Local Flavours Shine at Singapore Restaurant Festival 2017

PUBLISHED July 18th, 2017 05:00 am

Who says the holiday season is the only time for excess? 2017 is proving the opposite with its mid-year slew of food events, with the Singapore Food Festival, Rasa Fiesta, and the Geylang Serai bazaar keeping tummies and calendars filled. This July, the Singapore Restaurant Festival adds on to the list, giving us yet another avenue to explore and expand those palates. Organised by the Restaurant Association of Singapore, the festival is more or less an extended version of their popular Singapore Restaurant Month.

To prepare for this year’s theme, Flavours of Singapore, each participating restaurant is featuring a locally-inspired dish during the festival. Expect unique and innovative flavour combinations as chefs across different cuisines create new interpretations of their dishes, while incorporating Singaporean elements and ingredients, such as E!GHT Korean BBQ‘s Har Jeong-Flavoured Mangalitsa Pork Belly, which is seasoned with Har Jeong paste and barbecued Korean-style for a salty, fragrant slice of pork.

Diners can also look forward to a Chicken Rice Risotto at Joo Bar , I Love SG Gelato from Shio & Pepe Japanese-Italian Kitchen, and a bak chor mee inspired Maiale Orientale pasta by Supply & Demand. If you wield a DBS or POSB card, it’s time to play the gracious paymaster as the Singapore Restaurant Festival Dining Voucher Set will available to you at $70, which scores you $100 worth of vouchers that can be used at more than 50 participating restaurants across the festival. Check out their website here for a list of venues to purchase these exclusive sets.

For those who prefer the traditional Singaporean dishes, you can’t go wrong with classics like a peppery, piping hot bowl of Ng Ah Sio’s Signature Bak Kut Teh, which is made with fresh pork ribs and a recipe passed down from the 1950s. Other local favourites on offer include Chilli Crab from JUMBO Seafood, Lor Mee from Michelin-starred PuTien, and Fish Head Curry from The Banana Leaf Apolo.

The Singapore Restaurant Festival also takes itself online with the Salted Egg Shiok campaign, where you’ll be able to locate salted egg dishes around Singapore using an interactive map. Vote for your favourites and stand the chance to win a trip to Japan!

Home cooks, it’s time to tear yourselves away from MasterChef reruns and sign up for the festival’s Star Chef Competition (Home Edition) 2017. Held in collaboration with the Singapore Chef Association, the competition is open to teams of two and will be judged by chefs Eric Low, Eric Neo, and Heman Tan. With full pantry access and up to $500 in cash prizes, fulfil your cooking dreams by signing up here.

An exciting inclusion to our extensive list of food festivals, the Singapore Restaurant Festival is indeed one to take note of. Running from now till 30 September 2017, check out the official website here for more details and information.

Cover image: Joo Bar Chicken Rice Risotto