FOODIES

FOR THE SERIOUS FOODIE, there’s no better place than Singapore!

Ten of the Top 50 restaurants in Asia can be found here. This is the birthplace of the Singapore Chilli Crab and the iconic Singapore

Sling, a gin-based cocktail infused with Grenadine invented in 1912 at the Raffles Hotel. A local version of the burger is made up of a French loaf split in half, topped with a mix of minced meat, vegetables, chopped onions, and a beaten egg, and then fried on a hot pan until it becomes crispy on the outside. It’s called ‘Roti John,’ a name that reportedly comes from a pushcart on Koek Road, where English servicemen were first offered the burger by an Indian-Muslim vendor (“Roti, John?”). Ingenuity is in Singapore’s genes.

With limited space available, Singapore loves to repurpose the old and reinvent itself. A section of the road outside Lau Pa Sat, once a Victorian-era wet market, is cordoned off to form a pedestrianonly street-food centre by evening. The erstwhile British cantonment Dempsey Hill is now a plush entertainment and F&B quarter. Ann Siang Hill, earlier a nutmeg and mace plantation, is now a vibrant precinct with rooftop bars and restaurants. CHIJMES, the 1841 Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, was renovated from a religious building to a modern restaurant complex and renamed after the peal of the church bells.

From legendary hawker centres to Michelin-star restaurants, the sheer diversity of dining locations in Singapore is tantalising. Discover the ‘City in a Garden’ as you dine at IndoChine in a SuperTree at Gardens by the Bay, enjoy the breezy outdoors at Satay by the Bay, or opt for a sevencourse degustation menu at Pollen inside the Flower Dome in a plush indoor setting. Established by DUCK & HiPPO, the operators of the popular open-bus city tours, the 34-seat Singapore GOURMETbus combines gourmet dining with scenic city tours. Enjoy the best of Michelin’s Bib Gourmand Award local fare in airconditioned interiors, while cruising past scenic views of iconic landmarks like the Singapore Flyer, Merlion Park, and Chinatown, among others.

This year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, hailed as ‘the Oscars of global gastronomy,’ will be held in Singapore in a year packed with events. The event will also host a series of unique MasterClasses and one-off collaborative ‘fourhands’ dinners, providing food lovers, insight into the philosophy and techniques of the world’s foremost culinary innovators.

World Gourmet Summit (WGS) 2-4 APRIL

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Gourmet fare, fine wines, and wonderful dining experiences mark Asia’s premier haute cuisine festival. The 23rd edition features masterchefs and local culinary talents serving dinners, brunches, masterclasses, and more.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants JUNE

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Hosted in Asia for the first time, at Marina Bay Sands, the gala awards celebrate culinary innovation and diversity through bespoke dinners, interactive masterclasses and live discussions. Join top chefs and go behind the scenes of the biggest culinary innovations happening in the world.

Singapore Food Festival (SFF) JULY

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Explore the city through its traditional and contemporary food with cultural tours, workshops, and events across the island. SFF’s signature event STREAT is a weekend pop-up restaurant with Singapore’s top chefs serving a specially curated menu of modern Singapore cuisine.

Wine Fiesta 2019 OCTOBER

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Sample gourmet treats prepared by renowned chefs while sampling top wines from across the world in different styles, with expert classes by winemakers.

From top: The festival market at Lau Pa Sat; sampling local hawker fare in Chinatown.

Left, from top: Brunch at Artichoke, a Middle Eastern restaurant; Kaya Baked Alaska at CUT By Wolfgang Puck; Singapore Chilli Crab.