I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about strolling down and weaving between crowds as you explore a bazaar or night market. While I’m not the biggest fan of crowds, the bustling atmosphere of wandering through lanes of stalls as vendors call for your attention is a whole different type of vibe.
Since March is just around the corner, more bazaars are popping up around Singapore. Besides the iconic Geylang Serai Bazaar, I’ll be putting one more on your radar: the F&B bazaar at Gemilang Kampong Gelam 2025! Spanning three streets within Kampong Glam, it presents a sprawling total of 120 stalls, 80 of which are food and beverage stalls!
With so many offerings, of course, we had to head down there and try it ourselves. Let’s find out if the food and drinks bazaar at Gemilang Kampong Gelam 2025 was worth it!
Food
Smashed Tacos (Smashed SG by The Halal Corner)
Kickstarting it with a good one: Smashed Tacos from Smashed SG. A soft taco shell with ground beef, a tangy salsa, melted cheese and topped with two sauces – sounds simple right? Clearly, simple is best as this was easily one of the best tacos I ever had. Many people seemed to agree as every subsequent time we passed by the stall, the line snaked long into the crowds. And you know what they say: if something has a long queue, it’s probably good! Available with avocado as well, watch as I sank my teeth into this one!
Served with a wedge of lime, each order consists of two tacos for S$12. Let’s break down the tacos and look at each component individually! The tacos had a base of ground beef that was perfectly seasoned and juicy. If you took a bite of the beef with the taco shell alone, the explosion of flavour would still be magnificent. But of course, each additional filling takes the taco to a new level!
The salsa gave the beef the extra touch it needed. Made up of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and other veggies, it created a light and refreshing mouthfeel to the otherwise savoury beef. This additional texture and taste leads to a whirlwind of flavours that keeps you wanting one more bite. And what’s a taco without some sauce? While I wasn’t entirely sure what sauces were included, the creamy spice that it contributed not only ensured a smoother mouthfeel but (literally) glued everything together.
Throw in a little melty cheese – after all, when has that gone wrong? – and mix in some sour lime to the mix. Now, doesn’t that just sound like a recipe for perfection? Biting into the taco as a whole was a delight, the savour of the ground beef mixing in with the creamy sauce before your tastebuds are met with the crunch and freshness of the salsa… oooh, this was absolutely worth the queue!
Loaded Curly Fries With Truffle Chipotle, Ranch and Torched Mozzarella (Twisted)
Located right near one of the entrances is Twisted, where we were graced with this beauty. These loaded fries came with a mix of veggies as well as two sauces of the four available. Top up another S$2 and you’ll get a bed of torched mozzarella cheese like we did! I had no expectations when I went to scoop up a bite but wow…
Made right before us, the fries were crispy, adding that crunch cushioned by the sauce and cheese. The veggies gave a pop of flavour that balanced the savour that came from the rest of the ingredients but to me, the star of the show had to be the two sauces. Showcasing a total of four sauces, there was the fan-favourite creamy coriander sauce, the well-known and well-loved mentaiko sauce as well as the two we got: a classic ranch sauce as well as the truffle chipotle. And boy, did it make a difference!
The ranch gave the overall box of fries a creamy base while the truffle chipotle infused them with a spicy yet smoky scent with a subtle underlying aroma of truffle. This duo of sauces sets up a rollercoaster of flavours that will have you eating fork after fork of these fries. Before you know it, the box is empty!
Hotteok (Meokja)
Now that we’ve had some savoury foods, it’s time for a sweet treat! And there’s nothing better than a hot Hotteok fresh off the pan. This Korean street snack was from Meokja, a well-known Muslim-owned Korean food stall. Doughy and filled with brown sugar, it’s ideal for when you’re still not satisfied with your meal but craving a flavour switch.
Crispy on the outside but warm and soothing on the inside, hotteok is essentially a dense pancake, similar in texture to a scallion oil pancake, except thicker and sweet. As you chomp down on it, don’t be surprised if you hear a crunch! Alongside the brown sugar, you’ll also find chopped nuts, giving the snack a twist in texture. Put it all together and hotteok has an easy flavour profile to get behind. Sugary but not cloyingly sweet while also comforting on a cool night, I don’t see how it could possibly go wrong!
While it satisfied my sugar cravings, it was missing a little something. Imagine this with some whipped cream or ice cream – it would absolutely bring this warm sugary delicacy to a whole new level!
Drinks
Sunset Kiss (1 Litre)
We can’t just keep eating – sometimes you just need a drink to wash it all down! So to slate that thirst, grab a drink from 1 Litre, where you’ll definitely get a concoction worth your money. With so many options on the menu, how could you possibly choose? Well, we didn’t, and left the choice up to the staff instead! And what a genius decision it was – for we received their Sunset Kiss!
This drink was visually stunning: a beautiful gradient of warm hues, pale yellow mixing with a striking orange. But its taste was even more worth it. A spritely medley of garden citrus, fruit punch and pineapple, sip on this beverage and watch the sun slowly sink below view.
Light on your palate while still delivering the signature freshness of its components, I wasn’t expecting to like it so much. Often, drinks with pineapple have the fruit’s flavour overshadowing the entire drink – but not here! Balanced, you’ll get notes of the tangy sharpness of the pineapple as it fuses with the sweetness of the fruit punch, accentuated by the fruity burst brought forth by the garden citrus. It truly tastes like the sun has kissed you farewell—the Sunset Kiss is a splendid way to quench your thirst and cool you down in the Singapore humidity.
Brown Sugar Fresh Milk & Habibtea (Habibtea)
And of course, bazaars like these are bound to have some sort of milk tea. As a bubble tea and milk tea fanatic, I can’t possibly skip out on them! So we grabbed a Brown Sugar Fresh Milk and a Habibtea from Habibtea. To be honest, I had zero expectations – most of the drinks available weren’t my usual go-to so we once again left the decision up to the staff.
First up is the Brown Sugar Fresh Milk. The visual contrast signature to this drink is simple yet satisfying: the dark brown sugar pearls sit at the bottom of the cup as streaks of the syrup creep up the inner walls, stark against the background of the pure white fresh milk. Usually, I find the drink cloyingly sweet due to the syrup, but here, it’s surprisingly balanced. Once stirred, the milk and the syrup go hand-in-hand, creating a thick, full-bodied mouthfeel with an underlying fragrance of brown sugar. With small pearls to chew on as you drink, it’ll keep you satisfied as you wander about the bazaar.
The other beverage was the Habibtea, a spiced milk tea containing, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise. Don’t let the spices throw you off, this was actually pretty unique! At first, you might just think it’s a normal milk tea with brown sugar. Just wait for the aftertaste to bloom on your tastebuds – an aroma that’s gently spicy, woody and floral will greet you at the end of each mouthful. A drink that you have to savour and drink slowly, you’ll miss out on this subtle yet one-of-a-kind aftertaste if you chug this beverage.
Gemilang Kampong Gelam 2025
And that wraps it up! Did we try your favourites? While Gemilang Kampong Gelam 2025 is more than just its food offerings, it is definitely an aspect you shouldn’t skip out on. The festival is here for a total of 35 days so you have nearly the entire month of March to plan!
If you’re curious about what other things the festival will be presenting, definitely check out our coverage. For more information and the latest updates, visit the festival’s socials page on Facebook and Instagram!
🗓️Date: 19 February to 25 March 2025
📍Location: Kampong Gelam
⏰Time: 2pm to 11pm
Photos by Grace Lee of the DANAMIC Team
