The annual Singapore Food Festival is here! Year 2012 marks its 19th edition, featuring seafood delights in this year’s theme.
From 13 to 22 July, various F&B establishments will take up mini makeshift booths at the Singapore Food Festival Village tent, offering a diverse range of seafood, prepared in myriad ways by different ethnic communities.
The SFF Food Village is located at the Waterfront Promenade at Marina Bay, boasting 2,000 square metres of space and 1,500 seating capacity.
Seafood Paradise under the Paradise Group has created a menu especially for the Singapore Food Festival, which will only be available exclusively at the event.
SFF Seafood Platter ($36.90+)
The SFF Seafood Platter is designed to showcase 5 varieties of seafood dishes: Seafood Paradise’s Popular Chilli Crab / Signature Creamy Butter Crab, Stir-fried Live Geoduck with Asparagus in XO Sauce, Crisp-fried Prawns tossed with Salted Egg Yolk, Deep-Fried Coal Trout in Nyonya Style and Supreme Seafood Fried Rice.
You can choose between the Seafood Paradise’s Popular Chilli Crab and the Signature Creamy Butter Crab, which comes with a deep-fried mantou to soak up the delicious gravy. I chose the latter. The creamy sauce is ambrosial. My only gripe is that the crab claw is impossible to consume without a cracker, especially in a food festival like this.
The Crisp-fried Prawns tossed with Salted Egg Yolk is my favourite component. The prawn is plump, crisply battered and well coated in a thick layer of egg yolk.
Resorts World Sentosa takes up a booth, serving up just one dish –the Singapore Char Koay Teow.
NOTE: The special SFF12 NETS FlashPay card entitles a 20% discount for all purchases at the SFF Food Village. It is priced at $12, with a stored value of $7.
A plate of Singapore Char Koay Teow costs $6 for cash payment, but just $4.80 with the SFF12 NETS FlashPay card.
The portion size is huge!
Replete with a generous amount of fresh, crunchy prawns, pork lard and lup cheong (Chinese sausages), flat rice noodles and egg noodles are tossed in a wok along with bean sprouts, chives, sweet dark soya sauce and egg. The flavour from the wok (wok hei) prevails in every strand of noodle –extremely flavourful!
This was my favourite dish in the entire food festival.
I joined OpenRice for an interactive makan session, and they sponsored some dishes mentioned in this post. It was such a fun session :)
Savour delicacies from all over the world and learn about how the different cuisines have influenced our local food scene.
Local favourites such as the Popiah, Fried Carrot Cake, Roast Meats, Ngoh Hiang, Rojak and Indian Curry will leave you spoilt for choice.
The OpenRice crew ordering food for us from Old House!
Singapore Dinosaur Prawn Noodle ($8)
Old House’s White Lor Mee ($8)
Between the Singapore Dinosaur Prawn Noodle and Old House’s White Lor Mee, the latter garnered the most votes.
I usually associate Lor Mee with yellow noodles doused in sticky, gooey, slimy dark sauce. This version is different –the noodle has a nice springy texture; the broth is light and flavourful, and served brimming with a variety of seafood.
After the makan session with OpenRice, Celes and I headed to Marina Bay Sands while waiting for the Official Opening of the Singapore Food Festival ceremony to commence.
Upon the arrival of the Guest of Honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck, a cooking demonstration of Chilli Crab by SFF Food Consultant Chef Eric Teo kick-started the launch party.
Guest of Honour Mr Teo Ser Luck and Chef Eric Teo
Chilli Crab by Chef Eric Teo
Celes, Ellena and I headed to Neo Garden Catering’s booth for more food!
Founder’s Prawn Fritters ($5.50 for 3 pieces, $8)
Founder’s Prawn Fritters ($4.40 for 3 pieces, $6.40 for 5 pieces after the 20% discount with NETS FlashPay)
The Founder’s Prawn Fritters is my favourite dish from Neo Garden’s Catering. The batter is crispy and fluffy, encasing a large juicy prawn. Perfect with the accompanying dip!
Home-style Sin Chow Mee Hoon ($3)
Home-style Sin Chow Mee Hoon ($2.40 after the 20% discount with NETS FlashPay)
I like the fact that the Home-style Sin Chow Mee Hoon isn’t greasy, and each strand of noodle is well tossed in the wok for a good distribution of flavours.
Signature Laksa’s Mussel March ($8 for 10 pieces or $6.40 after the 20% discount with NETS FlashPay)
Plump, juicy mussels are steeped in a laksa broth that is lighter and thinner than your usual laksa gravy; it isn’t cloyingly rich.
Signature Curry Chicken ($5.50 or $4.40 after the 20% discount with NETS FlashPay)
The Signature Curry Chicken is a crowd pleaser.
Tender chicken pieces and potato swimming in a rich, aromatic curry. Would like more ingredients in the deep pool of curry though.
Drumlets Buffalo-style ($7.50 for 6 pieces or $6 after the 20% discount with NETS FlashPay)
We tried two versions of drumlets – the Neo’s Original Drumlets and Drumlets Buffalo-style – and the latter’s gotten my vote. Moist and succulent meat is coated with an invigorating sauce; it is highly addictive!
Covelli Italian Bistro & Wine Bar presents an inventive dessert that will blow you away.
Squid Ink Meringue and Sea Urchin-Mango Cheese Mousse
Incorporating seafood into a dessert can dangerously be a hit or a miss, but the Squid Ink Meringue and Sea Urchin-Mango Cheese Mousse is an instant hit.
The light and crisp meringue is infused with squid ink, sandwiched with a luscious mousse made of sea urchin, mango and cheese –this dessert will burst with unfamiliar yet pleasing flavours in your mouth.
Do not miss this year’s Singapore Food Festival!
Singapore Food Festival Village
Date: 13 July – 22 July 2012
Time: 11.00am – 11.00pm (daily)
Venue: Waterfront Promenade at Marina Bay (Bayfront Station Exit A, Raffles Place Station Exit I)
Admission: FREE
Payment Mode: CASH and NETS FlashPay (20% discount for payment made using NETS FlashPay card)