2019’s Trending Food News: The Most Exciting F&B Openings & Fads
How many of these eateries have you tried?
2019 has been good to our tummies — cult favourite American burger chain Five Guys opened its first Singapore outlet, while Shake Shack created massive queues at the new Jewel Changi Airport (which is also home to a myriad of new, exciting eateries).
It was also the Year of Bubble Tea, with the, er, bubble for the addictive drink showing no signs of popping. Over a dozen new brands set up shop here, like the famous Xing Fu Tang and The Alley from Taiwan. 8days.sg was also the first to discover Singapore’s own ‘Song Joong Ki’ selling wallet-friendly, delish BBT at a Bukit Merah hawker stall.
And what better food to go with bubble tea than fried chicken? The humble Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet street snack had a revival in popularity, thanks to comedian Nono’s Monga snack chain and cult favourite Devil Chicken arriving on our shores.
If you are still struggling to catch up with the latest makan in town, we are here to help with your FOMO. We have compiled eight of our top trending food stories of 2019, in case you have missed out on any.
2020 is looking to be another exciting year for foodies (hello, Hui Lau Shan and Jay Chou’s go-to bubble tea shop Machi Machi). But in the meantime, here is a lookback at the buzziest food news of this year.
Song Joong Ki-lookalike Bubble Tea Hawker
Korean superstars Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo’s divorce was the shock split of 2019. But Singapore also has its own ‘Song Joong Ki’, a dashing young hawker we first discovered selling bubble tea in Bukit Merah. Our story went viral, lines of adoring fans thronged his stall, and the rest is internet history.
Read the story here.
Ex-Les Amis Chef Sells Hokkien Mee in Toa Payoh
We were also the first to feature former Les Amis chef Xavier Neo, who whips up a mean plate of Hokkien mee at his kopitiam stall Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee in Toa Payoh. His HKM is so popular, it’s sold out in 45 minutes (but we have a tip for how to secure your mee).
Read the story here.
Nono Started a Fried Chicken Craze Here
Taiwanese street snacks have been around in Singapore for a while. But just when we were starting to take fried chicken cutlets for granted, Taiwanese comedian Nono started a whole new craze for it when he opened the first local outlet for his Monga fried chicken chain. Does it live up to the hype? We hang out with the man himself, try the fried chicken he cooked, and give you the lowdown on what’s good.
Read the story here.
Yao Wenlong Opened a Restaurant in Johor Bahru
We know Mediacorp veteran actor Yao Wenlong can act, but who knew the man can cook too? He set up a pao fan restaurant called Sun Gourmet Kitchen in his native Johor Bahru, where we visited him to serve you all the deets about his nosh.
Read the story here.
Master Butter Maker Says You Have Been Buttering Bread The Wrong Way
We spent our whole life spreading butter evenly and thinly on bread so our mother wouldn’t scream at us for wasting food. But French master butter maker Jean-Yves Bordier (who makes the Bordier brand of butter, widely regarded as the ‘Hermès Birkin’ of spreads in the foodie world) tells us we were doing it wrong. The shock! The horror! The hasty re-education! And we all learnt to enjoy atas butter the way it should be appreciated.
Read the story here.
Astons Opened a Kyoto Butcher's Shop in Joo Chiat
If you’re thinking of treating yourself to premium Japanese wagyu beef, we got you covered too. We reported on the opening of Kyoto butchery Ginkakuji Onishi’s first Singapore outpost at Joo Chiat (which was brought in by local F&B group Astons), and guide you through the various cuts and grades of meat to buy. Your CNY reunion dinner for 2020 is gonna be lit.
Read the story here.
30 Eateries to Check Out at Jewel Changi Airport
One of the biggest thrills for local foodies in 2019 was the opening of Jewel Changi Airport. It brought us Shake Shack, A&W’s comeback outlet and Malaysia’s popular bakery chain Lavender. It really is a wonderland built for gourmands, and we tell you how to navigate it.
Read the story here.
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