Cebu Lechon, Cold Beer and a Free Live Band, Four Nights a Week at Singapore Expo

Four nights a week, Singapore Expo turns into a free gig. From Wednesday to Saturday, a live band starts at 7.30pm in MarketPlace @ Expo, the food park outside Hall 5. No cover charge, no minimum spend. Buy your dinner, find a table, and the music comes with it.

Two things make it worth the trip for kabayans: Cebu lechon from Iskina Cebu, and OPM on Thursday nights.

Kung taga-east ka, ito na ang gimik mo after work. Walang entrance, may lechon, may banda.

Why go

• Free live music four nights a week, a rare thing in Singapore outside a bar with a cover charge.
• Real Cebuano food. Lechon, liempo and sisig, a short walk from the MRT.
• Cheap night out. Dinner, a drink and two hours of live music for less than a movie date in town.
• Close to home for the east. Tampines, Bedok, Pasir Ris and Changi are one or two stops away.
• Rain-proof. The food park sits under a high roof, so a downpour will not cancel your night.

Lechon from Iskina Cebu

Iskina Cebu (#01-107) is the Filipino stall here, and the lechon is the reason to come. Cebu-style lechon is stuffed with lemongrass, garlic and spices before roasting, so the meat is seasoned all the way through. Hindi na kailangan ng sarsa.

The menu also has spicy lechon, liempo ala Balamban, chicken inasal and pork sisig rice. Order a lechon plate and a sisig rice for the table, get a round of beer, and you are set before the first song.

The live music line-up

Every set starts at 7.30pm. Entry is free.

Thursday is the Pinoy night. Expect OPM in the set, so bring the barkada and be ready to sing along.

Saturday bills 吴佳明 as a Singapore music legend, with Winnie, Desmond and Tricia on vocals, Randy on bass, Jonah on keys and Nick on guitar. Bands rotate, so check our events calendar before you go.

SULIT! deal: smoked duck black rice for S$5.80, all day

SULIT! members pay S$5.80 for the Smoked Duck Special Black Rice at King Kong Fried Rice (#01-105). Everyone else pays S$6.80.

The stall sells it as a lunch special. For SULIT! members the price holds all day, so you can order it at dinner before the band starts.

How to get it:

1. Join SULIT! for free at filipinos.sg/sulit.
2. Open the MarketPlace @ Expo offer on your phone.
3. Show it at the King Kong Fried Rice stall before you pay.

One plate per transaction. Cannot be combined with other promotions.

More food for the barkada

MarketPlace @ Expo opens daily from 11am to 11pm, with close to 30 stalls and halal-friendly options. If not everyone wants lechon:

• King Kong Fried Rice (#01-105): wok-fried rice, home of the S$5.80 SULIT! deal.
• Omu Place (#01-104): Japanese omurice from the team behind 2 Chefs Too Many. Original Omu Rice is S$5.90, Chicken Katsu Omu Rice S$8.90 and Pork Katsu Omu Rice S$9.90.
• Krua Siam (#01-118): Thai food, with green curry chicken and rice at S$6.90.
• King Kong Kitchen (#01-108 to 109): Chinese comfort food, including sliced fish soup with thick vermicelli at S$6.90.
• More stalls: Huat Huat BBQ Chicken Wings, Bangkok Pork Leg & Boat Noodle, Shun Xi Chicken Rice, Yaya Roast and Kopifellas.

For drinks, Bistro Ave pours beer, wine, whisky, soju and sake. On our visit, a table card listed beer on tap from S$11 a pint, with happy hour Monday to Friday.

Getting there

Take the MRT to Expo, on both the East-West and Downtown lines. The food park is a short walk from the station, outside Hall 5 at 1 Expo Drive.

Before you go

• Arrive by 6.30pm to order and get a table before the band starts.
• No air-con. Standing fans line the stage, but dress light.
• Crowds follow the exhibition calendar. A big show in the halls fills the food park. With nothing on, a weeknight is relaxed.
• Coming from the west? From Jurong or Woodlands, budget more than an hour each way.