FROM Sept. 7 to 16, guests can experience the true meaning of Shiok at Café Zen of Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen’s Sensational Singapore Food Festival.

Guest chef Chai Huan Shiaw from Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore, serves up a melting pot of flavors influenced by Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cuisines. This reflects Singapore’s multicultural culinary heritage. One lucky guest will also win round-trip air tickets to Singapore.

“Shiok is a colloquial term to express sheer pleasure. Singaporeans commonly use it to describe an extremely satisfying meal. I am excited to share the food of my country with our guests and hope you love it as much as I do,” said Dora Tan, Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen’s director of communications, a Singaporean who lives in Shenzhen.

During the food festival, guests can savor the Singaporean seafood speciality, chilli crab with mantou. Commonly referred to as one of Singapore’s must-try dishes, fresh meaty crabs are stir-fried in a flavorsome tangy yet sweet chilli sauce and served with deep-fried mantou, which can scoop up every single bit of sauce on the plate.

Other specialities include the Chinese-influenced bak kut teh, tender pork ribs cooked in an aromatic herbal broth, accented with fresh white peppercorns; Malay satay, charcoal-grilled meat skewers served with peanut sauce; Peranakan laksa, a fragrant coconut curry noodle dish with ingredients that epitomizes the integration of Chinese and Malay cultures; and the Singaporean classic, Hainanese chicken rice.

Teh tarik, a hot Indian milk tea beverage, is also on the menu. Translated as “pulled tea,” teh tarik has a smooth texture and features a frothy cap, achieved by pouring the tea back and forth between two enamel cups.

The Sensational Singapore Food Festival is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board. Guests can enjoy the promotion at the regular price of 198 yuan per person for lunch from Mondays to Fridays and 238 yuan per person on Saturdays and Sundays. Dinner is available at 268 yuan per person from Sundays to Thursdays and 328 yuan per person on Fridays and Saturdays. Children aged between 6 and 12 can enjoy the buffet for half price, and it is free for children aged 5 and under if accompanied by a paying adult.

(Zhang Chanwen)