Get ready to wear, eat and drink green this St. Patrick's Day in Singapore!
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish specialities and colourful acts along the Singapore River
By Derrick Chan and Alvin Teo
 It's that time of the year again... when Irish folks dress up in green, partake in corned beef and hash, drink lotsa stout, and just a whole lot of merry-making. You would think in Singapore, being almost 12,000 km away from Dublin, we would not give a damn about this public holiday in Ireland. But wait till you see what the organisers have in store this year, like how they have always celebrated for  the past 10  years along the Singapore River!

As far as the Thirsty Merlions are concerned, if there’s gonna be an Irish party, there better be good amounts of  Guinness  and Irish grub! We had a preview of what’s in store for this week leading up to Sunday. Yes the actual St  Patrick’s Day is on 17 March but you’d be glad to know the annual St. Patrick’s Day Street Festival, presented by Singapore River One, will return this year from 17 to 20 March culminating with the St. Patrick’s Day Street Parade. Yup - more days to drink and not just 1.

“People from all walks of life would have an opportunity to join in  the merriment with fun activities and music, similar to how it is celebrated in Ireland and around  the world” said Parade Chairman Colin MacDonald, who is also from Molly Malone's.
So we wondered just how much “Irish  specialities” will be on offer by the  participating merchants along the river. Here goes...

Southbridge

If oysters, a stunning view, and potent drinks are your thing, then definitely check out Southbridge at 80 Boat Quay (the end closest to Riverwalk). Providing an actual 360° view of the Singapore skyline, the rooftop chill-out joint presents Native  Irish Oysters  specially flown from Galway Bay of Ireland. We tried them together with 2 of their Irish vodka concoctions;  Irish Cola  made with Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bailey’s Irish Cream; and  Pat’s Martini  which is a combination of Midori Liqueur, Belvedere and Triple Sec. As simple as these recipes might sound, they sure pack a punch. What do you expect from Southbridge, one of Singapore’s premier oyster bars (they have other oysters available too, and these Irish ones are actually from the seasonal menu) with an extensive cocktails list.

Draft & Craft

Did you know that  Shepherd's Pie came about as another way for tired housewives (who were too tired to come up with what to cook for dinner) decided to repurpose leftover meat for dinner?  Anyhow,  Draft & Craft will be presenting their take on this classic St Patrick’s Day dish, with  no leftovers used; made with finely mashed potatoes, succulent ground beef, carrots and onions. Wash it down with some of the aromatic Coffee Milk Stout they have on tap and you’d thank those housewives for their creativity. Find your way to Draft & Craft at  31 Circular Road.

Shepherd's pie for the month of St. Patrick's day! Serving it every day from Wednesday onwards for the whole of this month!

Posted by Draft & Craft on Sunday, March 6, 2016

HERO's Bar

Corned Beef - No Irish party shall get away without serving it. You now have 3 places where  you can try this: Hero’s Bar, Mogambo and Public House. We headed to Hero’s Bar for  The Paddy’s, a burger with thinly-sliced corned beef topped with caramelized onions, Irish cheddar cheese, tomato and seeded mustard on a lightly-toasted bun, served with a generous side of chips that just went perfectly well with our  favourite Somersby Apple Cider. Find Hero's Bar at  69 Circular Road.

Reddot Brewhouse

A popular after-work hangout among the Raffles Place  crowds RedDot Brewhouse literally brings the green to you with the  Monster Green Lager, a Green Spirulina infused lager beer that has health benefits and low hop content. Okay we’re not sure if we would appreciate the health benefits, but at first sip we’d expect this to taste weird because of the color, but it surprisingly has a very mellow undertone which makes this very easy to drink. So the only question now is… will this make us pee in green? Go try it yourself and let us know! Check out RedDot Brewhouse's Boat Quay outlet at 33/34 Boat Quay.

Molly Malones's Irish Pub & Brasserie

Ahh... how can anything Irish be mentioned without talking about Molly Malone's... Singapore's first Irish pub. This is also where the best was saved for the last:  ​a traditional  Whiskey & Bacon Marmalade with Soda Bread,  a dish introduced to the restaurant by the current Irish Ambassador’s wife and has become a favourite amongst Molly Malone’s regulars who had the chance to try it first. At first glance you would think it looks like minced pork but that’s not too far off. It actually also looks like bak kwa, with the strong scent of Jameson Whiskey. Spread that lovely  marmalade on the bread and once you get a bite you will agree it tastes like bak kwa with whiskey!

Although the bread was for you to spread the marmalade on, we literally slathered it on anything else that was on the table… especially the chips from the signature Molly Malone’s Fish & Chips.

What's better than another serving of Jameson Whiskey to pair with - which Molly's does offer.
Which brings us to the other Irish specialty: Beer battered  Fish & Chips, which will also be on the menu, served with homemade tartar sauce and steak cut chips. Did we mention these chips go extremely well with the Whiskey & Bacon Marmalade as well?

And this is an Irish pub, with Fish & Chips as genuine pub grub as you can get... of course you'll be washing it down with a Guinness!

If you actually don't know where Molly Malone's is, it's at 56 Circular Road.

In Summary

So even if you're not Irish, or an observer of other countries' holidays, this is your chance to experience how St Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland. At least there will be good food and booze to make merriment with, in this largest Irish celebration in Southeast Asia!
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The gathering point of Singapore’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be at the Raffles Landing  Site (Sir Stamford Raffles statue) at 2.30pm and end off at UOB Plaza. Everyone joining the  parade is welcomed to don their best green outfit as an act of camaraderie.  Look, we already know we'll look good in green.
Posted by Right Hook Communications Pte Ltd on Thursday, February 25, 2016
The St Patrick's Day Street Festival and Parade is presented by Singapore River One. Visit http://singapore-river.com/stpatricksday2016/ and https://www.facebook.com/stpatsdaySG/ for more information! 
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