Chilli Crab brownies, Kaya Toast cocktails, Merlion ice pops, Milo Dinosaur ice cream, Kaya Toast Churros – our mouths are watering!
When you ask a foreigner what the national dish of Singapore is, there’s a fairly high chance that they will say Chilli Crab – that delicious sweet savoury tomato based spicy curry studded with crab and made thick with strands of egg. But we bet they’d never imagine eating chilli crab inside a chocolate brownie! Or in the form of a croquette. Read on for all the deliciously crazy Singaporean treats on offer to celebrate Singapore’s 53rd birthday this National Day!
Read More: Where to watch National Day Parade Rehearsals!
Red and white dishes are in abundance at home-grown brand Paradise Group’s National Day menu. What’s more, they are 53% off! What’s special about these Chilli Crab Xiao Long Bao (5 pcs at U.P $28.80) at Paradise Dynasty is not only do they feature crab meat and Seafood Paradise’s artisanal chilli crab sauce, they are also prettily coloured in Singapore’s national colours. We are also hearting the Coconut and Rose Jelly ($6.80) from Paradise Classic — pictured in our lead image for this story.
Churros lovers, this one’s for you! Lower East Side Katong are celebrating National Day by spinning Kaya Toast on its head and creating some Kaya Toast Churros ($5.30++) topped with cinnamon and sugar for a limited time only!
Bakerzin is celebrating Singapore’s 53rd birthday with the Cempedak Layer Cake in Singapore’s colours. Creamy 100% fresh pure cempedak (jackfruit) layers are alternated with velvety sponge cake marking this a delicious creation not to be missed. The Cempedak Layer Cake is available in individual slices ($6.80) and as a whole cake ($39- approx. 400g serves 4-6 pax / $56- approx. 850g serves 8-10 pax).
Fans of spicy local food will love the nasi lemak arancino (stuffed rice balls) with sambal aioli, chilli crab panzerotti (savoury turnover), and bucatini (thick, hollow pasta) laksa with mixed seafood piccante on offer at Latteria Mozzarella Bar as part of their National Day menu! To end your meal there’s also deconstructed iced kacang, a granita (Italian-style shaved ice) with evaporated milk and a variety of toppings.
Forget breakfast for dinner, this cocktail Kopiko ($16++) at The Spot gives you breakfast for aperitifs! Inspired by the traditional breakfast of kopi (coffee) and kaya toast, this espresso-based concoction uses reduced dark beer infused in-house with star anise, cloves and cinnamon plus honeyed beer foam. It’s served with a side of housemade kaya toast to complete the picture.
Chilli lovers, rejoice! Pastamania’s Chef Luth mixes belacan (spicy dried shrimp paste), otak-otak and coconut milk to create this unique east-meets-west dish just in time for National Day. We recommend having it with fusilli!
Chili Crab takes a swerve into dessert territory at Creamery Boutique Ice Creams Creamery! Two uniquely Singaporean specials are on offer here: a chocolate brownie filled with Chili Crab gravy served with Bread Toast Ice Cream ($10.90), and Ondeh Ondeh cookies (available from 14th July to 9th August) made with crumbly pandan cookie, melted gula melaka and grated coconut served with Milo Dinosaur ice cream ($8.90) for two truly novel Singaporean desserts!
Heard of the CroToast? Dunno ah? Saint Marc claims to have invented this croissant-French-toast-hybrid which manages to be simultaneously crisp and airily fluffy at the same time. It is served with artisan Italian gelato, like the… drumroll please… chilli crab gelato ($4.50) which tastes like, well, chilli crab, except creamy and cold with a kick of spice. Also available in a cone.
King of fruits durian comes to the mass market thanks to McDonalds. Made with real D24 durian purée swirled into vanilla ice cream, the Durian McFlurry by McDonalds is said to be truly a local flavour worth celebrating. The Durian McFlurry ($4) comes in a customised paper cup: a serving of vanilla soft-serve ice cream is topped with D24 durian sauce and then mixed freshly before serving. Have you tried it yet? Is it worth the hype?
Non Entree Desserts‘ “Singapore Breakfast” ($13.90++) may not be a new dish specifically for this National Day 2018 but we think this dish shouts “proud to be Singapore”. It’s actually a dessert, not the savoury brekkie item it is modelled after (the local breakfast of kaya jam slathered on toast with a side of soft boiled eggs). This dessert looks the part but all is not as it seems! The “eggs” are in fact coconut panna cotta, with bursting yolk of mango, the shells edible chocolate with gula melaka “soy sauce”, and cinnamon in a pepper shaker with a side of Hainanese kaya parfait. Genius!
Nickeldime has stuffed croquettes with this tasty stuff for their Chilli Crab Croquettes to celebrate Singapore’s 53rd birthday. Fresh Jumbo crab meat cooked with a spiced béchamel and cheddar cheese is rolled into balls, crumbed, deep fried and served with a side of chilli dip at $5.30 for 3 pieces. Order 2 beers and you’ll get it free if purchased on Thursday 9th August!
Trust The Kettle Gourmet to come up with an originally Singaporean flavour to celebrate National Day! Their last flavour to honour the Lunar New Year – Bak Kwa flavour – sold out in just four days! The latest new popcorn flavour is Chicken Rice ($12), which is baked with traditional soy sauce and a touch of cucumber and parsley.
Newcomer Leeu SG offers “The Esplanade”, an ice cream tart consisting of buttercream icing, a biscuit base, and an ice cream center made with fresh D24 durian. Their other patriotic highlight is The Merlion ice popsicle ($4.80) — a red-and-white cold treat shaped like the Merlion and decked out in our national colours. It’s made with strawberry and vanilla and tastes like strawberry cheesecake. Yum!
Jamie’s Italian puts an Italian spin on the local Chilli Crab dish by introducing Slipper Lobster Pappardelle with Chilli Crab Sauce ($32.95++). There’s also Singapore Chicken Rice Risotto ($26.95++) from now until 12 August: a creamy bianco based risotto made with silky Carnaroli rice that has been infused with flavourful chicken stock and topped with oven-roasted free-range chicken and broccolini, accompanied by homemade chilli sauce, cucumbers and chilli.