Heads up foodies: there’s a new food fair happening now at Takashimaya’s Basement 2 with exciting viral eats and brand new food vendors that you’ve never seen before! If you’re already planning a trip down to the food fair this weekend, here are some of the highlights you should make a beeline for.
1. Sweet & Savoury Shio Pan
Starting off with Shio & Sato: a new shio pan bakery concept by Masterchef finalist, Genevieve, who’s also behind the popular donut store, Sourbombe Bakery. This event marks Shio & Sato’s debut pop-up, and it’s already proving to be a hit among bread lovers. We came bright and early in the morning and all the shio buns were already sold out by noon. But not to worry: they’ll constantly be making more buns fresh on-site, so you’ll be able to snag them fresh (if you’re patient enough to wait).
Green Chilli Onion, $4.30
Kombu, $4.20
Original, $3.60
They’ve got 10 different flavour options for both sweet and savoury shio pans starting from $3.60 each, with some unique ones like Crab Salad Kombu ($9), Miso Butter Corn ($4.80), Tamago ($5.50), Matcha Strawberry ($6) and more. Out of the ones we tried, we liked the Kombu ($4.20) flavour best, with a savoury umami in each bite, as the kombu is incorporated directly into the dough itself. Fresh from the oven, the shio pans have a crisp outer shell that gives way to the softest and fluffiest interior—exactly how a good shio pan should be. It’s no wonder they’ve got snaking queues all day long.
Booth: Shio & Sato
2. Rich Banana Pies
Another notable brand that’s making its debut pop-up at the fair is the popular Dona Manis Cake Shop. Dona Manis is a well-loved cake shop in Katong Shopping Centre that’s famous for their banana pies, and this is the very first time they’re doing an external event outside of their Katong store! Just for this pop-up at Takashimaya, Dona Manis will also be serving their iconic bakes with a scoop of ice cream, courtesy of Creamier. Dona Manis will also be baking and churning out their pies fresh on-site.
Apple Crumble, $8
Banana Pie, $5.50
There’s a reason why their most famous Banana Pie ($5.50) is so beloved by fans, the pie is generously stuffed with gooey banana filling, wrapped in a perfectly golden, crumbly pie crust. We also enjoyed the Apple Crumble ($8 that’s filled with caramelised apple chunks. We liked how Dona Manis’ bakes were well balanced, with a good pie-to-filling ratio, and not over sweet either. Having the warm pie with a bite of cold ice cream also made it even better.
Booth: Dona Manis Cake Shop
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3. Snowball Mochi & Crêpe Rolls
Strawberry Snowball Mochi ($5.20)
Mini Crêpe Roll Box ($14.80)
Strawberry/Grape Cake Box ($12)
Another one for the sweet tooths are the viral “snowball mochi” treats from Xiao Ge Ge. They’ve got a variety of mochi items and cake boxes, all with various fresh fruits like strawberry, mango, green grape and more. Their Snowball Mochi (from $4.80) are ultra soft and stretchy, stuffed full with whipped cream and fresh fruit chunks. Same with the crêpe rolls: with cream and fruits wrapped in thin crêpes instead of mochi. We recommend eating this cold for the best experience!
Booth: Xiao Ge Ge
4. DIY Bun Kits
Pork Crackling Bao, $25.80
Salted Egg Chicken Bao, $25.80
Other unique items include the DIY buns from Bao Makers: you get a deconstructed bento box with everything you need to make your own bao sandwich. You can get the set in 2 options: Pork Crackling Bao ($25.80) or Salted Egg Chicken Bao ($25.80), and the buns are steamed fresh on-site till they’re hot and fluffy. Both the pork belly and chicken are fried on the spot, so it’s best you dig into them as soon as you can!
Booth: Bao Makers
5. Lava Brownies
If blackout brownies are your vibe, definitely hit up Dome Bakery for their oozy and gooey lava brownies. They’ve got a variety of brownie flavours to choose from starting from $6.50 apiece, but we recommend the more unique flavours like Raspberry Choc ($7.20) or Pistachio Lava ($7.50).
For the best and meltiest chocolate ooze, you can request for them to be heated up on the spot! They’ve also got Mini Fudgy Brownies ($6.50) that comes in 4 bite-sized cubes, but note that these don’t have the signature lava filling inside.
Booth: Dome Bakery
6. Refreshing Coconut Pudding
If you’re crazy about all things coconut, SOICOCO is the place to hit up: they’ve got their signature Coconut Pudding ($6.90) that’s ultra jiggly and refreshing.
The pudding features 2 layers: a light coconut water jelly, and a coconut milk layer. Coconut purists who enjoy the real, pure taste of fresh coconuts will definitely appreciate the sweet and natural coconut flavour of the pudding.
Booth: SOICOCO
There’s plenty more eats still to explore at the food fair: with grilled bento boxes, gelato, Taiwanese snacks, Japanese goods and more. You can expect a variety of over 10 different food vendors, with items starting from $2.50 each.
Foodie Delight Fair
Dates: Now till 15th October 2024
Address: Takashimaya Department Store, B2 (outside Cold Storage)
Opening Hours: 10am-10pm daily
