The Singapore Food Festival 2004

By Geoff Liang • UrbanWire
email reporter • email story • printer friendly

July heralds the arrival of the annual Singapore Food Festival (SFF) 2004. Into its 11th year of bringing hungry Singaporeans and tourists a tasty range of delightful makan (a Malay term for the word ‘eat’), this year’s SFF promises an even heartier time of what Singaporeans enjoy best - food.

The month-long festival, themed Let’s Makan, will host a plethora of cuisines, and will comprise of numerous culinary events held at various places across the island. The huge array of events is categorised into groups, namely: Highlights, Themed Events, Culinary Workshops, Food Trails and Tidbits.

UrbanWire dives into the SFF calendar narrows down the choices to let you in on the interesting, albeit pricey, events of the festival.

Highlights
Themed Events
Culinary Workshops
Food Trails
Tidbits

Highlights
The opening celebration was held at Plaza Singapura Jul 1 – 4. The highlight of the opening celebrations was Sizzling Satay (barbequed meat on a stick), where participants broke the current record of 83m set in 1998 (from the Guinness Book of World Records, of course) for the longest satay line. The new record stands at 111m.

The chief among the highlights will have to be the Singapore Heavenly Banquet held at Suntec Singapore on Jul 17. At a costly $388 nett per person, this banquet boasts a feast embedded with nostalgia as chefs attempt to recreate the grand banquets of the 1940s and 1950s.

Culinary Workshops
Embrace the essence of Chinese tea with a Chinese Tea Appreciation workshop at Yixing Xuan Teahouse for as low as $10. This workshop will enrich you with information about tea leaves, the benefits of tea, and how tea leaves are prepared traditionally.

Food Trails
If you’re too lazy to decide what to have for lunch, UrbanWire recommends signing up for the Arab Food Trail at a price of $30 to enjoy an exciting host of dishes such as the exotic Middle Eastern kebab. Allow the guide to bring you on a journey to different Arab eateries to sample traditional fare, while he educates you on Arab culture and traditions.

Tidbits
Throw yourself back in time as Ah Hoi’s Goes Retro Dining brings you a yummy menu of the 60s, 70s and 80s! Expect dishes like Braised Beef Brisket with Turnip in Red Beancurd, Deep Fried Prawn Fritters with Fruit Sauce and Monk Jumps Over the Wall. Even if we weren’t there to experience it when they dishes were first unveiled, it’s not too late to experience the nostalgia of those years.

For more events and information, check out the SFF’s Calendar of Events.

*pictures courtesy of www.orient-express.com and singaporefoodfestival.com