One of the main draws of any festival is the food, glorious food. The massive throngs of people at the latest Singapore Night Festival, perhaps the most successful outdoor arts & culture extravaganza on the island, was overwhelmingly scary. Not wanting to brave the
siao-on snaking queues, the two cats headed to a quieter stretch along the festival route to makan and catch a breather.
Wah liao eh, better avoid the SMU Campus Green... ...
The two cats caught some pretty installations as they made their way to the National Design Centre (NDC). They had also joget joget to the classic baba-nyonya tunes by The Main Wayang Company outside the Peranakan Museum and were really hungry. They were looking forward to stretch their legs at the alfresco nighttime terrace of NDC hosting "What's Supp" - a pop-up kopitiam concept by organiser Kueh Kakis - celebrating Singaporeans' love for latenight suppers.
The venue was surprisingly quiet given the maddening hordes just a hop and skip away at the SMU Campus Green. Red Baron was hawking its yummy quinoa goreng that the lions had tried. Chef Jeremy Nguee's new gourmet rempah brand, Batu Lesung, was also onsite selling tasty Rendang Jos - sauteed beef franks slathered in rich rendang sauce ($4). Howard Lo's The Secret Mermaid was offering a jazzed up take on "milo peng", a cocktail with chai vodka, milo, vanilla and chocolate bitters. Pity it came in a plastic cup for $15. On another night, the lions also tried newcomer Odenya's Japanese spin on Yong Tau Foo. Oishii!
The following weekend, the lions made sure their stomachs were filled at Tess Bar & Kitchen before heading down to enjoy the performances and installations. Uncle Jon would be filling their stomachs at the food truck, Kerby, on their last pit stop.
Acclaimed bartender aside, one might want to head down to Tess Bar & Kitchen for this to-die-for cocktail - Achar Mango ($17). The lioness' favourite tipple here consists of gin, pickled mangoes, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, fresh lemon, egg white and Cajun spices. She thought that the lion's choice of poison that night - a hot peanut butter and vodka nasty served in a Turkish coffee pot - was just plain Willy Wonka weird. Ick.
Uncle Jon took care of their stomachs at Kerbside Gourmet close to midnight along the festival route. After the Kodak moment on the truck, they savoured his inventive Sabich ($10): fried eggplant, egg, sambal mayo, hummus, cucumbers and herbs encased in a pita bread and his soulful Spiced Chicken Taco ($10): pulled chicken, spiced gravy, grilled cabbage and garlic yoghurt. The lions are not being biased but they think that you should try the feel-good grub on this social enterprise driven truck at least once in your lifetime. Ta-ta, till next time.
