The best highlights at GastroBeats 2024, a mega street festival happening from May 31 to June 23

Pasta might not be the first thing that comes to mind at a food festival, but you’ll find plenty of folks carrying around these trays of saucy noodles at GastroBeats. Twirl & Savour by the catering company 3 Embers whips up indulgent bowls of pastas, with its most popular flavour being the soft shell chilli crab linguine ($16). These noodles are coated in a rich, hearty Singapore chilli crab sauce and topped with generous chunks of fried soft shell crab for an added crunch. Wash it all down with an ice-cold can of Coca-Cola, which you can get for $1.50 (originally $2.50 ala carte) when you order a Coca-Cola and food combo.

Spot some giant red smokers at GastroBeats this year? These are imported straight from Texas and belong to Jett Barbecue. The stall is serving up delicious slabs of meats smoked in-house for eight to twelve hours to achieve a delicious char on the outside and an oh-so-tender middle. Get stuck in on the signature Texas style smoked dino beef ribs ($19 per portion) which comes with a side of mashed potatoes for a satisfying, greasy mouthful; or snack on the beef loaded tater tots ($16), topped with heaps of smoked meat and lathered with a mix of sauces.

In search of some fiery mala heat? You can find just that at No Time Hot Pot. Locating the stall takes, well, no time at all, since you just have to spot a bright orange shopfront amidst the tents. Dig into bowls of mala, tomato or collagen broths that come loaded with your favourite hotpot ingredients – noodles, fishballs, fried beancurd rolls, meatballs, cheese tofu, black fungus, and more. Turn up the heat with the No Time Anyhow ($23.80) for a spicy challenge, or keep it mild and friendly with the No Time Collagen ($16.80), featuring a savoury, nourishing broth. Cut through the richness with a spritzy swig of Coca-Cola.

The stall’s more well-known for its Instagrammable sushi tacos (from $10), which see crispy sushi taco shells loaded with furikake ebiko rice, shredded cucumber, tamago, and your choice of filling from mentaiko crab, to sukiyaki beef, teriyaki unagi, lobster salad, or teriyaki scallop. But the mochi croffles are where it’s at. These parcels of goodness (three for $13) are stuffed with warm, chewy mochi before they’re finished off with delightful toppings like nutella sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, kaya butter, or sweet cheese.

Add a bougie touch to your evening when you take away this luxurious – and maybe just slightly ostentatious – box of 24k gold fries from Praffles ($15.90). It might get you some stares, but it’s all in good fun. These crisp, golden brown fries are doused in your choice of sauce – the most popular being the ranch dressing – before they’re topped off with a sheet of edible gold for that touch of luxe. Pricey as it is, the portions are rather hefty, so you’ll want to share this treat with friends and family. And pro tip: nothing makes for a better combination than fries and a can of ice-cold Coke.

Face it, it’s not a food fest if churros aren’t in the equation. Loco Loco is a household name at pretty much every food event by now, and if you haven’t had a taste of its bite-sized churros, you can now do so at GastroBeats. Mini churro sticks are made-to-order and fried up fresh before your eyes. Get the classic pairing of original churros with a chocolate sauce drizzle ($7), or opt for the gula melaka sauce for a more local take on the snack.