Over the last weekend, foodie haven descended upon us at The Great Food Fest in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) from September 21 – 24.
It was simply any foodie’s dream come true with an entire area dedicated to gourmet eats and another solely to satiate your fix for sweets.
All these might sound overwhelming but no one’s complaining because nothing short of great is found at TGFF.
For loyal fans of celebrity chefs like Benjamin Halat and Florian Favario, you would be delighted upon seeing them in action at TGFF. Aside from being star-struck by your favourite celebrity chef, here are some reasons you HAVE to hit up TGFF the next time.
Knock yourself out with gourmet eats at Star Chef Arena
How often do you find yourself surrounded by Michelin-starred chefs and gourmet eats all in one place?
Well, Star Chef Arena gives you the chance to knock yourself out with exquisite culinary creations from some of the most masterful chefs in the world.
Besides, nothing beats seeing the star chefs themselves in the flesh as they display their culinary finesse right before your eyes. At TGFF, you can easily spot Cat Cora and local celebrity chefs such as Benjamin Halat from CURATE in RWS; and Florian Favario from 1 Michelin-starred Céleste at The Lanesborough in London.
Seafood lovers won’t be able to resist the fresh-tasting Hand Dived Scallops from Ocean Restaurant, Singapore.
The celebrity chef behind this delicacy is none other than Cat Cora, who is also the first female inducted in the American Academy of Chefs® Culinary Hall of Fame. Her culinary expertise definitely comes through in the exceptionally light; yet at the same time, flavoursome taste of the scallops.
Even her Doenjang Glazed Atlantic Cod was vastly different from the usual cod fishes you enjoy at restaurants. The freshness of the Atlantic Cod is simply out of this world, and greatly complemented by the savoury Doenjang glaze.
When these masterful chefs are down at the festival themselves, their star quality is certainly palpable in their dishes. The Sous Vide Norway Salmon by Chef Sam Leong from Forest 森, Singapore, is set to be an all-time favourite amongst locals.
The piquant chilli tamarind coulis paired alongside the salmon elevated the taste of the fish, while evoking a sense of familiarity in a contemporary Chinese dish.
This Torched Tiger Prawn tantalises our tastebuds with a fine balance of flavour between the prawn itself and heavy-tasting embellishments like Green Mango and Thai Red Curry Espuma.
In case you were wondering, this creation is the brainchild of distinguished Thai chef, Ian Kittichai who is at the helm of the first celebrity chef-helmed spa café in Singapore.
The winner of Top Chef Season 10 USA, Kristen Kish was also in town to give you a taste of her culinary talent. Fans of the highly rated American cooking reality show were able to witness this model-turned-chef in the flesh.
She brought to the table a breath of fresh air with her dishes – Matcha Custard and Hamachi. The former enlivened our tastebuds with a palatable pairing of custards and berries; while the latter is chockfull of a full-bodied broth that is light and savoury at the same time.
Rollin’ Sweet Times certainly gives you a rollicking sweet time
You can literally eat to your heart’s delight with a smorgasbord of sweets available at Rollin’ Sweet Times.
The plethora of glow-in-the-dark ice cream, gelato, éclairs, churros, cakes may have had us spoilt for choice but what stole the show were some of these:
Almost everyone who went to TGFF was talking about Birds of Paradise; and after taking one bite – we understood why. This exclusive treat for festival-goers is hands-down a favourite for any chocolate lovers out there.
The Midnight Gianduja Gelato Bar, which is a smooth-tasting Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut gelato sandwiched between coconut citrus crisps, is simply divine. It had a rich chocolatey taste without coming off as overly sweet.
At some point in time, you may have been told that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Believe it or not, the visually stunning Lavender ice cream from Hokkaido Ice Cream tastes just as good as it looks.
If you’re a cake connoisseur, then there is no way this Strawberry Watermelon Cake from Black Star Pastry will escape your eyes.
Made of alternating layers of almond dacquoise (similar to meringue), rose-scented cream, watermelon and strawberries, this zesty treat is perfect for the summer. The dainty-looking garnishes – dried rose petals and pistachios garnishes, only made us adore this gorgeous piece even more.
Of course, how can one forget about their Glonuts, which became an internet sensation overnight? It may look slightly intimidating at first but the moment you take a bite out of it, you won’t regret it.
Take your tea time up a notch as you relish gelato from the ever-popular N2 Extreme Gelato in Australia and whimsical cakes such as Mini Unicorn Cake and Milky Way from Boufe Boutique Cafe in Singapore.
Your day would be easily made with freshly made and handcrafted churros from Churros Republic, if you have a penchant for these Spanish fritters.
Even if you’re not a fan of fried desserts, the floral cupcakes and their best-selling Matcha Salted Egg Cake from Creme Maison will undoubtedly make you a returning customer.
Heritage Lane shines with local delights
Local delights never fail to excite our tastebuds, especially with this scrumptious skewers from Blue Lotus.
This Golden Fried Sweet & Sour Pork Skewers with Lychee is their reinterpretation of the classic sweet and sour pork dish that we very much love in Singapore. Now we are digging this local dish even more.
You could also gorge yourself silly with other toothsome treats offered by FOC, Ninja Bowl, Barrio by Mex Out and more at the Heritage Lane.
Even if you weren’t a foodie to begin with, TGFF will certainly awaken the gourmand lying dormant in you. Be prepared for another round of feastin’ the next time TGFF comes around.
Every shred of foodie fibre in us is still craving for epicurean eats we had over the past weekend.
Find out more information about TGFF here.
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