Food, glorious Singapore food

Food, glorious Singapore food

SINGAPORE - Over the next seven days, foodies can taste everything from ondeh ondeh with liquid gula melaka centres to stingray puffs at the Singapore Favourite Food Village.

With more than 100 dishes from 40 hawker stalls and eateries, the village, which opened last Saturday night, is one of the highlights of this year's month-long Singapore Food Festival.

Of the stalls, 17 were voted in by the public on online dining guide site sg.OpenRice.com. More than 40,000 votes were cast for stalls, in May and June.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck, who was the guest of honour at the opening last Saturday, presented Certificates Of Excellence to the 17 stall owners, as well as three other hawker finalists who turned down the opportunity to set up shop at the village.

Awards went to stalls including China Street Fritters of Maxwell Food Centre, which won the category for ngoh hiang, or pork rolls wrapped in beancurd skin; Lek Lim Nonya Kueh Confectionery, a stall in a Bedok HDB block that sells pineapple tarts, biscuits and various kueh; and Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa of Jalan Berseh, which did not open a stall at the village due to manpower constraints.

Mr Teo said: "Singapore hawker food will never go out of fashion... This year I see a lot more variety and I am very encouraged to see some younger chefs and owners coming up with their own signature dishes."

Diners can tuck into local delights such as rojak, chilli crab and oyster omelette, as well as more innovative items such as a chicken floss and wasabi mayonnaise popiah and tropical fruit-flavoured frozen yogurt.

Now into its 20th instalment, the annual food festival, which this year focuses on Singapore's culinary evolution - from its hawker heritage to the creative dining concepts of today - kicked off on June 28.

The festival ends on July 28 and includes cooking workshops, special menus at participating restaurants and food-themed arts events.

Organised by the Singapore Food and Beverage Alliance, the village is housed in a tent next to Marina Bay Sands, near Bayfront MRT Exit A. The stalls operate daily from 11am to 11pm. Admission is free but diners must use Nets FlashPay cards to pay for food which starts at $1 a serving.

rltan@sph.com.sg

 

Singapore Favourite Food Village

Where: Tent next to Marina Bay Sands, Bayfront Avenue, near Bayfront MRT Exit A

When: Now till July 21. 11am to 11pm, daily.

Admission: Free, but diners have to pay for food which is priced from $1 a serving.

Payment can be made only with Nets FlashPay Cards.

For information: Go to singaporefavouritefood.com/2013

For more information about the Singapore Food Festival, go to www.yoursingapore. com/sff


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