From now till this coming Sunday 9th December, the largest food festival in Clarke Quay is taking place at Read Bridge, transforming the iconic landmark into a foodie heaven during the evenings.

Showcasing the repertoire of cuisines at Clarke Quay

Known as The Great Clarke Quay FEASTival, this is an inaugural outdoor pop-up dining concept that showcases the impressive repertoire of cuisines available at Clarke Quay. 

It welcomes visitors to explore the myriad of flavours offered street-style on Read Bridge, in a convivial outdoor setting, under the stars and overlooking the Singapore River.

Admission to The Great Clarke Quay FEASTival is free, but the food and beverages are chargeable, though.

From 6pm – 11pm each evening, signature dishes and curated cocktails is the highlight of each evening and Festival visitors will be able to sample selected menu favourites at special tasting prices, from S$10 to S$32 from 15 restaurants represented, some of which include Tsui Wah, East Treasure, Ramen Keisuke, The Ranch, Harry’s Bar, McGettigan’s and The Pump Room.

And cocktails, wine and craft beers are also made available so that you can pair them with food or simply enjoy the entrainment and liquid libations with friends on the bridge.

Food Sampling at The Great Clarke Quay FEASTival

I was invited to The Great Clarke Quay FEASTival to sample the dishes available and to experience the food festival for myself. And as a foodie, I simply could not say no.

And the items that I had throughout the evening, together with my comments on each of these, were as follows.

The Pump Room

• Crispy Pork Knuckle, with Sauerkraut and Beer Sauce – S$18 for half portion, S$32 for full portion
• Chicken Bratwurst Sausage and Wrapped Bacon with Hoisin Sauce – S$3.50 

The pork knuckle and the sausage were definitely amongst my favourite items in terms of the flavour and texture combinations.

The skin of the pork knuckle was crunchy and the meat was delicious; the textures and flavours were just right. I also thought that the beer sauce had been rather unique, giving a nice zing to the pork knuckle.

And I loved the bacon which had been wrapped around the bratwurst sausage, too. This gave the sausage an extra kick that I enjoyed. The flavours fused together very well and together, they arrested my taste buds completely. 

Unfortunately though, the texture of the sausage was a tad soft, and did not have the crunchy or chewy note that I like in my German sausages.

To some extent, eating these had somewhat reminded me of my recent trip to Berlin, Germany, in September this year, where I had the chance to feast on the authentic German pork knuckles and meat platters.

My only gripe about the food from this stall were that they were a little cold and they appeared to have been pre-cooked, rather than being cooked to order and served hot.

Cask & Bangers

• Fish and Chips – S$13

This is a gastro bar focusing on the best of British fares in the heart of buzzing Clarke Quay. And from this shop, I ordered the Fish & Chips, which turned out to be another one of my favourite dishes of the evening.

The Fish & Chips were cooked to order and served piping-hot, which was really good. When I took a bite of the fish, the batter was very crunchy on the outside but the fish was hot and warm on the inside. It also had a slight hint of a beer flavour to it. Texture-wise, unfortunately, the fish was a bit on the dry side.

The Chips served turned out be potato wedges and I thought these were rather enjoyable. They were slightly crunchy on the outside but inside, they were soft and warm. As a result, I found myself nibbling on these even at a point during the meal when I was already feeling rather full.

Harry’s Bar

• Harry’s Jazz Burger With Chips – S$1

This is a classic beef burger that comes with a Beef Patty, Double Cheese, Iceberg Lettuce and Tomato Slices.

While this Burger was quite flavoursome, I thought that the Beef Patty was a bit soft and that it lacked bite. It seemed as though the meat was ground up a little too finely. But at least the Iceberg Lettuce and Tomato Slices had added a bit of crunch to salvage this item.

It must also be noted that the chips served were potato chips rather than Fries and they were tasty and crunchy.

The Ranch Steak House

• Australian Grain Fed 35-Day Dry-Aged Ribeye with Potato Gratin – S$8
• Wagyu Sliders – S$5

This shop specialises in prime steaks that are dry aged in-house.

I thought that the Ribeye steak here was definitely quite delicious. The meat was tasty and full of flavour. It was soft with a slight hint of red at the centre, and quite juicy too. The Potato Gratin served on the side also complemented the Ribeye steak quite well too, when eaten in alternating mouthfuls.

As for the Wagyu Sliders, the minced Wagyu beef in the burger had a strong meaty note to it with plenty of bite. Texture-Wise, it was a tad on the rough side, but at least it was flavoursome, with the vegetables in the burger providing an added crunchy note to it for a variety of textures. I would say that if you are looking around for a mini burger, you should choose this version.

Red Tail Bar By Zouk

• Tangy Tacos – S$12
• Crispy White Bait – S$12

A prime pre-game spot to kick off your night, Red Tail Bar is known for their meticulously crafted cocktails inspired by key nightlife destinations and small platters of food with a modern Asian twist.

I thought the Tangy Tacos, which consist of Marinated Pulled Beef, Tangy Dressing and Spring Onions in Whole-Wheat Tortilla, were quite yummy. The Marinated Pulled Beef was soft and quite moist, and the Tortilla base had a slight crunch on the edges when I ate it, giving a hint of texture to the dish.

But I was quite disappointed with the Crispy White Bait though. This had not been crunchy like I expected it to be. Instead, it was a tad soggy and not served warm, either. As well, I thought that the White Bait had been pretty salty, too but with a slight hint of pepper flavour at least, to balance the saltiness out somewhat.

Senor Tacos

• Nachos – S$12

This is an authentic Mexican Taqueria serving the most authentic Mexican Street Food for a true taste of Mexico, and I thought that their Nachos definitely did not disappoint. 

Served with cheese, jalapeño, chilli and beans, they were slightly warm and crunchy at the beginning. Also, the combination of the cheese sauce and beans provided a really yummy kick to the dish when eaten together, and in fact these were so good that I found myself continuing to still munch on these Nachos as the night wore on.

Unfortunately the Nachos soak up the sauce rather quickly and they got soggy fairly quickly. But despite that, I thought that they still tasted delicious, though.

Ramen Keisuke

• Lobster Special With Prawn Wanton and Flavoured Egg – S$15

I thought that this Ramen, which is served with an assortment of vegetables such as asparagus and woodear fungus, tasted quite interesting and unusual. 

The soup broth was rather rich, with a strong seafood note coming from it and which fused easily into the ramen noodles as well as the other ingredients in the dish. I could taste a slight hint of Tonkotsu flavour too, though, but this was not too apparent.

As for the noodles, these were a little on the soft side, but I really loved the Flavoured Egg. When I cut it, the yolk was a deep orange colour and it oozed out, just the way that I love my eggs. The prawn wanton had been quite tasty, but perhaps the wanton skin could be a little thinner.

Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore

• KB Burger with Pork Floss – S$5 for two buns

This item, which is also known as the braised pork belly bun burger, is a classic Hokkien dish and is popular with many Singaporeans.

And I felt that this version was one of the better ones of this dish that I have tried. The braised pork belly was flavoursome, soft and very tender, and almost melted in the mouth. Furthermore, this was complemented very well with the soft, fluffy white bun, which helped to absorb the flavours very nicely.

Octapas

• Marisco Paella – S$10

This Spanish tapas bar serves up some traditional Marisco or Seafood Paella on the traditional pan, so it was something that I simply had to try.

And I thought that the Paella did not disappoint, too. My portion of rice came together with a large prawn, mussels and some slices of fish so the seafood element is definitely more than catered for. 

Together, I thought the items in the dish combined together rather well, with the rich flavours from the seafood going quite well with the plainness from the rice.

Deutschlander

• Pretzel With Butter – S$5

This eatery combines excellent selections of the Bavarian beer, live music performance and classic comfort German food. 

Unfortunately though, as I was feeling too full to order anything substantial by this point, so I got their Pretzel With Butter, which turned out to be quite nice. I thought that the Pretzel was warm, chewy and slightly salty and the butter helped to add a nice amount of moisture to the Pretzel. If I had more of an appetite, I would definitely have tried more of their German dishes.

Tsui Wah

• Crispy Bun with Condensed Milk – S$4

Beginning as a neighbourhood cafe on the streets of Mong Kok in Hong Kong, 1967, this has grown to become a popular restaurant chain offering Hong Kong delicacies at great value with the Crispy Bun with Condensed Milk being an all-time crowd favourite.

And I would say that the Crispy Bun with Condensed Milk was quite sweet but at the same time, pretty addictive! The bun is toasted to order, so this means that when it is served to you, it is hot and fresh. 

The crispiness of the bun, together with the sweet milkiness of the Condensed Milk are definitely a classic, timeless combination that cannot go wrong, and will certainly go down well, with those who have a sweet tooth.

As well, the Condensed Milk does not make the bun quite as soggy as I would have expected it to be, which I had felt was rather good.

But this can be a little messy to eat because of the “excess” milk in the warm bun. So make sure that you hold the bun in the paper bag to eat. In fact after eating mine, I had to look around for a washroom – so that I could clean my hands up afterwards.

Entertainment Offerings

Besides enjoying the food items, I also stayed back for some time for the entertainment offerings of the evening, which included Ireson, one of Singapore’s best and most authentic Latin and Mariachi bands, who performed three sets throughout the night.

I thought that their music had been very upbeat and catchy, and was great in not only keeping me awake, but also in getting my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping. It was entertaining and great to listen to, over a dinner of assorted street cuisines.

Some of the other performances that will be taking place over the next few days also include DJ Stingray by Attica, Back to Basic by Cuba Libre and Back To Basic by Cask and Bangers.

So this means that you can not only dine on the Bridge, but also be able to soak up the music and Instagram-worthy entertainment brought to you by these bands and DJs who otherwise would only perform at their respective venues.

For The Young and Young-At-Heart

As well, to cater to the young and the young-at-heart, I noted that there had been an illuminated see-saw as well as a ball pit available at The Great Clarke Quay FEASTival, in addition to plenty of other photograph and Instagram opportunities.

I did not go into the ball pit myself even though there were several adults playing inside there, but I posed at the see-saw for a few photos. Unfortunately though, I couldn’t find anyone else who was game enough to actually play on the see-saw with me!

Lucky Draw

My evening then concluded with a lucky draw, where I walked away with S$60 worth of dining vouchers, to my surprise.

This Lucky Draw is, in fact, open to all attendees at the Festival and will be taking place at two time slots, 8.30pm and 9.30pm, every evening till Sunday. 

So it means that you too, can stand to win some attractive prizes such as hotel staycations and dining vouchers, just by enjoying the street food on offer at the Festival.