Never go hungry again in Singapore.
Just download the new Straits Times SoShiok food app and have access to restaurant recommendations and handy recipes on the iPhone.
The newly relaunched app offers a comprehensive range of content from the popular Taste pages in The Sunday Times, as well as food news and reviews from the other English newspapers published by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).
It is developed by SPH's news portal AsiaOne and named after its food website, The Straits Times SoShiok (www.soshiok.com).
iPhone users can download the app for free at the Apple App Store, and it will be available for iPad and Android phone users soon.
Missed a Hunger Management recipe or Posh Nosh recommendation from Straits Times food editor Tan Hsueh Yun, or looking for food critic Wong Ah Yoke's latest restaurant review?
Just search under the Reviews or Recipes sections, or scroll down the list of reviewers for the food writers of your choice and bookmark their recommendations.
Apart from Straits Times writers, reviews and stories by The Business Times' Jaime Ee and Debbie Yong can also be found on the app, together with The New Paper's Yeoh Wee Teck.
Users who want to figure out where to eat can also search under Restaurant Listings for everything ranging from zi char places to hawker stalls to high-end dining. The app allows users to look for eateries near where they are.
There is also a Foodie Guides section, featuring the popular Cheat Sheet and Grape 101 columns. Users can learn about ingredients and look for wines and wine-pairing suggestions.
In addition to getting the latest stories, users can also register a user profile and get rewarded for using the SoShiok app.
Points are given for reading or liking a new article, for example, or for submitting a food review.
To get even more points, launch the app for three or seven days in a row - and get 20 or 60 points respectively. Those who hit 5,000 points can redeem food or drink vouchers via the app. The top three monthly users - as reflected on the app's Leaderboard - will also win vouchers.
Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez said: "Food is Singapore's national passion. Our ST food writers and pages are among the best-read in the paper, as people enjoy reading about places to check out, recipes to try, or new trends in the food scene. Now, with this new app, all of that content is right there on your phone."
Added AsiaOne's editor Adrian Tay, who coordinated the project: "The SoShiok app is more than just a directory of restaurants or a collection of reviews. It also has food and beverage news and features, guides, a dedicated user reviews section and a rewards programme."
Another foodie treat for gourmands using the app is the chance to win one of 10 SoShiok Goodie Boxes filled with gourmet food items recently featured in the weekly Posh Nosh column by Tan.
These include Mast Brothers Chocolate, Lupicia Tea and Empire Mayonnaise. Each hamper is worth about $150.
The lucky draw closes on Jan 22 and the results will be published in The Straits Times Life! on Jan 28.
Tan says: "I am excited about the app. Readers write to me all the time, saying they have missed a recipe or have lost their newspaper clippings. The app will help them find these features. To thank them for using it, I have put together some favourite things from my Posh Nosh column. I hope they will enjoy my picks."
Part-time tutor Maria Ng, 53, who follows the columns in The Sunday Times' Taste pages, said: "With this app, I don't have to cut out the recipes or reviews in the papers any more. It will be much easier for me to refer to the app when I'm on the go, especially if I need to decide on a restaurant at the last minute."
The Straits Times SoShiok app can be downloaded for free at the Apple App Store for iPhone users. E-mail feedback to soshiok@sph.com.sg.
