ETC Travel Retail delivers a fresh take on local snacks

I’ve always had a challenge getting Singapore treats for my overseas friends. With Singapore already known for our Yakun kaya, Irvin’s salted egg chips, TWG tea, Bacha coffee, and Bengawan Solo’s cakes and kuehs, the art of getting something new and interesting for my friends is always tough (yes, I’ve already given them everything on this list).

ETC Travel Retail’s selection of snacks is one good way of introducing new flavours that are Singaporean yet have a familiar taste for my friends abroad. It also helps that the packaging features images of iconic Singapore attractions!

Each of these five snacks I tried — salted egg spicy salmon skin, salted egg spicy fish skin, salted egg potato chips, cuttlefish floss, and golden pineapple ball — brought a different kind of nice. From the downright savoury and spicy to the sweet endings of the golden pineapple balls, I’d say this makes a pretty good combination, both as a snack for myself or as a treat for my friends.

Let me start with the salted egg spicy salmon skin (left) and spicy fish skin (right). These skin crisps are nice and well-coated with salted egg powder. In terms of spice, I have to say these were probably created with locals in mind, as they’re definitely on the spicy side — which I really like! Honestly, anyone could finish a whole pack in a single sitting because they’re just that good. If I did a blind taste test, I probably couldn’t tell much of a difference between the two. What I really like is that the fish skin pieces are big — though, of course, they’re pretty crushable if you’re traveling with them.

Both the snacks retail at $12 each – salted egg spicy salmon skin (70g) and salted egg spicy fish skin (100g) ETC Travel Retail also sells the non-spicy versions of these crisps.

The salted egg potato chips is a classic. While the fish skin series may sound a bit too exotic for some, the potato chips definitely sound more welcoming. Similarly, each chip was well-coated and had a nice savoury-sweet taste to it.

A pack of salted egg potato chips (90g) retails at $10.

Moving on to something different, the cuttlefish floss. This snack reminds me of the classic dried squid snack that tends to be on a sweet and savoury side. ETC Travel Retail’s cuttlefish floss is sweet and chewy. If you’re looking for something to munch on for a longer period, this is an ideal snack, especially if you like seafood-flavoured snacks!

And finally, the only pastry item on this list – the golden pineapple balls. Each pack comes with 12 pineapple balls in a single vacuum-sealed pack. The pastry is thin on the outside and the pineapple filling is on the sweet side. It does have the fibre strands in the pineapply paste too! A nice sweet ending if you’re eating through this range of snacks!

The box of pineapple golden balls retail at $18.

All in all, I’ve got to say that ETC Travel Retail’s range of products are great as gifts and for snacking – especially the salted egg spicy fish skin and salmon skin. It definitely is one of the better fish skin snacks out there right now!

You can find the list of online stores offering ETC Travel Retail’s products here. Or if you’re in Changi Airport Terminal 2, head to Transit Lounge South #02-181.