Any Singaporean would tell you that the way to their heart is food, and so it stands to reason that restaurants across the island would capitalize on that when it comes to National Day.
The result? A mishmash of “locally-inspired” food and drink creations that perhaps appeal more to your curiosity (how many ways can they make chicken rice?!) than your patriotism. Nevertheless, here’s how you can celebrate the yearly affair in typical foodie style.
Bar Canary
At the rooftop bar of Grand Park Orchard, cocktails get a bubble tea spin ($17 each) for lazy afternoon loungers. Paradise Pop, a mix of osmanthus sencha tea, gin, and lychee pearls, is a refreshing tropical drink, while Smooth Criminal pairs lavender and Earl Grey tea with whisky, angostura bitters, caramel, fresh milk, frangelico liqueur, and caramel jelly. Sky high sugar levels? Yep, sounds just like boba.
Available until Aug 31 at Bar Canary.
Burger & Lobster
Laksa lobster, anyone? The London eatery adds a local twist to its lobster dish with the spicy coconut-based broth, laksa leaves, ikan bilis, and red chili. Each bowl, priced at $70, comes with the standard trimmings of rice noodles, tofu, and bean sprouts.
Available until Aug 10 at Burger & Lobster.
Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery knows Singaporeans like to get a little experimental with their food, so it’s bringing back the strangely popular nasi lemak and chendol ice cream flavors for National Day. Oh, and to turn up the heat, it’s offering a double-spicy version of the former, complete with sambal ikan bilis, peanuts, crispy rice puffs, cucumber chunks, and coconut ice cream. You can get a cup for $8.50 or have it with a pandan waffle bowl for an additional $1.90.
As for chendol, it’s already a dessert, so no surprises here. Expect the scoop of coconut ice cream to come topped with green jellies, red beans, atap seeds, and a drizzle of gula melaka.
Available until Aug 31 at all Cold Stone Creamery outlets.
Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s goes wacko for sambal sauce, spreading it all over three pizza variations: Surf & Turf with prawns, shredded chicken, mushrooms, green peppers, and pineapple chunks; Ikan Bilis, topped with chicken, green peppers, and onions; and Veggie, consisting of onions, mushrooms, green peppers, olives, and cherry tomatoes. If you’re more of a dessert person, the pandan-flavored ondeh ondeh lava cake spills out a molten core of gula melaka.
Available for a limited time at Domino’s Pizza outlets.
Elemen
The meat-free eatery serves an eight-course Local-licious menu ($38.80) for the nation’s birthday, with plant-based dishes like salted egg popiah, mantou with spicy chilli sauce, chicken rice-style risotto, min jiang kueh crepe cake, bandung sorbet, soy milk with gula melaka, and “shroom kut teh”, a play on bak kut teh with you tiao and mushrooms.
Available until Aug 31 at Elemen outlets.
Fat Chap
Taking you on a “makan trail” across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Fat Chap’s August weekday lunch menu features dishes like Indomie goreng ($12.90) with seafood and chicken satay, and wonton mee ($14.90) with chicken bak kut teh soup. On the all-day menu, you’ve got har cheong gai (prawn paste chicken) “lollipops” ($10/six), the Not Really Ramly Burger ($25) with brioche buns, and desserts such as murtabak manis ($12) and durian shortcake ($14).
Available from Aug 1-31 at Fat Chap.
Hans Im Gluck
Hans Im Gluck claims its Singapore menu is “die die must try,” but you be the judge of that. For the country’s 54th, the restaurant will serve a Krabbe Burger ($16) made of soft shell crab and spicy chilli sauce, a Beef Rendang Burger ($16), and the Singapore Rose ($8), a mocktail mix of coconut milk, mango, gula melaka, and rose syrup.
Available until Aug 31 at all Hans Im Gluck outlets.
Ippudo
A collaboration between Japanese ramen restaurant Ippudo and local seafood purveyors No Signboard Seafood, the chilli crab ramen ($28) combines the former’s tonkotsu broth with the latter’s house-made chilli crab sauce, with toppings like crab claw, half-boiled egg, black fungus, and fried mantous added in. Unconventional, but sure.
Take note though, that only 30 bowls are served daily at two selected Ippudo branches, so you may have to get in line or throw in a few extra dollars to pre-order. Each purchase comes with a limited edition tote bag as well.
Available until Aug 12 at Ippudo Mandarin Gallery and Marina Bay Sands.
Komyuniti
After you’ve padded your stomach with chicken and beef satay skewers ($22) at Komyuniti, wash it all down with a rye whiskey-based Lau Pa Sat ($16) cocktail made with satay liqueur, charred pineapple oil, kopi-infused vermouth, and smoke.
Alternatively, drink your Nonya Breakfast ($16) — it’s a mix of whiskey, coconut liqueur, and kaya cordial. Both beverages also come with a complimentary mini Singapore Sling jelly. For dessert, the chendol panna cotta ($9.80) flavors the creamy Italian dessert with pandan and gula melaka.
Available from Aug 5-11 at Komyuniti.
Le Binchotan
Taking an elevated approach to local flavors, Le Binchotan starts off the night with its Halia cocktail ($20), made of ginger, campari, and pandan vermouth. Next, the beef cheek rendang ($28) is seasoned with spices such as galangal, lemon grass, ginger, and shallots, stewed for more than four hours, and served with baguette slices. For dessert, French toast is paired with corn and ruby chocolate ($18).
Available from Aug 1-31 at Le Binchotan.
Patisserie G
The delicate desserts at Patisserie G make for lovely afternoon snacks, especially when they’re macarons ($3 each) made in familiar flavors like yam, salted egg yolk, teh tarik, kaya, and kopi butter. If your nod to the nation involves red and white treats, try the bandung eclair ($9.50) piped with bandung pastry cream in a lime choux pastry.
Available for a limited time at Patisserie G.
Potato Head Singapore & Three Buns Quayside
Chicken rice gets a burger makeover at Potato Head with the Chicken In Rice burg ($19) that features sous vide chicken breast covered in ginger and garlic, slow-roasted spiced chicken thigh confit, chilli sauce, ginger jam, cucumber slices, and ginger mayo. For a full meal, order the set ($27), which comes with a pot of spicy chicken broth and five-spiced fries with anise mayo and pickled chillies.
Available until Aug 14 at Potato Head Singapore and Three Buns Quayside.
Smoke & Mirrors
In a nod to Singapore’s bicentennial, the rooftop bar’s head bartender has concocted a Rojak Milk Punch ($22) cocktail blending Rojak Gin, spiced pechuga, milk, and ginger torch aroma, with a side serving of peanuts.
Available until Aug 31 at Smoke & Mirrors.
Tablescape
At Grand Park City Hall, Tablescape offers a five-course menu ($48/person) for Singapore’s 54th celebrations, with unusual dishes such as chilli crab mousse in a mini charcoal ice cream cone, chicken rice arancini served with dark soy, ginger, and garlic chilli sauce, laksa sea bass, and pandan soufflé with gula melaka ice cream.
Available from Aug 3-11 at Tablescape.
The Alkaff Mansion
At the newly reopened multi-concept venue, Una’s paella gets a chilli crab makeover ($52-$72) with crab and tomato, plus a whole lobster for an additional $60. And in the evenings, Txa Pintxo Bar puts its Basque chefs’ first culinary impressions of Singapore on a plate. Think satay pintxo ($4) with wagyu beef, seared Hokkaido scallop with curry sauce ($8), and patatas bravas with the ubiquitous salted egg sauce ($12).
The bar also shakes up a bandung mocktail ($8.50) with ice cream soda and a chendol cocktail ($12.50) with a splash of rum. Oh, and more National Day creations can be consumed at Wildseed Cafe, where the chicken burger ($18) has been plumped to be the chosen salted egg one.
Available from Aug 2-12 at The Alkaff Mansion.
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