The Most Delicious Food Trend: Millennial Pink
Millennial Pink has been on-trend for several seasons now, and it doesn’t seem to be dying out any time soon. Some say it started in 2014 when Wes Anderson decided The Grand Budapest Hotel should be awash in said colour. Others say it started when Pantone picked it as their ‘colour of the year’ in 2016. Still others say it really began with Paris Hilton’s 2003 breakthrough on the Hollywood scene – the image of her in her pink Juicy Couture jumpsuit is almost as ubiquitous as her trademarked catchphrase, “that’s hot”. Most just realised one day that the world was tainted in varying hues of Millennial Pink – from iPhones to clothing racks, book covers to upholstery. Celebrities have been leaping onto this bandwagon themselves, with Kendall Jenner painting the walls of her home pink, various fashion houses like Valentino and Alexander McQueen featuring pink in their 2017 collections, and music powerhouse Rihanna frequently sporting all-pink ensembles. And lest you think this trend is confined to economic goods, there has been an influx of Millennial pink foods as well, with several Hollywood stars coming up with their own brands of rosé. Case in point: Brangelina's Miraval Rosé (which is doing very well, unlike their marriage), Drew Barrymore's Rosé of Pinot Noir and Instagram superstar @TheFatJewish's White Girl Rosé. In Singapore, the millennial pink food trend has caught on, and even local food delivery foodpanda has rebranded from orange to pink. Despite this surge in pink foods, they aren't exactly a new thing. Numerous local favourites have been pink since our grandparents' generation. Think beng kueh (glutinous rice in rice-flour skin), bandung (rose-syrup drink), ice kacang (shaved ice dessert), and even pink guava juice. But this pink-frenzy has only reached fever pitch today, and many have searched for an explanation why it seems to be the generation's favoured colour. It's simple, really. Pink is a colour that has been gender-coded for as long as we can remember. It seems entrenched in femininity, but our generation refuses to be subjected to such stereotypes, thank you very much. We have taken the colour pink and given it new meaning; it represents a fashion-conscious, gender-neutral and more open-minded generation, a positive colour backed by a positive mindset. It's as the French say – voir la vie en rose. Besides, pink photographs well, which means this food trend is way too good to pass up. Located in Lim Chu Kang Agrotechnology Park near Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, Kin Yan produces and supplies organic wheatgrass, edible cactuses, aloe vera, roselle fruits and mushrooms. Of note is their Pink Oyster Mushroom ($6 per pack) - which grows naturally pink on hardwood. Other colours we are more familiar with include brown, white and golden, but all fade to a soft gray when cooked. As versatile as mushrooms are, these pink oyster mushrooms can be grilled, made into gratin, stir-fried or used as meat substitutes. They have a short shelf-life, so be sure to consume them quickly, but their stunning colour makes them a popular favourite at farmers' markets - and if you're looking for an unusual gift idea, why not gift a friend or loved one with a pink oyster mushroom bouquet? Unlike most commercial bouquets, they can be eaten and they taste good. A win-win for all. 22o Neo Tiew Crescent, Singapore 718830. Tel: +65 6794 8368 Boston-native Liam Baer knows his way around cocktails, and it shows. He's been featured in The New York Times, and his Honey Badger ($22) cocktail was selected as one of Gaz Reagan's 101 best cocktails of 2016. It's a mix of rosemary-infused bourbon, lemon, ginger, yellow chartreuse and honey. Another of his many unique and inspired creations includes the pink-hued Self(IE) Adored ($23), made with bison grass vodka raspberry, shiso leaf, elderflower liqueur, lemon, and rose hip liqueur. If you're new to the cocktail scene, Liam even takes the time to explain his concoctions to you. Catchfly occupies the basement level of an enviable Ann Siang Hill locale with siblings Coriander Leaf Grill and The Screening Room on the floors above, and their centralised kitchen opens till late. If you're looking for a place to relax and unwind at the end of a long day - alone or with friends - this spot is for you, and you'll be coming back for more of Liam's cocktails for sure. 12 Ann Siang Road, Basement, Singapore 069692. +65 6222 7183 It's pink and it's a cake - what's not to like? Anchor Food Professionals, a foodservice dairy brand, has teamed up with nine local bakeries to create nine tea-inspired cakes using Anchor's New Zealand dairy products. Bakery Cusine's delightful bundt (pictured) is infused with raspberries and rose tea, with the tangy crunch of apple in rose-flavoured sponge and layers of soft cream frosting. Unsurprisingly, Bakery Cuisine was not the only outlet who came up with a pink cake. Dora Keiki did a version of the Strawberry Rose Cake with white chocolate frosting, while Barcook Bakery prepared a Rose Lychee Cake with almond-flavoured sponge, white chocolate mousse, rose tea infused creme brulee and a crisp sable to provide a mix of textures to the cake. Available at various outlets islandwide, from 1 November to 31 December 2017. Cieyou Lim branched out from his family business, Yan Yuan Bird’s Nest, to create NestBloom – a beautifully-packaged bloom of bird’s nest with almond cream that only takes five minutes to prepare. He embarked on this massive undertaking because he understood that many young adults have busy working lives and don’t often have time to double-boil bird’s nest. The Rose Almond Cream ($21) is made from humanely-sourced bird’s nest, free of preservatives and additives, and derives most of its flavour from US-imported rose oil. With a delicate rose flavour carried in a cloud of almond cream, Nestbloom’s Rose Almond Cream is not-too-sweet and not-too-heavy, making it just right for an early morning or late night pick me up. 13 Bussorah Street, Singapore 199434 (open till 5 November 2017); www.nestbloom.com Código prides itself on being a name brand synonymous with good tequila. Everything at their distillery is handmade – right down to the fermentation tanks. Tequila is made with a rather simple recipe - agave, water and yeast - but Código is determined to do it right by using only the highest quality agave. Ten kg of agave is used per bottle instead of the industry standard of 6kg. Their water comes from a distillery at the base of a volcano, making it naturally mineral-rich so there is no need for chemicals to be added. But how does it turn pink? In aging their Rosa ($138 per bottle), Código leaves their Napa Cabernet French Oak barrels uncharred, allowing the Cabernet to interact directly with the tequila, thus leaving a natural, subtle pink hue. The result is a tequila that tastes sweeter than its counterparts, with floral notes imparted by the Cabernet. It’s absolutely brilliant when made into a margarita. The Código 1530 Rosa and Rosa cocktails will be available at Lulu's Lounge, while Club Street Social will be serving Código 1530's entire range of tequila and Rosa cocktails. 5 Gemmill Lane, Singapore 069261. Tel: +65 6222 5043; https://codigo1530.com/sg Yes, PlayMade's cactus drinks are made with real cactus. The pink cactus is native to Penghu, Taiwan, and to prepare it for consumption, the cactus is broken and ground into pulp, before being sent to Singapore. A juice is blended from the purplish pulp, and this is used to make PlayMade's signature pink cactus pearls ($0.80 medium topping, $1.20 large topping) and Pink Cactus Smoothie ($4.60 medium, $5.90 large). Alone, the pulp smells like fresh grass, but tastes of little else when made into pearls, and so it derives much of its flavour from the honey that it is coated in. The smoothie carries over the Pink cactus' flavours better - refreshing and sweet. Tampines 1, #01-59 10 Tampines Central 1, Singapore 529537. Tel: +65 9767 6099 Ramen Champion hosts a stable of outlets under one roof, and residency is determined via customer voting - it's survival of the fittest, or in this case, survival of the best ramen. One of the outlets is Tonkotsu Ikkyu, created by chef Koji Tashiro. As every ramen lover knows, tonkotsu is a hearty broth made of pork bones, but what makes Tonkotsu Ikkyu stand out from its peers is definitely its array of multi-coloured broths. There is white (original), red (chilli), green (spinach), black (black garlic oil) - and the newest colour everyone is buzzing about - pink ($15.80 each). Tonkotsu Ikkyu's pink ramen base gets its colour from all-natural ingredients, beetroot and blueberry. With generous toppings of cha shu and springy-thin noodles, you can't go wrong. 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #03-89 Clarke Quay Central, Singapore 059817 and other Ramen Champion outlets. Tel: +65 6221 2156 To read about other food trends, click here. 
Kin Yan Agrotech's Pink Oyster Mushrooms
Catchfly's Pink Self(IE) Adored Cocktail
Bakery Cuisine's Apple Rose Cake
NestBloom’s 5-minute Bird’s Nest
Código 1530 Rosa: World's First Naturally Pink Tequila
PlayMade's Pink Cactus Smoothie
Ramen Champion's Tonkotsu Ikkyu