin and Tibicos from speakeasy Papa Doble. Another highlight is the interactive masterclasses, which allows festival-goers to hone their culinary skills from some of the industry’s most celebrated chefs.
Catch Chef Ivan Yeo of Blue Smoke in action as he seamlessly blends Asian and Western smoking techniques to highlight the flavours of Grilled Stingray with fermented shrimp paste sambal sauce. Additionally, there are opportunities to get hands-on as granola café Dearborn and Sourbombe Artisanal Bakery have joined forces to offer the Build Your Own Bombe experience. In this mini workshop, participants can create their doughnuts with a choice between yoghurt chantilly creams, fresh fruit jams and premium nut butter, topped with a generous sprinkling of granola clusters.
If you are afraid of the heat, the Festival Village is the place to be as it is the only zone with air-conditioning.
2. For café-hoppers: Café Boulevard
Credit: Le Matin Mignardise Box. (Photo: Singapore Food Festival)
Café Boulevard pays homage to Singapore’s thriving café scene, offering patrons fine coffee and delectable bakes crafted by homegrown names. This zone features brands like Madu The Bakery, which is known for its tantalising Sunny Wagyu Bulgogi Banh Mi. Indulge your sweet tooth with Arc-en-ciel Pâtisserie’s festival-exclusive Lime Peach Mousse Cake and, for a unique fusion experience, SYIP Cafe presents its Ondeh Ondeh French Toast.
Of course, no café visit would be complete without an exceptional cup of coffee. To this end, Oatside will be offering special flavours such as Coffee with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter with Cookie Dough. For something to bring home, Le Matin Patisserie has prepared a Mignardise Box that comprises six pastries, including Lemon Myrtle Madeleine, Caramelised Apple Stroopwafel and Brown Sugar Palmier.
3. For those with a sweet-tooth: Sweet Alley
Credit: Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh. (Photo: Singapore Food Festival)
Succumb to your sugar cravings with Sweet Alley’s delightful assortment of confections. Get a taste of handmade Nyonya-style ang ku kueh at stalwart stall Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh. Aside from the usual peanut, sweet bean and yam fillings, adventurous foodies can give the SFF-exclusive Hae Bee Hiam Ang Ku Kueh a go. Festival-goers can also treat themselves to artisanal ice cream at Creamier.
Don’t miss out on the Sesame Tang Yuan, featuring glutinous rice balls, or the Waffled Putu Piring with its luscious palm sugar-filled rice flour cake. Traditional Chinese dessert shop Yat Ka Yan can be found in this zone as well, satisfying sweet tooths with its Avocado Sago With Homemade Jelly, Mini Taro Balls and Vanilla Ice Cream.
4. For the foodie who wants a bit of everything: SG Food Walk
Credit: Kausmo for Ah Hua Kelong. (Photo: Singapore Food Festival 2023).
Returning this year is the SG Food Walk, which presents over 40 of Singapore’s favourite heritage, bespoke and contemporary food stalls and restaurants. This zone will feature even more festival-exclusives, such as Tempura Fish Maki Popiah offered by Mr. Popiah. Indulge in Calamari Nachos with a tangy Belimbing Remoulade, a collaboration between sustainability-focused restaurant Kausmo and local fish farm Ah Hua Kelong. The food line-up also includes options such as Double Cheezeburga with Angus Beef and Prawn Mee Rolls by The Black Hole Group.
5. For durian fans: Durian BB Park
Durian BB is offering an extensive range of fresh, ready-to-eat and frozen durian creations (Credit Durian BB Singapore)
Durian enthusiasts rejoice! Durian BB is also returning to the festival with an extensive range of fresh, ready-to-eat and frozen durian creations. These include the festival-exclusive Mao Shan Wang soft serve, The Purist, as well as platters of Black Thorn durian. Adding on to the durian mania, the Mao Shan Wang Milkshake is available as well. What’s more, Durian BB hosts all-you-can-eat parties, so get ready to dig in.
6. For beer chuggers : Tiger Street Food
Credit: Singapore Food Festival
Looking for a bite to accompany your pint of Tiger beer? Tiger Street Food has got you covered. Fan Bao Bao combines a love for rice and burgers with its Chicken Claypot Rice Burger and the Seafood Paella Rice Burger. 12 INCH by Beastro Collective offers skewered delights in its Laksa Seafood Stick and Nihon Yakitori. Determined to keep the hawker culture spirit going strong at SFF 2023, Bib Gourmand recipient One Prawn & Co presents comforting Hokkien Mee and classic Prawn Paste Chicken Wings.
7. For those who want a taste of nostalgia: SG Mama Shop
Credit: Sidersonline eco-friendly reusable bag for SFF’s 30th anniversary. (Photo: Singapore Food Festival)
SG Mama Shop combines the traditional with the contemporary, offering a range of modern brands alongside nostalgic favourites. Among the notable products adorning the shelves are Sachi, the world’s first sustainable soy wine, as well as organic spice pastes from Mekhala. Aside from sampling old and new generations of beverages and snacks, festival-goers can also purchase exclusive merchandise commemorating SFF’s 30th anniversary such as the eco-friendly reusable bag by Sidersonline.
The SFF Festival Village will run from July 19 to 30 at Bayfront Event Space. Tickets start from $8.
