Artbox Singapore 2023 guide: The best things to do, eat, and shop for

Tung Jai Yang is a Bangkok-based Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant – and now that it has a booth at Artbox Singapore, you can try its famous Cantonese-style barbecued pork without taking a single flight. Whether you're in the mood for rice with an egg cooked sunny side up or springy wanton noodles, the star is the pork, which come in bright red, succulent slabs. 

Korean fried chicken is a guilty pleasure. But at Artbox, feel free to indulge in all cravings – there’s nothing more satisfying than tucking into a bucket of double-fried fried chicken. Phat Fingers’ fried chicken comes glazed in flavourful Korean sauce, ranging from a classic soy garlic to an extra spicy “nuclear” sauce that uses ghost pepper. Otherwise, the yangnyeom (seasoned) chicken with a gochujang glaze is always a safe but tasty bet. 

Choose from the crispy chicken tenders ($10), double-fried wings ($12), or the best-selling chicken burger ($8) – this, you can get as a plant-based option with the Tindle katsu patty. For a worth-it meal, get the Tenders + Fries + Drink Combo to save up to 37 percent.

Mahmud's Tandoor snagged the prize of Best Burger at the Halal Awards in 2020, so you don't want to miss this one. At its booth in Artbox Singapore, Mahmud's Tandoor is serving up its signature Crispy Doori ($10 or $12 with masala fries), a sinful stack of crispy tandoori chicken and oozy cheese and harissa mayonnaise. For something slightly lighter, go for the Baked Burger ($10, or $12 with masala fries), which features juicy tandoori chicken cut with refreshing, minty yoghurt. 

Fries are the star of the show over at PotatoLab, but it’s the Fries and Chicken (from $5) that bound to be the crowd favourite at ArtBox. This is one winning combo for sure, with perfectly crispy fries and juicy fried chicken. And with unique flavours like mala, chicken rice, and seaweed – you’ll be tempted to try all. Do just that with the extra large portion ($8) for a generous load of all three flavoured fries. 

You can also opt for the truffle fries ($10), which comes loaded with a house-made black truffle mayo. These come topped with parmesan and truffle sauce, along with a drizzle of white truffle oil. Other snacks to try include the chicken poppers ($12) or six fried wings ($14) – you can get these loaded with truffle too. 

This one is real value-for-money. For $16.80, you get a bucket of hot pot piled high with noodles, vegetables, meatballs, crab sticks, quail eggs and more. No Time Hot Pot is meant as a no fuss hot pot takeaway – toppings have been decided for you, so all you have to do is decide between its spicy No Time Ma La soup or tomato-based No Time Ketchup soup. Like we said, it's a hefty portion so we recommend sharing so you have space for other foodie goodies at Artbox. 

Up for dessert? Hit up Kōbashī, a pandemic lockdown baby started by Kenji and Adam – both alumni of the Culinary Institude of America. The bakes here are made with their very own sourdough starter, which tanginess punches through in Kōbashī's crusty sourdough loaves (sprinkled through with herbs like garlic and rosemary) and doughnuts. Go for classic cinnamon sugar ($3.50), unique purple rice yoghurt ($5.50), light pistachio dulce ($6) or, for the durian lovers, mao shan wang charcoal ($7). 

Thai milk tea is an obvious choice at this Thai night market-inspired event. But a great alternative option is Smooze, a coconut ice pop brand that has refreshing coconut water-based popsicles and fluffy shaved ice desserts (known as kakigori in Japanese). Get the classic coconut shake, or go for bright, berry flavours like raspberry. Need something sour to balance out the rich snacks you've been having? The locally-inspired calamansi kakigori should do the job. Each kakigori starts at $8.50 and comes with a popsicle. 

Can't resist stickers? Make a beeline for Memiann.studio, a sticker shop by a Thai artist that stocks – you guessed it – stickers, as well as keychains, soft toys and more. You'll be captured by her adorable and often whimsical illustrations, featuring cute llamas, whale sharks, and more creatures straight from her wild imagination. Mix and match stickers at $1.50 each – get one free when you buy ten, or buy them in value-for-money themed sticker packs. 

Jazz up your outfits with colourful jewellery from Twenty Two April. This Thai brand sells handmade polymer clay accessories, including necklaces, earrings, bracelets and hair clips. Expect soft, pastel colours and adorable heart shaped-beads and botanical themes – for times you need a final feminine touch to your outfit of the day.

Step into Artbox and one of the first booths you'll see is Crafted Identity. It's particularly eye-catching, because it's just overflowing with lush greenery. Whether you're looking for mini potted bonsais or mounted staghorn ferns, Crafted Identity's bound to have the plant baby that's just right for you. 

A fashion brand hailing from Bangkok (famously at Chatuchak Night Market), Loma. Whale is best known for its lightweight, linen fabrics cut in simple, functional designs. Makes sense, given the heat and humidity in both Bangkok and Singapore. Buy breezy palazzo pants, denim jumpsuits, or cool linen tops – these understated designs will have you looking chic anytime, anywhere. 

Want to get a tattoo but afraid to commit? You can get a temporary tattoo instead at one of the many jagua ink art booths at Artbox Singapore. Stop by Booth 61 with Jynk Ink, No Pain Coolstain, and The Little Jotter and choose your design from a handy book with prices starting at $5 for the smallest Jagua tattoos. There's also Cyann at Booth 86, who's selling flash tattoos ($20), custom designs ($40) and her own merchandise too.