The annual Ramadan bazaar at Geylang Serai is back from 26 May to 24 June 2017.

During the Geylang Serai’s Ramadan Bazaar last year, psychedelic rainbow bagels, cloud-like cotton candy drinks and even churros with salted egg yolk sauce.

Accordingly to the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar’s organisers, there will be more than 1,000 shops selling snacks including candy floss burritos, “poke bowls” and “rainbow planet” ice cream buns this year.

Click here to read our latest guide on the things that you must eat at Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar.

The Ramadan Bazaar spans around the areas at Geylang Serai market, Joo Chiat Complex and along Haig Road.

We understand that there will be massive Instagram-worthy installations inspired by the Malay culture and heritage at the bazaar this year.

For those who are not interested in the trendy food, there will be the usual Pasar Malam food such as Ramly burger, muah chee, tutu kueh and fried food.

And we would not be surprised if some of the popular local stalls that appeared at the recent Artbox Singapore might be appearing at Geylang Serai Bazaar too. So keep a lookout for them!

We’ve just verified with the organisers and due to some unforeseen circumstances, the Ramadan Bazaar will only start on 26 May (not 25 May) and run all the way until 24 June (4am) 2017.

Ramadan Bazaar @ Geylang Serai 2017
26 May to 24 June 2017
Geylang Serai Market, Joo Chiat Complex and along Haig Road

Our quest to find even more awesome grub this Ramadan has brought us to Tampines. The bazaar here is a lot smaller than the booths at Geylang Serai, but it still many food and drinks to offer and tempt.

Some of the booths are the exact same ones at Geylang Serai, so those who live around the area need not travel all the way down to Haig Road to satisfy their cravings. A good thing to note is to visit about half an hour before or after the period of breaking fast as many of these stalls go for breaks.

We scoured the entire Tampines Ramadan Bazaar to find our favourite treats. From Gula Melaka Donut Balls to Taro Jelly Bagged Drinks and Chendol Soft Serve, here are our top picks from Tampines Ramadan Bazaar 2016.

CAKE DONUT BALLS

The Softnade booth offers a variety of different grub but the Cake Donut Balls stood out the most for us. They come in four flavours – Ferrero Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Strawberry with Cheesecake Crumbs and of course, Gula Melaka with Coconut (S$4 per cup).

Naturally, we went for the gula melaka one and we were sure impressed. The donut balls were crunchy on the inside and fluffy on the inside – the sweet gula melaka only made it better.

CHENDOL SOFT-SERVE

Softnade also overs a Chendol Soft-Serve (S$3.50). Interesting flavour for ice cream. However, our only small gripe was the fact that the soft-serve melted almost immediately, leaving us with only a short time to actually enjoy it. Nevertheless, it was a good call. It was not overly sweet and the texture was perfect.

XXL COFFEE DRINKS

We only saw huge drinks like that in Bangkok. Well, the ones at the Tampines Bazaar is probably three times more expensive at S$5 a cup. But all’s well when you need some sweet drinks to combat the heat while walking through the bazaar, yes?

You can pick from coffee options such as latte or mocha, and sweeter options such as Strawberry and more.

COLOURFUL BAGGED DRINKS

There were two separate stalls that served colourful bagged drinks but we went for this adorable one instead. They had a variety of colourful flavours but our eyes went straight for this Barney-coloured Taro (yam) drink.

We topped it off with some jelly and a scoop of ice cream for S$6 in total. The price is pretty reasonable for that huge serving. Again, the drink was a bit too sweet for our liking but the ones with a sweet tooth will love it.

BEEF SATAY BURGER

Our eyes went straight for this satay burger. You can pick from different meats such as beef, chicken or even deer meat. We went for the beef (S$6) and the burger failed to impress. Our tip – stick to Ramly Burger.

About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.

It is Ramadan again! Every year, we look forward to the bazaars, and in particular, the one at Geylang Serai. Last year, we saw many creative snacks that got the nation going gaga over.

And this year, we have psychedelic rainbow bagels, cloud-like cotton candy drinks and even delicious salted egg yolk sauce drizzled beautifully on freshly made churros in store for us all.

Trudging through the bustling bazaar at Geylang Serai on a weekend afternoon, where 90% of the stalls are already open, it was packed with people buying some food to-go for Iftar. The stalls are all open for business and it will last all the way till early July, with most stalls ceasing operations on 05 July 2016.

Here are the highlights from Ramadan Bazaar 2016.

COTTON CANDY CLOUD SODA

Of course we had to try this!

The folks from Back Alley serve both a selection of bite-size churros and more importantly, COTTON CANDY SODA. They come in three flavours – grape, blueberry or cherry for S$3 a pop, but we figured that blueberry reminded us most of the blue skies so that was what we went for.

A huge fluffy “cloud” sat atop our soda. Nothing too special about the thirst-quenching soda, but the star of the show was definitely the cotton candy. Eat it fast, because it will melt pretty quickly in our humidity!

UNICORN RAINBOW BAGELS

We were sold even before we made our way down. Rainbow bagels were almost like a folklore to us here in Singapore because we could only marvel at its glory on social media – where Londoners are treated to every weekend at Brick Lane Market.

Word Bistro sells these at S$8 each. It is admittedly pricey but it deserves a try anyway.

It is limited to 2 per customer a day, and they are on first-come-first-serve basis. If you want to consume the bagels immediately, they will toast it in the oven on the spot and the filling in the centre is a crazy mixture aptly named on the menu as ‘Strawberry Cream Cheese Funfetti Marshmallow’! The bagel is then finished off with a drizzle of honey. Eat it immediately for the full wow.

SALTED EGG YOLK CHURROS

The team that brought us the colourful churros last year has come up with something new to get us excited all over again – Salted Egg Yolk Churros (S$6). We love churros, and we love salted egg yolk. And when both come together? Yes. Just yes.

Our churros were made fresh upon order then topped off with generous drizzles of the sauce. The sauce was a winner on its own – rich in flavour without overpowering the doughy taste of the churros. However, you have to finish them quickly before the churros turn soggy.

EVERYTHING ELSE IN BETWEEN

There are hundreds of stalls and we were spoilt for choice. Some stalls even had multiple booths as the bazaar stretches over a huge area, mainly on the larger Haig Road stretch.

Other stalls to look out for include those that serve insane ice cream rolls and pretty macaron ice cream.

About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.

As you might have seen on the papers or your Instagram feed, many have been flocking to this year’s Ramadan Bazaar at Geylang Serai for some interesting street food.

Flavoured churros? Yes please! With a growing trend of churro-lovers, you can find more than just one stall here selling these highly Instagrammable deep-fried doughs.

Remember those ice cream rolls you had while you were in Bangkok? Good news because they are now here in Singapore too. Not sure what to try at this year’s Ramadan Bazaar? Here are 5 highlights from this year’s Ramadan Bazaar at Geylang Serai.

#1 FLAVOURED CHURROS

Trust us when we say that these are a must-try when you head down to the bazaar this year. The wide array of flavours include Pandan Churros with Gula Melaka Sauce (S$4.50), Red Velvet Churros with Salted Caramel Sauce (S$4.70) and the classic Churros (S$4.20) coated with cinnamon sugar.

The churros here are made fresh and we highly recommend munching on these immediately after receiving them – or after snapping a photo or two, if you must (and you must). There is a nice crunch to the churros and we could not stop raving about the sauces, especially the Gula Melaka one!

#2 THAI COCONUT ICE CREAM

We were delighted to find this gem of a store located at the side nearest to Paya Lebar MRT. Reminiscent of the ones at Chatuchak in Bangkok, this ice cream was topped off generously with corn, red rubies, atap seeds and also juicy young coconut flesh.

For just S$4, you get your dollars worth as this is a perfect choice to combat the heat and humidity there at the bazaar. There is also a range of other Thai food served here such as coconut pancakes and mango sticky rice.

#3 ICE CREAM ROLLS

Shared thousands of times on our Facebook pages, these ice cream rolls made fresh are a treat for everyone. As the most crowded stall in the bazaar, they even have an automated queue system and the wait ranges from 30min to 1 hour if you come after 7pm (post-breaking fast for Muslims).

You can choose between two ingredients for your ice cream rolls and these ingredients range from fresh fruits to chocolatey picks such as oreo. For S$5 a cup, we are definitely not complaining!

#4 DEEP-FRIED OREOS

This snack needs no introduction and we can all agree that it is one of the most delicious street food snacks we have ever eaten. And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

Coated in batter then deep-fried to a golden brown, these Oreo bites, drizzled with some chocolate sauce, is our definite guilty pleasure. They also have fried Mars bars and other mouth-watering snacks here!

#5 TAKOYAKI

While Takoyaki certainly isn’t something new at bazaars, the one at this year’s Ramadan Bazaar is probably one of the most delicious and value-for-money renditions yet. For just S$2.50, you get a portion of six takoyaki balls, sprinkled generously with bonito flakes and sauces.

You can choose different fillings such as the classic tako (octopus) and others like prawn, etc. The portion makes it an ideal sharing item. Save some tummy space for the other yummies ya?

About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.