Coffee Festival countdown

Singapore Coffee Festival: 8-course menu to go with a cuppa

ST Life! editor promises full and happy bellies at 4 meal sessions

Ms Tan Hsueh Yun (in pink) hosted two dining sessions at last year's inaugural Singapore Coffee Festival.
Ms Tan Hsueh Yun (in pink) hosted two dining sessions at last year's inaugural Singapore Coffee Festival. ST FILE PHOTO

SINGAPORE - Expect lively conversation and very full tummies when you dine with The Straits Times Life! editor Tan Hsueh Yun at the upcoming Singapore Coffee Festival.

She will host Posh Nosh By Hsueh: An Omakase Experience on Aug 5 and 6, which will feature an eight-course menu that she put together. Ms Tan, 49, hosted two dining sessions at last year's inaugural Singapore Coffee Festival. "They were great fun. I got to talk to people about what they love to eat and what they thought of the food I picked.

"The feedback was that there was too much food," she said.

"Well, I'm not cutting down on the food... I don't want anyone to go away hungry."

She will host four sessions at the festival venue at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre: two each on Aug 5 and 6, at noon and 5pm.

Each session is priced at $88 a person and is limited to 20 people.

  • SINGAPORE COFFEE FESTIVAL

    WHERE: Marina Bay Cruise Centre, 61, Marina Coastal Drive

    WHEN: Aug 3 (for trade and media only; register at www.sgcoffeefestival.com); two sessions daily from Aug 4 to 6 at 10am to 3.30pm and 4.30pm to 10pm

    ADMISSION: $22, $18 (DBS and POSB card holders, ST subscribers)

    INFO: www.sgcoffeefestival.com or e-mail sgcoffeefest@sph.com.sg

Diners can choose from two menus, each consisting of three savoury items, three sweet treats and two drinks. The food is a sampling of what is being offered by the 70 food and beverage vendors taking part in the festival, which is organised by The Straits Times and presented by DBS Bank.

The first menu has ayam buah keluak kueh pie tee from Arbite, chilli crab croissant with raspberry chips from Foxhole Cafe X The Pourover Bar and foie gras poutine from Garcons.

For dessert, there will be mini choux pastries with coffee cream from Oriole Coffee + Bar, taro waffle with earl grey ice cream from Froth and dark chocolate with sea salt crystals from Beans to Bars. The drinks selection consists of a turmeric latte from Huggs Coffee and a white cold brew from 1degreeC.

The second menu features pulled beef mantou from Hyde & Co, scotch egg sandwich from Park Bench Deli and portobello fries from The Coastal Settlement. Desserts are castella cake with strawberry creme chantilly from Antoinette, jumbo ice-cream choux from Ollella and kaya muffin from Cream Muffin by Hattendo. For drinks, there will be mocha honey cinnamon latte from Abbie's Coffeehouse and nitro tonic from Made Cold.

Ms Tan said: "I based my choices on what sounded interesting to me, and what I found good."

She added that the menus may change if the vendor cannot deliver the product or "if at the tasting, I find the food is not up to scratch". She said: "I'd like guests to just have a good time for a couple of hours, eating good food and having good conversation about food."

Other mouth-watering treats you can enjoy include coffee-related workshops and talks by other ST journalists on topics such as opening a cafe and sustainability.

The festival will also host the annual Singapore AeroPress Championships for the first time. Competitors will prepare coffee with an AeroPress, a special coffee-making device that functions as a plunger.

The person who makes the best-tasting coffee will win a trip to Seoul to compete in the World AeroPress Championships in November.

Local musicians Inch Chua and Tim De Cotta, and indie rock group StopGap will provide live entertainment on Saturday and Sunday evenings at Sunset Wharf.

Other activities include leather- crafting and fragrance-making workshops, storytelling sessions, and a Hatha yoga workshop.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 21, 2017, with the headline Singapore Coffee Festival: 8-course menu to go with a cuppa. Subscribe