Ondeh ondeh churros, anyone?
TNP New Face finalists try out churros with local twist
The New Paper New Face finalists were the latest to rave about crispy golden churros with a local twist.
Last Saturday, 13 of them were present for the launch of Churros Factory's newest promotion at Bagus foodcourt at HarbourFront Centre.
The launch was organised by official desserts and treats sponsor Kopitiam.
The one-month promotion offers one-for-one churros from 11am to 1pm at Kopitiam at Changi Airport Terminal 3, Bagus at HarbourFront Centre and Causeway Point as well as Cantine at Paya Lebar Square and Jurong Point.
Besides plain churros, you can have the fried-dough pastry with a kaya dip. There are also ondeh ondeh- and milo dinosaur-flavoured churros.
The churros are air-fried instead of deep-fried, making them a healthier option.
After trying the different flavours, many of the finalists particularly liked the ondeh ondeh churros, which were topped with gula melaka and grated coconut.
Finalist Soh Qiao Ying, 22, said: "It is a unique flavour. It is crispy, and the texture is different with the grated coconut, which I like. It is an authentic local taste."
It definitely changed finalist Juhi Nar Singh's mind about churros too.
The 19-year-old student said: "I usually dislike churros, but when I tried the ondeh ondeh one, it was really good. The local flavour suits my palette."
On the decision to supply churros to food courts, Churros Factory co-owner Jeremy Chiang, 32 - who started the business with his wife, Ms Png Suyi, 31 - said it had been their dream to bring churros closer to the heartlands.
SNACK
He said: "In Asia, churros are treated more like a dessert, but we wanted it to be seen as a snack that can be eaten any time of the day.
"We decided it would be a good opportunity to approach Kopitiam about the idea, and they were receptive towards it."
Kopitiam corporate communications manager Vincent Cheong said: "Kopitiam is thrilled to be the official desserts and treats sponsor for New Face. Through this, we are able to create awareness of our new product, churros, and reach out to the millennials.
"Our partnership with Churros Factory establishes that there is a market for new-generation products in foodcourts."
New Face finalist Saranya Chyenne, 19, praised the idea.
She said: "There are not many Churros Factory outlets, so knowing that the churros are now being sold at food courts makes it easier to buy them."
Finalist Annkatrin Krieger, also 19, said that churros will now be seen as more affordable, since the food at foodcourts is usually reasonably-priced.
She added: "The localised taste will also appeal to the older generation, as some may appreciate it better compared to the original flavours such as dipped with cinnamon or chocolate."
During the event, five lucky members of the public walked away with a $50 Kopitiam stored-value card and an inverted umbrella autographed by the New Face finalists.
One of the finalists will get a $1,000 Kopitiam gift card tomorrow if she wins the Miss Popularity online award.
The voting is open until noon today at www.imsph.sg/tnpnewface2017/vote-miss-popularity
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