Absolut Food Festival, a popular food fair from Malaysia, has finally rolled into town! From 16 August to 18 August 2024, 130 stalls offering a diverse range of eats will run at the open carpark in Kallang, near the National Stadium! Better yet, the festival will run until 12am on all three days, so you can drop by for your supper fix. If you’re interested, keep reading, for we’ll introduce you to the best Absolut Food Festival stalls to check out.
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Hailing from a small town in Selangor, Malaysia, The Smol Pancakes’ booth is where you can get cute, bite-sized pancakes in various flavours. The Nutella + Oreo ($13) is arguably the most flavourful option here, as it sees rich Nutella and Oreo crumbs blanketed all over pieces of fluffy pancakes. The Lotus Biscoff ($14) is also worth a shot for those who like their pancakes sweet and spiced. But for those who want to have their pancakes as is, The Classic ($12) will do the trick.
Stall number: E14
Website
The Smol Pancakes is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Local fries company Frites, which has a takeaway kiosk in Bugis, is best known for its loaded beef fries topped with copious amounts of sauces. These sauces range from mentaiko and to nacho cheese, ensuring your fries are packed with as much flavour as possible. We recommend trying the Truffle Loaded Beef ($10) fries for that addictive truffle aroma, and the Cheesy Loaded Beef ($10) for an extra savoury kick to your beef-and-fries combo.
Read our Frites coverage.
Stall number: A16
Website
Frites is a Muslim-owned eatery.
The Padangton, whose original stall is also located in Bugis, is another highlight of the festival. They’re best known for their rendang spins on beef wellington, made with a recipe inherited from the owner’s mother, who comes from Padang. But here at this festival, you’ll find taco versions of these dishes, such as the Beef Rendang Taco, Chicken Rendang Taco, Fish Padang Ijo Taco, and Shrimp Padang Ijo Taco. Mix and match them to get three tacos for $18.
Read our The Padangton coverage.
Stall number: D17
Website
The Padangton is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Malaysian brand Pasta Panas is known for their simple yet unique takes on pasta dishes, all packed inside Chinese-style takeout boxes. Try their Creamy Bolognese ($10), which is essentially a cross between cream-based pasta and the tangy tomato sauce! You can choose between beef or chicken strips to feature alongside heaps of spaghetti. But if you want to play it safe, there are also options such as Mac & Cheese ($10) and Carbonara ($10) to check out!
Stall number: C21
Website
Pasta Panas is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Remember the kunafe chocolate bars that were all over social media? Nomad’s Soiree, a brand specialising in halal grazing tables, has kunafe croissants at their booth! The Kunafe Creme Croissant ($12) sees warm buttery croissant slathered with Belgium chocolate ganache, joined by vanilla ice cream, toasted kadaif, crushed pistachios and more. If you’re a fan of sweet, indulgent treats, be sure to check out this stall’s novel pastry!
Stall number: D13
Website
Nomad’s Soiree is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Best known for their stall at Golden Mile Food Centre, Ashes Burnnit serves up gourmet burgers at wallet-friendly prices. Try their popular Ashes Classic Cheese Burger (from $10), which features smashed beef patties with a charred crust and juicy interior, topped with cheese, shallots, and other ingredients. You can also get a roti john version of the burger, called OG John ($12). If you’d like something less hearty, opt for the simple but satisfying Classic Mac & Cheese ($8), or some Grilled Chicken Mac & Cheese ($10).
Read our Ashes Burnnit review.
Stall number: E11
Website
Ashes Burnnit is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Cult-favourite brand Satay Ummi has a booth at Absolut Food Festival! Known for their satay goreng AKA pan-fried satay, the stall is already drawing long queues on the first day of the event. You can order satay in three types of meat, namely Chicken ($11), Beef ($12), and Mutton ($13). Regardless of which option you choose, you can expect the meat to be tender, flavour-packed, and full of smoky goodness. Remember to dip the meat into the rich peanut sauce for an extra kick.
Stall number: E14
Website
Satay Ummi is a Muslim-owned eatery.
For a more substantial option, visit Geylang Briyani’s stall for their renowned nasi briyani. Their Briyani Ayam ($10) goes above and beyond in terms of portion size; after the standard scoop of rice and serving of chicken, even more rice is piled on top, with chicken curry ladled on thereafter, making this a hefty serving that is worth your ten bucks. Those who prefer mutton can opt for the Briyani Kambing ($10), which features a more peppery gravy and fork-tender mutton.
Read our Geylang Briyani review.
Stall number: C7
Website
Geylang Briyani is a Muslim-owned eatery.
IG-famous Malaysian cake shop Absolut Chocolat is also part of the lineup. The brand is most famous for their “pour-it-yourself” cakes, in eye-catching flavours such as Charcoal Salted Egg ($10), which combines the savoury goodness of salted egg yolk sauce with soft charcoal cake! Due to the relatively small size of the cake, a large group isn’t required to finish it in a sitting—one or two people is enough to finish it! There’s also the Classic Chocolate Cake ($9), as well as cookie versions of their flavours for $8.
Stall number: C24
Website
Absolut Chocolat is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Run by celebrity Ojenn Aiwahhh, Kunafa Aiwahhh is far and away the most popular stall at Absolut Food Festival. Even though we arrived right as the festival commenced, there were already hundreds of people lining up for a taste of the OG kunafa. If you do manage to brave the queue, you can order kunafa in flavours such as Original ($15), Nutella ($25), Oreo ($25), and Red Velvet ($30). You may even spot Ojenn Aiwahhh in the flesh, who we saw happily taking photos with starstruck fans!
Stall number: A1
Website
Kunafa Aiwahhh is a Muslim-owned eatery.
With the plethora of stalls to choose from at Absolut Food Festival, this list will help you narrow down the food options to what are, in our opinion, the must-tries. For halal food places with huge portions and mains under $12 per person, read our best cheap halal food places guide. For Muslim-friendly cafes to check out, read our best halal cafes in Singapore guide.
Photos taken by Marcus Neo.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.
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