Black – we love to wear it, we love it on makeup, we love to… eat it?
Black coloured foods seem to be the next big food trend and we think you’ll be seeing more of these dark, moody foods all over your Insta-feeds. From sinful desserts to devilish mains, with foods as black as our hearts, we’re not going to say no.
We’ve rounded up some of the blackest foods in Singapore, so let your inner goth come alive with these cold, black treats.
1. 黑 “Hei” Rice ($22) – Paddy Hills
Squid ink rice with a strong wok hei that can rival that of most zichar stalls, this “Hei” (Mandarin for ‘black’) Rice is no joke. Drizzled with streaks of mentaiko mayo and topped with a perfectly soft-boiled egg that you crack over the rice yourself, this umami dish also comes with a generous piece of fried chicken on the side, packing a solid punch.
Paddy Hills
Address: 38 South Buona Vista Road, Singapore 118164
Opening Hours: Weekdays: 10.30am – 5pm, 6pm – 10pm | Weekends & PH: 9am – 5pm, 6pm – 10pm
2. Charcoal Bun Pulled Duck Burger ($20) – The Betterfield
Located on the first floor of The Treasury, along High Street, is The Betterfield Café. In keeping with its mission to create tasty dishes with better ingredients and better prices, the café created the unique Pulled Duck Burger. With moist pulled duck meat seasoned with sweet Thai chilli sauce, sandwiched between soft charcoal buns, this burger is an absolute delight to take a bite out of.
The Betterfield Café
Address: The Treasury, 100 High Street, #01-03, Singapore 179434
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 8am – 10pm; Sat & Sun: 11am – 10pm
3. Spaghetti Della Pescatrice (Spaghetti with Seafood in Squid Ink Sauce) ($24) – Pasta Brava
This signature dish consists of the OG black food, squid ink pasta, tossed with a generous amount of crayfish, scallops, prawns, clams, and squid. The pasta is infused with the natural taste of the sea from the squid ink, and the sauce is briny and flavourful. While squid ink pasta is not hard to find across our little island, this is one of the better squid ink pastas you can get in Singapore.
Pasta Brava
Address: 11 Craig Road, Singapore
Opening Hours: Mon – Sat: 11.45am – 2.15 pm (lunch), 6.15pm – 10.15pm (dinner); Closed on Sun & PH
4. Squid Ink Panini with King Crab and Prawns ($14) – Dolcetto by Basilico
Crispy and crunchy on the outside, this hearty sandwich is meaty and sumptuous. It contains a decadent filling of juicy king crab and prawns, elevated to sublime heights with a zesty cream dressing.
Dolcetto by Basilico
Address: Lobby Level 1, Regent Singapore, A Four Seasons Hotel, 1 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249715
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 7.30am to 9pm
5. Black Truffle Xiaolongbao ($12.80 for 6, $19.80 for 10) – Paradise Dynasty
The tender, flavourful meat and the sweet broth within these xiao long baos gives off just the right hint of truffle – not too light such that you can’t taste it, but also not too heavy such that it overwhelms the broth. The aroma of truffle wafts out the minute you break open the skin.
If you love Chinese dumplings, this is a delicious twist on xiao long bao you won’t want to miss. Order this with the 7 other delicious flavours (original, ginseng, cheese, crab roe, Szechuan, and garlic) at $13.80.
Paradise Dynasty
Address: ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #04-12A, Singapore 238801 | OneKM, #02-33, 11 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore 436950
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 11am – 10pm; Sat, Sun & PH: 10am – 10pm
6. Chocolate Rootbeer Waffles with Charcoal Vanilla Soft Serve ($12) – The Cold Pantry
This crispy waffle brings out the taste of root beer in the best way possible – through a crispy exterior and a warm, fluffy inside. To complement the root beer flavour and create a tantalising temperature contrast, the folks at The Cold Pantry top the waffle with a smooth swirl of charcoal vanilla soft serve ice cream.
The Cold Pantry
Address: #01-01, 88 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218374
Opening Hours: Weekdays: 4pm – 10pm; Weekends: 12pm – 10pm
7. Charcoal Waffles with Salted Egg Yolk Custard Sauce ($6 without ice cream) – Fat Cat Ice Cream Bar
If you’ve been missing your salted egg, this is the way you should reintroduce it back into your life.
Apart from their artisan ice creams and mojito spheres, Fat Cat Ice Cream Bar dishes up honest-to-goodness Charcoal Waffles with Salted Egg Yolk Sauce. It comes with salted caramel sauce too! Sauce aside, the waffles alone are delicious, with a mild, savoury charcoal flavour infused into the moist and fluffy interior, and has a crisp outer layer that wraps it all up perfectly.
Fat Cat Ice Cream Bar
Address: #01-25, Blk 416, Bedok North Avenue 2, Singapore 460416
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed & Thu: 12pm – 10 pm; Fri – Sun: 12pm – 11pm; Closed on Tue
8. TAN Charcoal Thick Toast ($14.90) – Stateland Café
A maestro in the café scene, the vintage-industrial themed Stateland Café does a mean Shibuya toast. Its famed crowd-pleaser, the TAN Charcoal Thick Toast consists of a thick charcoal toast with marshmallow filling, salted caramel and coconut ice cream.
Stateland Café
Address: 30 Bali Lane, Singapore 189866
Opening Hours: Mon – Thu: 12pm – 10pm; Fri – Sat: 12pm – 12am; Sun: 10am – 6pm
9. Black Magic ($16) – Platform 1094
You may have chanced upon this all-black dessert before. Now, it’s back again in all its glory. The magic unfolds in an intricately designed medley of black sesame panna cotta, squid ink profiterole, crispy charcoal biscuit, lace tulle, black berries, with a chocolate wand. A tasty and quirky combination that works wonders!
Platform 1094
Address: 1094 Serangoon Road, Singapore 328192
Opening Hours: Tue – Fri: 11am – 10pm; Sat & Sun: 10am to 10pm; Closed on Mon
10. Foie Gras Macaron ($12) – Hashida Garo
An artful sprinkling of raspberry powder sets off the savoury, full-bodied foie gras mousse to ingenious effect. Don’t let its mild appearance fool you, this macaron gives a hell of a kick. If this is anything to go by, savoury macarons could be the next big thing.
Hashida Garo
Address: 333A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery #04-16, Singapore 238897
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 10am – 10pm
11. Korean Black Yogo Softserve ($4.90 without toppings) – KokoPanda
To beat the heat, come to the dark side with KokoPanda’s black frozen yoghurt, made with charcoal and roasted coconut husk.
It’s a tangy, refreshing and absolutely yummy alternative to ice cream. What’s more, it’s also a much healthier choice as it comes topped with superfoods. These include dried strawberry, apple, pear, persimmon and Jeju tangerine, as well as caviar bubbles made with real fruit juice.
A single topping with the base froyo will cost $4.90, while a froyo with 3 toppings will cost $5.90, with additional toppings priced at $0.80 each.
KokoPanda
Address: 68 Orchard Road, #B2-60, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 10am – 10pm
12. Homemade Black Soy Ice Cream ($4.90 for Regular, with 2 toppings) – Dofu
When you get your hands on a cup of this, expect nothing less than homemade premium black soy ice cream that’s 100% vegan, with a layer of chilled soy pudding at the base.
The black tint of this ice cream is derived from bamboo charcoal, which is known to improve metabolism and blood circulation. Besides it’s nutritional perks, the consistency of the ice cream is creamy and smooth, reminiscent of actual tofu. Mmm.
Dofu
Address: 2 Jurong East Central 1, JCube, Singapore 609731 | 20A Yishun Central #01-05 Yishun Bus Interchange, Singapore 768830
Opening hours: Daily: 11am – 8.30pm
13. Black Sesame Bingsu ($18.90) – Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Café
This grand tower consists of fine milk shavings topped with a generous layer of black sesame and kinako powder, a heap of red beans, and a scoop of ice cream. Feast your eyes on the Black Sesame Bingsu, a slayer at Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Café that for good reason, has garnered its own fan club.
Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Café
Address: 534 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188749 | #02-25 Century Square, 2 Tampines Central 5, Singapore 529509 | 227 Upper Thompson Road Singapore 574359 | The Midtown Singapore, 1187 Upper Serangoon Road #01-14, Singapore 534785
Opening Hours: 24 hours daily (North Bridge Road branch) | Mon – Sun: 12pm – 10pm (Century Square branch)
It seems when it comes to food, black is now the new black. With all the multi-coloured and ombre foods and drinks we’ve been seeing lately, this is definitely a refreshing and much welcomed change.
If you’re in the mood to try something new, check out these deliciously dark eats. And of course, make sure to bring a mirror with you–you don’t want to be out in public with black stuff all over your teeth!
Also read 8 Instagram-Worthy Drinks That Will Have Your Followers Spamming The Like Button
