3 Inch Sin

Valrhona chocolate is the key ingredient that makes this dessert joint's stuff so good. And hey, if you're not in the mood for chocolate, no problem—you can choose from 12 other flavors (priced between $9.50 to $10.50), including raspberry, coffee, mint and Baileys.

Chocolate Origin

Need to fix that craving ASAP? Grab a little "cuppa" on the go from Chocolate Origin. Their Cuppa Lava Cake ($5) is made with 50/50 vanilla ice cream (at the bottom) and molten lava cake (at the top). No muss, no fuss.

Fern & Kiwi

This Kiwi restaurant's hot chocolate pudding ($14) comes with cinnamon crumble, berries and vanilla ice cream, but honestly, you won't notice any of that because the rich butter-chocolate combination (the ratio must be 3:1, it really is that sinful) hits you instantly. 

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier

These guys also made it to our best souffles list, so it's no wonder they're here once again for their chocolatey creations. The best thing about their lava cake ($12)? It's not overly-sweet.

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar

It's a mouthful, but Max Brenner's Melting Chocolate Truffle Heart Cake and Shake ($16) consists of a lava cake drizzled with hot chocolate sauce, vanilla bourbon ice cream, red berries and a cute little iced milk chocolate shot. The cake is rich enough so, some advice: don't down the shot at the same time.

Morton’s

Don't just head to this steakhouse for their meaty mains—their desserts are just as noteworthy, particularly the molten lava cake. It's not cheap though, $30 gets you the Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake (yes, that's what it's officially called). Certainly lives up to its name.

Osia

Osia's Valrhona Hot Chocolate Soup ($22) isn't actually a soup-soup so don't freak out. A regular molten lava cake with not-so-regular flavors, the dessert also features a dollop of black pepper vanilla ice cream. Yes, really.

Restaurant Ember

An unlikely contender, but the lava cake here at Restaurant Ember ($16) makes a promising choice each time you visit—we all know consistency is key.

Adnams Broadside (6.3% ABV)
Exhibitor: Applehops 

This full bodied British beer is brewed with pale ale malt and First Gold hops. It’s got hints of conserved fruit and fruit cake. We think it tastes like licking maple syrup off bacon. Yum!

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (5.2% ABV)
Exhibitor: Applehops

This decadent drink is a combo of pale ale and crystal malt, chocolate malt, Fuggle and Golding hops, real dark chocolate and chocolate essence. Not too sweet, though.

Blue Sky Brewery FNQ Lager (4.4% ABV)
Exhibitor: Vespucci & Sons

A 100% preservative-free, bright Australian-style lager. The hay-like German Hallertau hops give it its floral aroma, and it has a dry malty finish.

Thistly Cross Cider – Whisky Cask (6.9% ABV)
Exhibitor: Gan Teck Har

This dry Scottish cider sees six months inside a Glenglassaugh cask. As a result, it has an initial taste of a gentle whiskey, followed by a distinctive flavor of oak.

Palmbrau Das Original (5.2% ABV)
Exhibitor: Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café

Known for its specialty beers, the traditional brewery in Epping, Germany produces this naturally cloudy, light Pilsner-style lager made from organic malt and hops.

Engel Export Gold (5.4% ABV)
Exhibitor: Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café

This label features a strong, lingering malt body with a subtly sweet tasting note. It’s also pleasantly bitter and light. 

Don't even think about attending Beerfest without reading our ever-important survival guide.

Start low, end high.

Opt for lighter, crisper styles first, then move on to darker, more bitter and higher ABV beers. Daniel Goh, owner of The Good Beer Company, agrees: “Go by beer style, roastiness and alcohol content. Start with a lager, witbier or pale ale before tackling the extra stouts, dark ales and barrel aged goods.”

Follow the seasons.

Why go for the labels you can find anywhere in Singapore? Take advantage of the situation. “Ask for seasonal beers that are only available during Beerfest. Also, aim for one beer per stall and share it among your friends,” say Fabio De Souza and Keagan Kang, owners of The Papa Shop. “If you drink too many different beers from one stall, you might find it tough to make it to the rest of the stalls when you feel drunk.”

Pick your battles.

Sorry to break it to you: you’ll never drink all the beers at Beerfest (don’t take that as a challenge) and get any meaningful knowledge out of it. Corrine Chia of The Great Beer Experiment recommends a more curated approach, where you identify the beers or breweries you want to hit up ahead of time. “Is it by taste profile? For example, if you have a preference for sweet brews, look for fruit beers or alcoholic ginger beers,” she says. “Or brand profile—for example, the Mikkeller range of craft beers. Or country profile? Belgian ales? With your palate still fresh upon arrival, seek out these beers first. The program book will point you in the right direction.”

Flirt—and don’t commit too soon.

Exhibitors are fully expecting for you to chat them up, so don’t be shy, particularly if you see cute ones. You can make googly eyes at each other while discussing the finer points of organic hops. But you don’t have to buy a whole drink just to flirt. Be even more shameless (easier when you’ve had a couple) and ask the exhibitors for a little sample before you buy. You have the go-ahead from the man himself. Beerfest director Edward Chia says, “Our exhibitors are very open to attendees [having] a little taste of what they have on offer before attendees make their purchase choice.”

Know what’s more important than beer.

Aaron Grieser of American craft beer exhibitor Beervana has been to Beerfest a couple times now and describes the event as “an outdoor swelter fest that will inspire a thirst no brew can quench. The only thing more important than beer at Beerfest is good ol’ H20. “Pre-hydrate. Re-hydrate. A bottle of aqua per pint will keep you rocking all night,” he says. And of course, dress right. Wear shorts but no open-toed shoes unless you want sticky beer between your toes. “Want bonus points? Sport that t-shirt you picked up when you toured your favorite ultra-cult brewery last year. Nowhere else will you find such adoring fans.”

Now that you're ready to conquer this booze fiesta, find out what are spanking new brews at this year's festival.

The noodles

Of course, everyone has a preference as to how they want their noodles done. But the "perfect" noodles should be springy yet firm in texture, boast deep flavors and blend harmoniously with the broth. Before cooking them, it's a must to check if they're well-made. Quality noodles should remain consistent in their weight and thickness for each and every strand.

Our tip: Not everyone makes their noodles from scratch in-house, so for some of the fresh stuff, head to, the Liang Court outlet of Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen.

The broth

A good broth isn’t just about taste—it’s also about texture, scent and everything else. For a tonkotsu (pork-based) broth, quality pork as well as filtered water is used. It's typically cooked for over 15 hours over a strong fire and then blended over three different cooking stages to achieve a creamy, delicate broth with a light aroma.

Our tip: One of our favorite spots is Keisuke Tonkotsu King. Thick, savory, extremely satisfying, the broth never fails to hit the spot.

The chasu

The meat should always be tender, moist and melt-in-your-mouth. Time and temperature are the most important points when making the perfect chashu. Chef Matsuoka uses the traditional method of tying the pork belly in a roll to lock in the moisture before immersing it into a pot of Ippudo’s house sauce and simmering for three to four hours over low heat. This technique helps to retain its juiciness and ensures the marinade is absorbed into the meat.

Our tip: We love the thick but tender chasu slices at Menya Musashi.

The lava egg

The key to making lava eggs is using the right temperature and timing when cooking them. There are also other variables to consider when cooking these eggs, including size of the eggs used, temperature of the eggs and the number of them in a pot.

Our tip: It's hard to go wrong with lava eggs. You either get it right or you don't. We do find places like Ippudo to be rather consistent in putting out silky eggs, though.

The toppings

These vary from place to place—there are items like spring onions, seaweed and black fungus—but ingredients like mentaiko, for example, enhance the flavor of the broth.

Our tip: Tonkotsu King Four Seasons (Bugis Village, 158 Rochor Rd., 6333-5740, www. facebook.com/KeisukeTokyoSG) offers interesting choices like basil and cheese.

Now that you’re (almost) a ramen expert, join in the search for Singapore’s hottest ramen spot by casting votes in the Ramen Revolution contest run by our friends at WAttention Magazine. The voting period is through May 31 and you stand a chance to win awesome prices (hint: lots of food vouchers). Visit www. wattention.com for more info or find out who the contenders are here.