5 alternative ways to dine out in Singapore

Sure, dining at the latest big-name chef restaurants may get you all hyped up for your next night about town But for a different food experience, why not give these places a break and try a more social way to eat out? From raucous parties to mealsharing, here are some ideas. 

Boozy Foodie Parties

, 5 alternative ways to dine out in SingaporeMeatliquor SIN’s Eats, Beats and Treats

There’s been a boom of events serving up everything from brunch bites to Jamaican jerk sauces and trashy Thai-Mexican street food, as seen at the upcoming Juan Night in Bangkok (Mar 2) by Hombre Cantina and Bird Bird, The Great Singapore Jerk-Off (Mar 19) and the monthly Oxwell & Co.‘s (Feb 27) boozed-up brunch parties. Of course, it isn’t a proper party without a killer track list: DJs Dub Skank’in Hifi, Me.Layan and Lavin will be taking to the decks with reggae tunes at The Great Singapore Jerk-Off, and DJ Patrick Oliver is spinning at Oxwell & Co. Also not to be missed—Rail Collidoscope presented by Noise x LushLovesLocal (Mar 19) is sending off the rail corridor with a pop-up daytime party featuring DJs, live street art and food and drinks stalls. 

Dining for a cause

Eat, and help a social enterprise at the same time. Soul Food is a new restaurant at Lengkok Bahru, offering modern European food, and the establishment hires youths with learning disabilities opportunities with the aim of equipping them with life skills. Also championing the social movement is restaurant and bar New Rasa Singapura, which is located at the Tanglin Post Office. Dishing out local plates like beef rendang, laksa and fish head curry, New Rasa Singapura hires those who are out-of-work, or those who have physical impairments. 

Interactive dinners

, 5 alternative ways to dine out in SingaporeThe Heist, Andsoforth

Solve a murder mystery, bid for at a blackmarket or time travel to a dystopian future—-these are just some of the past events put up by pop-up restaurant Andsoforth. Modelled after London’s underground dining sub-culture, locations, event details and menus are kept secret until the day before and diners will be taking part in an immersive, themed experience. They are hosting a multi-sensorial indoor picnic this weekend, but if you can’t get tickets this time, then stake out their Facebook for the next pop-up.

Mealsharing

, 5 alternative ways to dine out in SingaporeBon Appetour

If you fancy yourself an above amateur cook, then play host to a group of strangers at a dinner party set in your home. Bon Appetour, Plate Culture and Mealsharing are some communities you can join here and this is how it works: like Airbnb, hosts list menus and their bios on the site, and guests can contact them through the platform’s messaging function to confirm dates and work out details like dining preferences. Once booked and paid for by the guest(s), you now have a dinner party to plan. 

Cool Picnics

Making casual outdoor lunches a hip affair is Sunshine Nation’s Garden Beats Festival on Mar 19, a communal picnic and electronic music fiesta at Fort Canning Park. Unlike other outdoor music bashes, you can choose to bring your own food, or make do with stalls like Marco Marco, Meatliquor, Lime House and Selva Foods. The lineup includes showcases by Berlin DJ and producer Allefarben, deep house and electro band Jan Blomqvist, German DJ Klangkuenstler and French DJs Faul & Wad. Local acts like spin maestros Brendon P, Haan, KFC and Zig Zach will be performing, too.

For a sneak peak, check out this video: