From chilli crab tteokbokki to a Musang King pup mooncake, here's every reason to spend your weekend exploring new flavours.
If your idea of a good weekend involves eating your way through a riverside food festival, clear your calendar. Jiak by the Quay (“jiak” meaning “eat” in Hokkien, a fair warning of what you’re in for) lands at CQ @ Clarke Quay from 22 to 23 August (3pm to 10pm), turning the Fountain Square into a two-day love letter to Singaporean flavour. Here’s what to expect before you go.
CQ’s F&B brands: familiar flavours, reinvented
Calling all foodies! This is your chance to sample exclusive festival dishes from CQ’s popular dining establishments, and we’ve got our eyes on the highlights. Red House Seafood is doing hand-peeled crab meat with chilli crab sauce and golden mantou; Mimi serves Peking duck tacos and satay shooters; while Wildseed Café pours a Gula Melaka latte for the caffeine crowd.
Hanjip leans into the Korean-Singaporean mash-up with chilli crab tteokbokki and kimchi cheese fries, and its sister concept Home Dawn & Dusk plates a Singapore laksa linguine that’s worth the queue.
The festival-exclusive dishes are where it gets fun. Korio is dropping a kaya sea salt doughnut and a brisket rendang sandwich you won’t find on the regular menu, while Chupitos rolls out cheeky local-flavoured shooters — think Milo, Bandung, Pandan, and Paddle Pop in a cup.
The home-grown names to seek out
Beyond the CQ residents, a handful of independent and home-based makers are joining the party with festival-exclusive offerings. Hippopotato is going all-in on Swiss-Singaporean rosti with a Salted Egg Chick and a Laksa Bechamel Prawn version made just for the weekend. The East Social has an Otah Parker Roll Toast on its exclusives list; and Outback Haus pairs local-leaning tipples like Afterhours Kopi with matching bites across a three-flight menu.
For sweet treats, Sweedy’s menu features a Mao Shan Wang mousse cup. But that’s not all – pop by the festival to taste the full menus that these brands have to offer!
Get hands-on: workshops and masterclasses
Between mouthfuls, there’s plenty to make. Pop by the artists’ booth byh (free, but the 50-a-day slots go fast). On the other hand, Clay Clay Pottery runs pottery painting on the Saturday (22 Aug, 4pm and 5.15pm), and Northyeastline’s edible cookie painting (22 Aug, 6.30pm and 7.30pm; 23 Aug, 4pm and 5pm) is the sweetest of the lot — if you want in, simply spend $20 in a single receipt at any CQ store or Jiak by the Quay booth to redeem a free workshop at the registration counter. Come early if you want a seat.
The soundtrack
None of this happens in silence. Live bands Syakirah and Roseville trade afternoon sets across both public days, DJ Val takes over the evenings from 7pm, plus a Solace Studios photobooth keep the square buzzing well into the night.
Bring your doggos
This is a festival that thinks about your four-legged plus-one, so swing by the Furry Feast Lane for an array of treats for your furkid. Bailey & Patch Cafe brings pet cai fan and doggy ice cream; The Pet Provision does a dog curry puff and satay; and Providog rolls out event-exclusive Nasi LeBark and a Pup Mooncake. Lunavae Pets goes further with Luxe Abalone Pet Siew Mai and a MSW Durian Meaty Mooncake, plus a “Make Your Own Pet Popiah/ Ondeh Ondeh Workshop” on Sunday so your dog can (sort of) cook alongside you.
Know before you go
Jiak by the Quay runs 22 to 23 August (3pm to 10pm) at CQ @ Clarke Quay with food, music and workshops from the afternoon into the evening. Entry is free — you’ll just want cash and appetite to spare. Round up your most food-motivated friends, leave room for at least three desserts, and go jiak the best of local heritage flavour, all in one riverside spot.
This post is in partnership with CQ @ Clarke Quay.
