The Philippine presentation of this year’s Singapore Food Festival (SFF) includes virtual food tours, recipe videos, docu-features, and cooking classes hosted by esteemed chefs from Singapore, Thailand, China, and our country.
Organized by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the annual celebration dedicated to showcasing the Lion City’s food heritage and inventive culinary spirit to the international audience, started on Aug. 27 and will run until Sept. 12.
With the theme “Savour Singapore in every bite”, a total of 50 physical and online activities will be held for the two-week celebration, twice bigger than last year’s 20.
Ruby Liu, STB area director for the Philippines, highlighted the importance of leveraging technology to connect with people and continue celebrating Singaporean food.
“In the next six to eight months, we do not foresee that there will be leisure tourism,” Liu said.
“Singapore will still be closed to most countries around the world. That is why we have to think of different ways to stay in touch with our friends around the world using technology, and that brings us to the Singapore Food Festival,” she added.
SFF, now on its 28th year, brings Singaporean cuisine closer to Filipinos.
For this year’s festival highlight, two esteemed chefs collaborated on a live cooking session, titled “The Boyster Omelette”, as in “two boys cooking an oyster omelette”.
On Aug. 29, Chef JP Anglo of Sarsa Kitchen and Chef Bjorn Shen, owner of Artichoke restaurant, demonstrated their renditions of oyster omelette, a classic Singaporean dish. The masterclass aired on VisitSingapore PH’s Facebook page.
Other live cooking sessions include the making of Padang-style burrito by Chef Ariff Zin, pan-roasted prawns with herbs by Chef Lim Hoe Gern and Chef Ton, egg tarts and kopi by Ana Fong and Jason Soon, ravioli from scratch by award-winning chef Jeremy Gillon from Michelin-starred restaurant JAG, and many more.
More classes are scheduled from Sept. 10 to 12. Interested participants can register on the SFF website (singaporefoodfestival.sg).
Curious foodies who want to explore Singapore and discover delectable dishes can join the exclusive interactive virtual tour of Little India and Tiong Bahru led by renowned food host Nikki Muller.
The Kok Fah Farm docu-feature will take the audience on a virtual tour to a family-owned soil and hydroponics farm; while Kitchen Insider: Sustenir features two videos on making organic and healthy dishes.
STB has also partnered with online food delivery app Pick.A.Roo to offer discount vouchers worth P150 for every 1,000-peso purchase from partner restaurants Putien, Hawker Chan, Babu, Marriott Cafe, Shang at Home, James & Daughters, Banana Leaf, Your Local, Char Express, Nanyang, and Wee Nam Kee. The discount, available using the code PICKSFF, is valid until Sept. 23 only.