Here are 5 HungryGoWhere stories you loved in 2024

Yet another year is coming to an end and we’ve gotta say it’s truly been a busy, busy year on the food front, with so many new openings and unfortunate closures at the same time.

With the Christmas and new year public holidays right smack in between the week, we won’t be surprised if many of you are on an extended break from work these few days.

What better way than to while away these blurry days than to reminiscence and also check out some new places while you’re at it?

If you’re not sure where you want to head for food, why not take a ride with us down memory lane and swing by these places — y’know, for old time’s sake. Here’s HungryGoWhere’s 2024 recap of our top stories for the year:

1. Top story: Butter Town

Shio pans are all the rage in Seoul and Singapore, too, it seems, with all the love our story on Butter Town got in the past year.

For the uninitiated, Butter Town is helmed by sisters Serene, 32, and Danielle Tan, 28, both of whom left their corporate jobs to set up a small bakery in Holland Drive in mid-2023. 

Its bakes were such a big hit that the sisters later opened a second outlet in Lavender in February, and also tied up with Hvala to serve a limited range of their bakes at Hvala’s Raffles Specialist Centre outlet this September. 

Its addictive salt breads come in both conventional (yes, there’s chocolate) and uniquely local flavours (kopi-c shio pan, anyone?) flavours, but if breads aren’t your thing, it also serves up cakes and chicken curry. 

2. Top food news: McDonald’s Hello Kitty collaboration for Chinese New Year

It’s 2024, but everyone is still very much obsessed with this mouthless, yet adorable cat. 

If you’re old enough, like this writer, you’ll probably even remember the snaking queues for the Hello Kitty plushies circa early 2000s.

Last Chinese New Year, McDonald’s launched a series of exclusive plushies to commemorate Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, with some red packets to boot. As with all of its Chinese New Year menus, it also brought back the fan-favourite Twister fries and Prosperity burger. 

McDonald’s has tied up once again with Sanrio for the upcoming CNY festivities, and in case you missed it, KFC is also launching a limited-edition collab with another cute cat — Mofusand — alongside the return of its well-loved cereal chicken. 

3. Top food guide: Places to dine in Johor Bahru

2024 also saw those in Singapore maximising the 3:1 exchange rate between the Singapore dollar and the Malaysian ringgit, with many travelling across the Causeway during public holidays and long weekends.

So, it really wasn’t much of a surprise to us that our Johor Bahru food guide turned out to be the most-read one for the year.

In fact, we’re sure many of you are there today or even tomorrow to celebrate the new year — so here’s another guide to the Johor Bahru cafe scene to help you out. 

4. Most-read review: Zhup Zhup by One Prawn & Co

With our most-read reviews in 2022 and 2023 being burger joints, we were quite sure this year’s would be the same. But this year’s most-read review has shown that local food reigns supreme, with Zhup Zhup by One Prawn & Co coming up tops.

We loved it for its lobster pao fan (S$58), but if its price tag is a bit too indulgent as you end off the new year, it also does a simple seafood paofan (S$16) with less luxurious ingredients, or even the well-loved Hokkien prawn mee (S$14). No matter your choice, everything’s seafood-filled and yummy, for sure. 

In fact, Zhup Zhup and its crustacean-filled dishes are so well loved, it even got inducted into this year’s Michelin Bib Gourmand list. (Psst, don’t say we didn’t tell you, but you can also enjoy Bib Gourmand dishes right in the comfort of your own home. 

5. Top trending food spot: New Bahru

If 2023 was the year of retro desserts made trendy, then 2024 for us was the year retro, old spots turned cool and hip. Just take New Bahru, for example. 

It used to be a secondary school — Nan Chiau High School — but was refurbished and relaunched as a vibey lifestyle enclave with plenty to eat, drink and do. 

New Bahru may have opened in July this year, but last we heard, there’s still lots of places that are popping up there, such as Odem, Atipico Room 15 and Bar Bon Funk, alongside interesting collaborations from time to time. 

There isn’t a better time than this year-end holidays to check out this year’s most-happening spot, really!

For more places to explore, check out our round-up of the best new openings in December 2024, and cafes to head to in Singapore. 

McDonald’s and Zhup Zhup  are on the GrabFood delivery service and offer free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out. 

You can also book a ride to these spots to relive our top stories of 2024.