Where to eat this Halloween? Savour the season with these creative and unique pumpkin dishes in Singapore
Even ghoulies and goblins need to eat when they’re hungry! Getting spooked and stoked for the upcoming Halloween season that’s looming closer and closer, we have our eyes set on one seasonal fruit that would give Jack O’ Lantern a food coma. Yes, we’re talking about none other than the pumpkin. While you can buy your own pumpkin, you can also swing by these restaurants offering a plethora of pumpkin-based dishes – some traditional, while others freakishly inspired by Halloween. Whether you like this dense, starchy fruit roasted, fried or squashed into a pie, you’ll love these eight sweet and savoury pumpkin dishes for you to sink your teeth into.
Cheek by Jowl – Roasted pumpkin
Even if you’re not terribly fond of fruits and veggies, you should definitely give this pumpkin dish a try. Part of the lunch set menu and a la carte dinner menu, this meaty slab of roast pumpkin comes served with spiced cashew nut, Kale, pumpkin seed and a rich creamy sauce that’ll convert even the most carnivorously-inclined.
Cheek by Jowl, 21 Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069620. p. 6211 1911. Open Mon-Tue 12pm-2.30pm 6pm-10pm, Sat 6pm-10.30pm. Closed on Sun.
Crystal Jade Kitchen – Pumpkin with salted egg yolk
We’ve ceased being amazed by what goes with salted egg yolk these days. Crystal Jade Kitchen’s unusual – yet curiously tempting – pairing of deep-fried pumpkin slices with salted egg yolk is one to please aficionados of the craze, as well as diners who want a toothsome pre-dinner snack.
Crystal Jade Kitchen, various locations.
Windowsill Pies – Pumpkin in a pie
We haven’t forgotten about the sweet-tooths either. Pumpkin pies are classic Halloween fare and home-grown pie specialists, Windowsill Pies, have their own rendition up their sleeves. Head down to their cutesy fairytale-inspired café and sink your forks into their pecan and pumpkin pie. The buttery pecan and brown sugar filling is topped with a layer of tasty butternut pumpkin squash – quite a decadent pairing, we say. If you prefer a full pumpkin pie with no pecan, that’s also available by request.
Windowsill Pies, 95 Soo Chow Walk, Singapore 575382. Open Sun-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10am-12am. Closed on Mon.
&SONS – A pumpkin buffet
&SONS doesn’t mess around when it comes to its Halloween Pumpkin offerings! On the special menu are three new items including a hearty penne and pumpkin pasta bake, as well as an adventurous combination of Halibut with pumpkin and orange cream. Dessert also pairs chocolate and pumpkin in a decadent pie.
&SONS, 20 Cross Street, Singapore 048422. p. 6221 3937. Open weekdays 11.30am-1am, Sat 6pm-2am. Closed on Sun.
Plentyfull – Pumpkin with gnocchi
Great food made from scratch – that’s Plentyfull’s philosophy. While ostensibly a quick and convenient lunch venue by day, the restaurant transforms into a modern brasserie for dinner. On the menu here you’re find the decadent Pumpkin Pillow Gnocchi ($24++), a fluffy pasta dish stuffed with meaty chunks of pumpkin. A real tum-filler – perfect if you need the energy for all-night trick-or-treating.
Plentyfull,#01-79/80, Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039596. p. 6493 2997. Open Open daily 11.30am-10.30pm.
PYXIEMOSS – Pumpkin with beer syrup
PYXIEMOSS is full of surprises (as we’ve recently discovered when we popped by for a review) and this Halloween, it’ll be offering a very special dish, the Minute After Midnight. The Cinderella-inspired dish is a whole pumpkin, roasted in a tandoor oven and served with a sumptuous homemade beer syrup. To amp up the Halloween appeal, it’s served with battered corn kernels and deep fried sage.
PYXIEMOSS, 43 North Canal Road, Singapore 059299. p. 6532 2171. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-12am. Closed on Sun.
UNA – Pumpkin with a Spanish twist
Here’s another dish for you dessert devils this Halloween! Inspired by his childhood in Spain, UNA’s Chef Antonio has put together the queso fresco calabaza y membrillo – a unique Spanish dessert that features fresh cheese mousse, roasted pumpkin ice-cream, quince and walnuts.
UNA, 1 Rochester Park, Singapore 139212. p. 6773 0070.
The Garden Slug – Pumpkin pasta with shrimp
Fancy a hearty feed before an evening of trick or treating? This cosy diner-style joint does up a unique pumpkin and shrimp pasta that’ll give you the energy keep the Halloween spirit going all night. The linguine pasta features a rich, sweet sauce that’s made up of pureed pumpkin and tomato, topped with huge whole shrimp.
The Garden Slug, 55 Lorong L Telok Kurau, Singapore 425500. p. 6346 0504.