From The Straits Times    |

The 2017 Singapore Food Festival is upon us. While there’s plenty to eat, the understated importance of delicious beverages must be addressed. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to suss out the best drink deals and activities at SFF 2017.

 

Teatime at Singapore Tea Festival

Image: The 1872 Clipper Tea Co., Juan Tea, Pin Tea

Head to the Tea Market at this year’s Singapore Tea Festival for a showcase of new, locally inspired teas from Singapore’s most beloved tea brands such as Pin Tea and A.muse Projects.

But what is a steaming cup of tea without the right tea ware and reading material? Ceramic studio Mud Rock is bringing their selection of handcrafted tea accessories to the market, while Booksactually has curated the necessary collection of local literature to complement your beverage. Naiise will be there too, promising tea-related knick knacks and lifestyle products galore.

Feeling peckish? Hit the Teapitiam, a pop-up cafe curated by Burpple, and sink your teeth into tea-infused sweet treats dreamt up by famous local chefs. Don’t miss the tangy passionfruit ugnuts (a portmanteau of “ugly” and “donuts”) made with osmanthus petals by Bird Bird and light and fluffy earl grey tea cake by Inthebrickyard. All the goodies incorporate tea blends from The 1872 Clipper Tea Co.

Find out more here.

 

Where: B4, Ion Orchard

When: July 22 and 23, 10am-10pm

Price: Free admission

 

Cocktails at STREAT


Image: MUSE

At this year’s installation of STREAT, the signature event of the Singapore Food Festival, festival-exclusive cocktails served by Native bar in collaboration with Sunday Punch, a local boutique bottled cocktail brand.

They are one of the nine food vendors, including New Ubin Seafood, Peranakan Khek, Whampoa Prawn Noodle and the team that won a coveted gold medal at the Ika Hoga Culinary Olympics 2016, who will be serving their unique takes on locally dishes. Stalls were carefully selected by local chefs Malcolm Lee of Candlenut and Willin Low of Wild Rocket, who will also be running a collaborative pop-up restaurant at the event. For just $50, you can enjoy their three-course mod-sin and modern Peranakan Tok Panjang menu.

Find out more here.

               

Where: Clifford Square, beside Fullerton Bay Hotel

When: July 14, 5pm to July 15, 10.30pm

Price: Free admission

 

Wine pairing at Hawker Wine Safari

Image: Merchants Wine Store

Elevate your hawker fare experience by pairing local favourites with artisanal Australian and New Zealand wines, courtesy of Merchants Wine Store. Each night, a winemaker from Te Hera Estate, a boutique winery in Martinborough, New Zealand, will give attendees a rundown of how to match flavours of fine wine and Singaporean food.

Expect five delicious New World wines and Bib Gourmand hawker stalls – think Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee and Tian Tian Chicken Rice – at one of several famous hawker centres like Tiong Bahru Market, Newton Circus Food Centre and Maxwell Food Centre.

Get your tickets here.

 

Where: Various locations

When: July 14 to 30, 6.30-8.30pm

Price: $88

 

Kueh pairing workshops by Rainbow Lapis

Image: Blocs Inc by Kaldi’s Berry, Rainbow Lapis by Cooking Art, Tea Chapter

Speaking of local cuisine, why not skip out on the finger sandwiches and scones at your next afternoon tea party and reach for a traditional kueh instead?

Sign up for one of three kueh pairing workshops organised by Rainbow Lapis, depending on what your drink of choice is. For tea drinkers, Tea Chapter and Rainbow Lapis have a instructional pairing course, promising a menu of various traditional Chinese teas matched with ang ku kueh, pulut hitam and kueh dadar.

 

Where: Tea Chapter, 9 and 11 Neil Road

When: July 15, 2-5pm

Price: $80

 

If you prefer drinks of an alcoholic nature, head to Bar Stories to learn how to create kueh-inspired cocktails. At the workshop, you’ll get to taste three bespoke cocktails, try your hand at making a “mod-sin kueh” and mixing up two cocktails of your own. Learn how to create the best kueh and cocktail pairings, too.

Where: Bar Stories, 55-57A Haji Lane

When: July 22, 4.30-6.30pm

Price: $98

 

Coffee-lovers, you haven’t been left out. Kaldi’s Berry’s workshop offers you the chance to learn proper brewing methodology, make your own kueh and match flavour profiles. You’ll be sipping on three types of specialty coffee – Ethiopian, Brazilian and monsooned Malabar and sampling scrumptious kueh from local bakeries Dona Manis, Rainbow Lapis and Sago Talam.

Where: Kaldi’s Berry, 231 Mountbatten Road, #02-01

When: July 23, 10am-12.30pm

Price: $80

Sign up for any of the above, here.

 

Beer chugging at Open Stoves, Timbre+

Image: Jonathan Wong

Timbre+ has a mini-food festival of its own lined up for the end of July. Called Open Stoves, it boasts great food, good vibes and lots of fun.

And by fun, we mean drinking on beanbags under the stars and a game or two of beer pong. Sure, there are many activities like giant Jenga, or old-school arcade favourites, to engage in, but we’d show up just for the Beer Chug stage game.

The food event itself brings together nine pairs of hawkerpreneurs and restaurant chefs to create inventive new dishes that combine their culinary skill sets. Off-menu offerings include Crispy Braised Duck Burger by Chef Deming and Chef Melvin Chew, Coconut Cream Prawn Croquette Sandwich with Laksa Cheese by Chef Wing and Chef Gwern and Prawn Paste Chicken Thigh with Spinach Noodles by Chef Kelly Wong and Chef Nicholas Teo.

 

Find out more here.

 

Where: Timbre+, 73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, JTC LaunchPad @ one-north

When: July 28 to 30, 12noon till late

Price: Free admission

 

Dining deals with Chope Exclusives: Local Eats Edition

Image: Little Bastard

All through this month, online restaurant reservations provider Chope is partnering with over 25 local restaurants to offer complimentary mains, sides, desserts, and exclusive set menus that centre on locally-inspired flavours.

These include some of our favourite watering holes – Yamazaki Restaurant and Bar, Little Bastard and Lighthouse Bistro and Bar. So if you’re planning to grab a drink at any of these bars, make a reservation first through the Chope app using these promotional codes for those exclusive deals. You’ll also receive an extra 50 Chope-Dollars, which can be used to redeem vouchers and discounts at other restaurants listed on the platform.

 

Where: Various locations

When: July 1 to 31

 

One-for-one Boost Juice

Image: Boost Juice

This one is for the health junkies. If you’re as obsessed with Boost Juice as we are, head to Ion Orchard this July and get two medium smoothies at the price of one. For just $6, you get both a Soraya’s Favourite and a Superfruit Smoothie.

All you need to do is download the Ion Orchard mobile app, select the Boost Juice Holideal (or any other great one-for-one Ion Holideals promotion) and scan the QR code displayed at the cashier. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #IONxCulinary when you post it on Instagram, you might just win shopping vouchers.

Find out more here.

 

Where: #B4-65, Ion Orchard

When: Now until July 31

Price: $6 (U.P. $12)