I visit GastroBeats for the first time, here's my honest take on the food and festivities

As one of the resident foodies at AsiaOne, I'm embarrassed to say that I've never been to a GastroBeats event in my life. 

So when I got the details for the 2024 edition, I knew I had to go.

Similar to last year, the food festival will be held Bayfront Events Space, right next to Marina Bay Sands. It'll run from May 31 to June 23 from 4pm to 11pm. 

It's also not ticketed so visitors don't need to feel pressurised to finish exploring all the food and activities in one visit. 

First impressions

While I've never been to GastroBeats before, I guessed that it would be similar to other events like Artbox and Singapore Food Festival.

And I wasn't too far off. 

Apart from a variety of food options, there are also retail booths, a stage for live music and even a small amusement park. 

But at the end of the day, it's still more of a food-focused event. 

I'm not complaining though—that's 100 per cent up my alley. 

This year's edition has a whopping 51 food stalls that are neatly lined up in an L-shape. 

At the centre of this are benches and tables where visitors can eat. 

One concern I usually have at such events is there being insufficient seating.

But that wasn't an issue here — there was plenty of space for everyone. 

The open layout also made it easier for visitors to pick and choose what they want to eat before bringing it back to their tables. 

Spoilt for choice 

As usual, I had a hard time deciding on what to eat.

There was a good variety to choose from and frankly, even if you're a picky eater, I'm confident that you'd find something that'll pique your interest. 

Which makes it all the more harder for foodies like me because I eat anything and everything. 

Right off the bat, one stall that caught my eye was Jett Barbecue.

And it wasn't just because of the food. 

Next to the corner booth was a gargantuan custom-built smoker, which was so massive that a crane had been used to bring it in. 

While admiring the smoker, Chua Jett Yong, the owner of Jett Barbecue, told me that he imported it all the way from Texas. 

He also revealed that it cost a whopping $80,000. 

And yes, all the meats on his menu are smoked in this impressive machine. 

My colleague and I got a portion of his Texas-style Smoked Dino Beef Ribs ($19) as well as the Beef Loaded Tater Tots $16. 

These were easily two of the best things we ate at GastroBeats, and if you love beef, I suggest you prioritise this if you're attending the event. 

For the Texas-style Smoked Dino Beef Ribs, the smokey meat was fall-off-the-bone tender with an excellent fat-to-meat ratio. It came paired with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and barbecue sauce. 

On the other hand, the Beef Loaded Tater Tots featured crispy, golden brown tater tots topped with a generous amount of shredded beef and sauce. It's a really good dish to get if you plan on sharing something with friends. 

My colleague and I were also excited to see that family-run Eastern-European restaurant Kapitan—which specialises in Slavic food—had a booth at the event too. 

You may have seen one of the owners, the energetic Mark Zubovskyy, on your TikTok feed before. 

For the event, Mark and his family are selling their popular Ang Moh Dumplings ($10), Ang Moh Puffs ($10), Ang Moh Crepes ($10 to $15) and Honey Cakes ($8). 

My colleague and I have been wanting to try their dumplings for ages, so we got their chicken and beef ones. 

These were excellent, and we were pleased to find that each juicy, moreish dumpling was stuffed with a generous amount of filling. 

Diners can also opt to add $2 for sauces like Mala, Salted Egg and Truffle Fried Parmesan. 

Visitors hankering for Indian food can consider checking out The Curry Club's booth, which sells dishes like Butter Chicken Biryani ($12) and Chicken Tikka Skewers ($12). 

But what intrigued us the most were the Rollin' Dosas ($12 to $16), an interesting take on the savoury crepe. 

These were essentially small portions of rolled dosas that are topped with fillings like potato masala, goan fish and mysore mutton. Delicious! 

Other noteworthy food we tried were the Signature Cheeky Bee Hoon ($14) from Cheeky Bee Hoon, the Creamy Crab Omelette ($16) from Central Siam Cuisine and the Fried Hokkien Mee ($20) from Zhup Zhup by Michelin Bib Gourmand One Prawn & Co. 

If you have a sweet tooth and you're at the event for desserts, I'm sorry to say that there aren't as many stalls selling sweet treats as compared to savoury options. 

But we did manage to find some solid ones such as the Assorted Flavour Churros from Loco Loco ($6) and the Matcha White Chocolate Ang Moh Crepe ($10) from Kapitan. 

There's also a Ben & Jerry's booth that had three new flavours—Choco-lotta Cheesecake, Dulce De-lish and Non-dairy Caramel Cafe—for visitors to try. 

Live music, carnival rides and more 

If you're too full to take another bite and need a break, you can check out the other offerings the festival has. 

One highlight would definitely be the live performances by local groups like Curry The Basil, Farhan and Bob, and Ctrl Chaos. 

There are also solo artistes such as Jasper Parulan, Gaston Liew and Sope. 

While listening to the music, you can also stroll around the festival's retail area, Indonesia Zone, to shop for clothes, accessories, snacks and more from Indonesian labels. 

Another thing I love about GastroBeats is that it's pet-friendly, which meant that I got to see plenty of adorable animals. 

Pawrents bringing their furkids to the event can also shop for things like pet food and accessories at the Pet Market by Clubpets. 

A huge highlight for me was the Uncle Ringo Carnival. 

Apart from rides like a merry-go-round and bumper cars, there were also game booths where you could win prizes. 

Verdict: I'll be back

As a foodie, I thoroughly enjoyed the event.

The wide selection of food offerings is a good enough reason for me to make another trip back just to try everything. 

I also loved the vibes, which was further enhanced by the live music. 

What makes it better is that it's not a ticketed event, so I can go in and out of the area anytime I want.

Address: 12A Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018970
Opening hours: May 31 to June 23, 4pm to 11pm daily 

ALSO READ: I try the food and festivities at GastroBeats to figure out what the fuss is about

melissateo@asiaone.com