Where to get the pop-up food you love

SINGAPORE — Food-obsessed Singaporeans are gravitating towards pop-up food stores. With such a wide variety available, it’s little wonder why they are such a hit.

Some of the wackiest food innovations and trending food brands have pop-ups to thank for their popularity, so much so that they have inspired a few budding entrepreneurs to set up their own outlets.

Sandwich joint Park Bench Deli made their name with a phenomenal response at several pop-ups, the first being Creatory two years ago. Uncle G’s slow roasted pork also first surfaced in 2013 at events such as Le Gluttony.

For Kevin Chee and Kaelyn Ong, owners of Japanese milk tea brand Matchaya, the appeal of pop-ups lies in the “low start-up cost, as well as the opportunity to meet a wide range of customers”.

They said that this does not just help business owners gauge the reception to their offerings, but also enables them to narrow down their location options should they consider setting up shop in the future.

It is not uncommon to have F&B operations use pop-ups as a launch pad. And fans of food served at pop-ups do not have to wait for an event to enjoy their offerings.

Here are some of the best inventions from pop-ups which have found a brick and mortar home:

1. Southern-style Buttermilk Deep-Fried Chicken by Paper Crane (96 Waterloo Street)

Paper Crane had its first pop-up at What’s Supp during last year’s Singapore Night Festival, as part of a collaboration with Japanese food outlet Shinkansen. Paper Crane came up with two different toppings for that gig: Southern-style buttermilk deep fried chicken with slaw, and pulled pork in homemade BBQ sauce. Today, despite the eatery’s regular menu changes, the deep-fried chicken that is marinated in buttermilk and spices for 24 hours and served with slaw and fries is a staple at Paper Crane, because, according to owner Cheong Kamei, “our regulars would kill us if we ever removed it from the menu”.

2. Royal Milk Tea by Matchaya (Naiise and Megafash outlets)

For almost a year now, Japanese-inspired tea brand Matchaya has been a regular at a number of pop-ups, including Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Capitol Piazza. Their bestselling items are matcha milk, houjicha milk, as well as the royal milk tea, and they have since expanded their product line to include desserts such as soft serve ice cream and macarons. Matchaya also sells their Japanese tea products to F&B businesses such as bakeries, cafes and juice bars for their commercial use. Their creations are available at Naiise’s and Megafash’s outlets.

3. Cheese Steak Sandwich by Park Bench Deli (179 Telok Ayer Street, tel: 6815 4600)

Conceived by three owners (two of them chefs) who were craving for simple yet decadent grub after a long day in the kitchen, Park Bench Deli opened in July 2015 after an enthusiastic response to their mammoth sandwiches at several pop-ups. The trio tested 50 different recipes for their fried chicken, and learnt how to make their own pastrami and pickles, understanding that their customer base is an uncompromising bunch, even when it comes to a simple sandwich. Their bestselling items today are the Cheese Steak sandwich and Patty Melt (beef chuck patty with caramelised onions, cheese, bread and butter pickles, rye bread and an in-house sauce). Besides their awesome savoury sandwiches, Park Bench Deli does a mean Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, too.

4. Thai Milk Tea by Soi 55 (50 Market Street, #02-21 Golden Shoe Food Centre; 2 Handy Road, The Cathay Level 5, tel: 9060 4594)

Soi 55’s range of Thai milk teas already had a following when it started making regular appearances at the Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market as well as the pop-ups organised by The Local People. An overwhelming response to the launch of their Golden Shoe outlet in July 2014 led them to open a second outlet at The Cathay, which also stocks a variety of non-milk options, including Thai honey lemon tea, Thai honey green tea, Thai honey black tea and slushies. A bonus: Cinemagoers at The Cathay need not settle for the usual blah selection of soft drinks, because you are allowed to take Soi 55’s drinks into the theatres.

5. Duriancanboleh at The Quarters (16 Enggor Street, #01-09 Icon Village, tel: 6834 4174)

Chung Deming, owner of The Quarters, first started selling his “Duriancanboleh” — a localised version of creme brulee with a durian flavour — at pop-ups such as the ones held at Pasarbella, and Singapore Tourism Board’s 50th anniversary at Haw Par Villa. He opened his bistro, The Quarters, in September 2014, with a much-expanded menu offering creative modern Singaporean dishes such as Salted Egg Chicken Burger, Ma Jie Indulgence (chilli crab pasta) and Bibik’s Brownie (brownie topped with buah keluak ice cream). Most of the sauces, vinaigrettes and marinades are made in-house, and Chung tries to ensure every dish at The Quarters packs a punch.

6. Chicken Skin Sundae at Bird Bird (18 Ann Siang Road)

Chef Bjorn Shen, who is also behind the much-lauded Artichoke, is known for being a risk-taker. Who else would launch a food item known as the Chicken Skin Sundae, a mind-blowing combination of coconut ice cream, palm sugar caramel, sweet corn kernels and deep-fried chicken skin? As wacky as it sounds, it took off at pop-ups such as the Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market, Savour and Wine Fiesta. Bird Bird, a “ghetto-style” Thai eatery that serves food inspired by the flavours of northern and north eastern regions of Thailand, opened in November 2015 and has come to be known for its khao soi, a curry noodle dish from Chiang Mai, and Bird-gers, a series of chicken or duck burgers jazzed up with som tum (spicy green papaya salad) and truffle mayonnaise.