6 Singapore foodie events taking place in April

Photo: 123rf

Kicking off on April 6, the event is packed with heritage trails, workshops and events spread over three weekends this month. 

What will interest foodies are the more than 15 food-centric events. Some have proven extremely popular - the tours of biscuit maker Khong Guan and sugar factory Cheng Yew Heng are already fully booked. But no worries, there are plenty of others to check out. 

1. Jurong Singapore Hawkerpreneurs 

Photo: @keagan_kang

Location: Jurong Town Hall

Date and time: Apr 6 - 8, 5pm to 11pm

Admission: Free, pay for food and drinks

Sample offerings from heritage and hipster hawkers. Grab a kopi-o from Kiat Seng Coffee Stall which has been caffeinating Singaporeans from their stall at Taman Jurong Market since 1970. Sample the famous Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak, which has been around since 1978.

If hipster is more your style, try the very Instagrammable Lakster Deluxe from halal stall Jenggood. This giant bowl of laksa comes with a whole lobster as well as prawns, squid and mussels.

Fishball Story, an updated take on fishball noodles which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand mention, will also be setting up shop for the weekend.

2. Behind the scenes: Appreciating tea through the generations

Photo: @peksinchoon

Location: 36, Mosque Street

Date and time: Apr 14, 2pm

Admission: $5

Pek Sin Choon Nanyang Tea Brewing Challenge - Finals

Location: 21, Banda St, Kreta Ayer Square

Date and time: Apr 15, 3pm

Admission: Free admission with registration, $40 fee (including a refundable $20 deposit) for competitors. Registration for competition closes April 6

Get an insider’s peek at the tea trade at Pek Sin Choon from Kenry Peh, fourth generation tea merchant. Learn how tea is sorted and mixed at this company, which has a history dating back almost a hundred years. They also supply many bak kut teh stalls in Singapore.

And if you think you have tea brewing skills, sign up for a competition to brew the perfect cuppa. The contest will be held on Apr 15. Competitors will have to attend a briefing session at Pek Sin Choon and collect a brewing set before the competition.

3. Balestier Food Trail

Photo: @lovethekisses

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

Location: 12, Tai Gin Road, Singapore 327874

Date and time: Apr 14, 10am

Admission: Free, pay for food and drinks

Balestier Road has been a food and entertainment hub for decades.  There are two heritage trails planned for the weekend of Apr 14 and 15, but foodies will want to check out the one on Saturday. This food-themed trail will take participants through various F&B establishments along the road, including a herbal tea business and a traditional bakery.  

A must-stop is Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah. This traditional confectionary, opened in 1948, still makes its offerings by hand. Its tau sar piah, with its crisp flaky pastry shell and silky smooth lotus seed paste filling, is famous, drawing long queues.

4. Chinatown Food Stories

Photo: 123rf

Location: Kreta Ayer Community Centre Exhibition Hall, 28 Kreta Ayer Road, Singapore 088995

Date and time: Apr 15, 5pm

Admission: Free, registration required

Find out how the traditional Chinese sweet snack of sak kei ma is made, and discover the heritage stalls in Chinatown Food Complex.  This sprawling hawker centre is home to 200 stalls which serve everything from traditional hawker fare to uniquely Singaporean dishes such as Chinese-style satay marinated with Indian spices.  

5. Armenian Street Party

Photo: 123rf

Location: Armenian Street

Date and time: Apr 20 and 21, 7pm

Admission: Free, pay for food and drinks

Foodies were disappointed when Mary Gomes closed her Mary’s Kafe last year.  But those who swear by her pang susie, curry debal and sugee cake will be delighted to know she is dishing out her familiar favourites at the Armenian Street Party on the last weekend of the festival.

Restaurant True Blue will also be serving its Peranakan specialties, including ngoh hiang, laksa, dry mee siam and nasi lemak.

Timbre, which started life as a bar at The Substation, is returning to its old stomping ground to serve old school soft drinks such as Kickapoo and Sinalco, and cocktails like tea panjang and kopi o mabuk.

6. Second and Third Generation Hawkers 

Photo: @iqbal_jimmy3090

Location: Dragon Playground, at Lorong 6, Toa Payoh

Date and time: Apr 21 and 22, 5pm

Admission: Free, pay for food and drinks

Families will enjoy this casual hangout event at the iconic dragon playground.

Kids can play on the famed dragon while parents can check out the car boot flea market which will be set up in the vicinity. And everyone young and old can enjoy the food offerings from a range of hawker carts.

Look out for popiah from Good Chance Popiah and egg tarts from Tong Heng Confectionery as well as more substantial dishes such as Rumah Makan Minang’s nasi padang and Katong Laksa.

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This story was first published on The Straits Times.