Hooked Onto New Dining Destinations along the Singapore River

CONTENT: Yiew Kai Jie

As part of the 2016 Singapore River Festival taking place from 4th to 5th November 2016, 21 new scrumptious dishes have been awarded with the prestigious Singapore River (SR) Signatures accolade.

SR Signatures is an annual accolade given to restaurants spanning alongside the Singapore River who serve up delicious wonders to their customers and organized with the aim to help connect visitors or tourists to the river through food and provide them the opportunity to experience the best foods and tantalize their taste buds while exploring the views and sounds of the festival.

Out of the 21 entries, 15 of them came from restaurants that qualified as first-time winners. Their high quality of ingredients, variety and overall great taste has managed to win the hearts and minds of the panel of 4 celebrated local chefs after a series of food tasting sessions: Anthony Yeoh, Bjorn Shen, Cheryl Koh and Nixon Low.

This year’s theme, “Where Chefs Eat”, highlights the gourmet choices of the chefs and aims to share their experience with visitors. They can enjoy the opportunity to pit their palates against the chef’s opinions and decide for themselves if the dishes themselves are worthy of the accolade. Part of the Singapore River Festival’s aim is to stimulate all of the visitor’s senses during the festival; taste is certainly one of them that they have definitely not missed out on!

Here are some highlights to the dishes this year:

Soi 60 Thai– Their Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken) takes 3-4 hours to cook to bring out that perfect tenderness of the meat, accompanied with a slightly spicy but sweet sauce. The dish is a common street food in Thailand and is widely enjoyed by locals and foreigners alike.

*Dish is priced at $18++ (Usual Price: $21++)

Super Loco– Their special dish known as Elotes, or corn on the cob, is a popular street food in Mexico. The smell of roasted corn along with a little of the charred flavor providing many similarities to the smell of barbequed chicken wings. The cheese was not overpowering, it added a kick to the dish. For those that fancy a slightly sour kick, squeeze the lime over the corn to bring out the BBQ essence of the corn.

*Enjoy a pair of Elotes for $8+ only. Quote “SRF Elotes” to any of the Super Loco team during the festival period. (Valid on 4 to 5 Nov 2016, during Dinner only)

Eight Korean BBQ- The 8 colours set will allow you to indulge in 8 different flavours of Mangalitza pork belly, all carefully prepared and grilled to perfection. The smell coming off the pork is sure to wet one’s appetite, while the crispy texture of the pork reminds you of beef. If you start to find that the pork is getting a little to oily for you, have a small side of Kimchi as a refreshing break to the oily meat. Recommended for 3-4 Pax.

JJ.com Fish Mart– The 8 piece signature deep-fried Breaded Shrimp Maki Roll with flame-grilled Salmon Fillet has a surf and turf taste, with the grilled salmon reminding you of the taste of barbecued meat while your taste buds relish in the tasty crunch of the shrimp.

*This dish is priced at $14.80 and available exclusively from 4-5 November 2016.

The Butchers Club– The Gambler was a little underwhelming, with the chicken being as soft as buttermilk biscuits and not as tender as compared to other burger joints. However, the bread was nicely toasted and gave a nice texture while biting into the burger. The dish will provide a gentle reminder of comfort food should one like eating soft-textured food.

*Free upsize (including bottle beers, cold brew coffee or milk shake) with every order of ‘The Gambler’ during set lunch on weekdays from 12PM to 3PM (Usual Price $22.80)

Ras The Essence of India– Rasmalai, also known as “juice cream” is a traditional milk dessert that is served chilled along with saffron. The dessert consists of a small cake in the middle, given life and taste by the milk which will remind you of a tasty cheese cake albeit without a crust.

My Little Spanish Place– Simplicity at its best, the Gambas Al Ajillo consists of fresh prawns with fried garlic in olive oil. The dish might be a little oily for most patrons, but the baguette served with the dish manages to absorb most of the oil and lets you enjoy the taste of the dish while you eat the tender prawn at the same time. * Special Price: $14 (U.P: $16)

O Comptoir– The 79 will prove to be no stranger to any Francophile, a combination of Reblochon cheese, potatoes, onions and bacon in a galette. The creamy richness of the dish will remind you of cheese baked pasta, while the skin of the galette is made daily and fermented to develop flavor and achieve the crisp texture a savory galette should have.

* A glass of cider will be given for free for every ‘The 79’ ordered during the Singapore River Festival period.

The Singapore River Festival 2016 will happen from November 4-5 (Friday & Saturday) with festivities buzzing along the river from Boat Quay, Clarke Quay to Robertson Quay.

For more information about the festival programme, please visit www.srf.sg.