I visit GastroBeats again, here's whether it's still worth the hype, Lifestyle News
I also wanted to see if this year's event would live up to the high expectations its previous runs had set.
The festival will be held at the same place — Bayfront Events Space — every Thursday to Sunday, from May 29 to June 22.
Similar to its past events, general entry is free so visitors have the flexibility to go in and out of the venue any time they want.
And while there are the usual activities like live music, food and arcade games, there were also a few new things to look forward to. Arcade games, live music and more
There's a variety of activities to check out at GastroBeats, and one highlight is the live music, which the festival would not be complete without.
Under GastroBeats' Gig-ers campaign, several talented musicians and singers have been nurtured and trained by local band 53A to become performers.
Names to look out for include Jean Kat and The Way Out, Javier, Masha Nyanna, and The Afterparty.
While GastroBeats isn't the best place to do some shopping, there were a few interesting vendors to check out.
The highlight for me was The Wicker Club, whom I've patronised at other events like Artbox and The Hammock Market.
They specialise in vegan, hand-poured scents with risque names like Kinky Business and Sugar Baby. If your friends have a good sense of humour, these make excellent gifts.
There's also The Cat Inspired, which sells kitty-themed pins, stickers and t-shirts.
Similar to last year, there is a small arcade section with games and claw machines. It's a great place for kids (and adults) to try their luck and win some toys.
Previous editions of GastroBeats had an Uncle Ringo Carnival with a merry-go-round and bumper cars.
This year, it has been replaced with an immersive exhibition called Rewind. Replay. Remix: Singapore Edition.
The experience takes you through three nostalgic eras of music — Retro Revival, Electric Disco and Digital Pulse — and it takes guests around 30 to 45 minutes to finish exploring the entire place.
It was an extremely Instagram-worthy set-up and I had fun snapping pictures at the various themed zones.
My favourite room was the one with a ballpit — it made me feel like a kid again!
Tickets cost $19.90 per pax and include one complimentary drink. This can be redeemed at the bar inside the exhibition.
Another popular attraction was the Solace Diner photobooth.
It isn't your regular photobooth either. This one had a retro diner theme which will make you feel like you had stepped into an Archie comic book.
Apart from the quirky theme, another highlight was the Mega Strip ($20), which is twice the size of a normal photo strip. I've definitely not seen anything like it before, so it makes a unique souvenir. Stuffing my face silly
As a foodie, it's pretty obvious what the highlight of GastroBeats was for me.
And I was happy to see that there were not only new food options, but some familiar ones too.
A new vendor this year is Umami, which normally operates as a home-based business.
They specialise in hearty bowls of Fried Hokkien Mee ($16). These come loaded with large pieces of grilled prawns and sotong.
The Hokkien mee is on the dry side and there was a good amount of wok hei, which for me, is the most important component of the dish.
If you love their grilled prawns and sotong like I did, you can also buy individual plates of it for $10 each.
Another new vendor to check out is What The Puff, which sells fusion curry puffs.
They're not just new to GastroBeats — they're new to the local food scene too and were established in December last year by Lim Yuan Ming, Brandon Lim and Oh Chin Jie. The concept was inspired by Yuan Ming and Brandon's parents, who are hawkers.
Their booth had a variety of interesting, unheard of curry puff flavours like Chili Crab ($6), Truffle Mushroom Chicken ($6) and Mentaiko Tuna ($6). I loved the Chili Crab!
Also new to GastroBeats is Tato Thoughts, which sells loaded baked potatoes.
I got the Tato Breakfast ($12.50) which featured scrambled eggs, shiitake mushrooms, hotdog and mentaiko atop a piping-hot baked potato.
Other flavours that caught my eye were the Tato Mala Chicken ($14.50) and Tato Smoked Salmon ($16).
As much as I was excited to try the offerings from new food vendors, there was one repeated vendor I had to revisit — Jett Barbecue.
I discovered them during last year's edition of GastroBeats and they sell some of the best smoked meats I've ever had.
These are cooked in a massive $80,000 custom-built smoker that was lifted into the venue by a crane.
They were clearly one of the more popular booths too because they had a never-ending snaking queue.
And for a good reason.
Just as I remembered, their Texas Dino Ribs ($19), which came served with mash, were phenomenal and the juicy slabs of meat melted in my mouth. I also reordered the addictive Beef Loaded Tatertots ($17) which makes a great sharing dish.
This time around, I also tried the Smoked Beef Cheek Tacos ($24), which are an event-exclusive dish. Featuring taco shells loaded with smoked beef cheeks and onion rings, these were delicious and I wish I had ordered more.
A repeat vendor whose food I didn't get to try last year is Cult Sliders.
They sell a variety of sliders, hotdogs, finger food and cookies.
The sheer variety of their slider selection left me spoilt for choice but I eventually settled for The 421 ($11).
It featured grilled chicken and pineapple garnished with purple slaw and tangy mayo. I love how the pineapple and purple slaw added a sweet, crunchy touch to the small but mighty good burger.
Another repeat vendor I checked out was Chris Pork.
The brand, which is based in Indonesia, specialises in juicy pork belly and sausages.
I sampled their Grilled Pork Sausages ($13.50) and Original Porkbelly ($14.50). These were sinfully good without being too greasy and heavy on the palate.
Korean-style corndogs are a fuss-free festival food to enjoy and visitors can get some at Kwazy Korndog.
There are classic flavours like the Sausage Corndog ($7) and Cheesy Corndog ($8), as well as more quirky ones like Buldak Ramen Corndog ($9) and Mantou Corndog ($9).
I really enjoyed the Mentaiko Corndog, which had a filling of half sausage half mozarella cheese too.
Fans of warabi mochi will be happy to know that Warabimochi Kamakura has a booth at this year's GastroBeats too.
Apart from their popular mochi, which comes in boxes of 10 pieces or cups of two pieces, they also sell unique drinks featuring the sticky snack.
Some popular options were the Matcha Strawberry ($11.90 for small, $13.90 for medium), Hojicha Latte ($9.90 for small, $11.90 for medium) and Kinako Hokkaido Milk ($10.90 for small, $12.90 for medium). Verdict: It's worth a visit
I'm pleased to say that once again, GastroBeats did not disappoint.
The food offerings met my expectations and I only wish that my stomach was bigger so I could have tried more food.
Admittedly, the food here is a bit pricier than what you would find outside but that's a norm for festival food in general.
I also really enjoyed the Rewind. Replay. Remix: Singapore Edition exhibition and feel that it is completely worth the price. If you love interactive, immersive experiences, this would be up your alley.
And as it held in an indoor and air-conditioned environment, it was also a nice break from the sweltering Singapore heat.
Address: 12A Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018970
Opening hours: Thursdays to Sundays from May 29 to June 22, 4pm to 11pm
[[nid:716820]]
melissateo@asiaone.com
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