1. MICHELIN Guide Street Food Festival, Singapore, 22 to 24 February
Hawker food is one of Singapore’s key tourist attractions. Skip the queues at hawker centres at this three-day event that offers the best of 15 MICHELIN Guide-recommended hawker stalls and restaurants under one roof. Get ready to make a beeline for newcomers in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2018 such as Tai Wah Pork Noodle and Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puff, which are both recognised with Bib Gourmand status.
Adding star power to the event are modern Australian barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends and two-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Shisen Hanten, which is famed for its mapo tofu. Other first-timers in the third edition of the festival include hawker stalls Ji Ji Wonton Noodle and Pondok Makan Indonesia that is known for its mutton satay, and Spanish restaurant OLA Cocina del Mar.
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RELATED: The Ultimate Survival Guide To The MICHELIN Guide Street Food Festival 2019
One of the biggest food festivals Down Under, the 27th edition of the epicurean extravaganza will see 200 curated dining events held over 17 days. The festival is famed for holding food events in Melbourne’s labyrinthine laneways as well as the gorgeous countryside in Victoria state. New this year is the The World’s Longest Lunch that is held in conjunction with International Women’s Day on 8 March. Melbourne’s top female culinary talents will whip up a feast that span a 500m-long counter for more than 1,600 diners in Victoria Gardens in Prahran. On March 16 and 17, the festival will take over the sleepy town of Jindivick in Gippsland, which is an hour’s drive from Melbourne. Big names in the festival line-up include two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Kadeau in Denmark and Yardbird in Hong Kong.
3. Taste Festivals, various cities, throughout the year
The Taste Festivals is a major series of food festivals that is held in more than 10 cities around the world. The Hong Kong edition, which is from 21 to 24 March, features chefs such as Jim Löfdahl of The Flying Elk by Bjorn Frantzen of the three-Michelin-starred Frantzen in Sweden, Wong Gwan Man of Old Bailey and Max Levy of Sausage Commitment. Those with a sweet tooth can indulge in treats from Cookie DPT, known for its moist and chewy cookies, and RISE Bakery. Its London edition will be held from 19 to 23 June in Regent’s Park.
Growing in tandem with the burgeoning dining scene in the balmy resort town of Ubud in Bali is the Ubud Food Festival, which has become one of the most boisterous gourmet events in South-east Asia. In its fifth edition, the festival shines the spotlight on Indonesian cuisines, and up-and-coming culinary talents in the region. This year, headlining chefs include Thitid Tassanakajohn (Ton) of one-Michelin-starred Le Du in Bangkok, Darren Teoh of Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur and Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery in Manila.
5. Mistura, Peru, event date to be confirmed, likely to fall on late August or early September
One of Latin America’s major gastronomy events, Mistura is growing from strength to strength, as Peru gains clout as a culinary destination. Among the usual suspects in the festive are a food market, competition for emerging chefs, concerts and a mouth-puckering plethora of food stalls. In previous years, Peruvian produce such as cacao and coffee have been allocated a special pavilion. Expect to rub shoulders with who’s who of the South American food scene, including Virgilio Martínez of Central restaurant in Lima and ICHU Peru in Hong Kong and Maido Mitsuharu, who runs the acclaimed Maido in Lima and is celebrated for Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) cuisine.
6. Euphoria, Greenville, United States, 19 to 22 September
Greenville in South Carolina might not be the go-to foodie hotspot in the United States, but it is touted as an emerging city for epicures. At Euphoria, foodies huddle around food by award-winning chefs and local and international wines, while getting serenaded by renowned singers (the festival is co-founded by singer-songwriter Edwin McCain). While this year’s chef line-up has not been revealed, the festival has attracted powerhouse chefs such as Dominique Crenn of the three-starred Atelier Crenn, Curtis Duffy and Michael Mina, who has an one-starred eponymous restaurants in San Francisco.
7. San Sebastian Gastronomika, Spain, 6 to 9 October
One of Europe’s marquee dining conferences, the San Sebastian Gastronomika is jam-packed with food stalls, cooking demonstrations and discussion panels for serious foodies. While the chef line-up for this year’s edition has not been revealed, it has traditionally been graced by top culinary names from the Basque Country, who will present talks on pushing the envelope in the industry. Last year, Joan Roca of three-starred Celler de Can Roca touched on the subject of “micro territory, macro creativity”, Josean Alija of one-starred Nerua talked about essentialism in polychrome and Andoni Luis Aduriz of two-starred Mugaritz pushed forward the idea of simplicity in his cuisine.
