Located at Customs House overlooking the Marina Bay waterfront, Sabai Fine Thai offers mouth-watering, flavourful Thai dishes and it comes with a magnificent panorama view of Singapore’s city skyline.

The prices of the food are on the heftier side, but it’s not surprising to us, given the prime location. Nonetheless, this waterfront restaurant is a nice place to celebrate a special occasion, especially if you are craving for Thai food.

You have the choice to enjoy your food inside and admire the intricate decor of the Thai restaurant, or dine outside to enjoy the scenic bayfront view.

We started off with the Khao Dtang Nar Dtang (S$20.50), which are crispy rice crackers served with simmered minced chicken and minced prawns in coconut milk. The rice crackers had a good crunch, and coupled with the delicious dip, it makes for a delectable appetiser.

The restaurant leads up to an equally delicious main dish, the Pla Neung Manao (S$48). It consists of steamed seabass; and seasoned with bird’s eye chilli, garlic and fresh lime juice.

Wash the food down with their refreshing, classic Sabai Mojito, made with lemongrass, lime, homemade ginger and lime syrup, crushed ice, and topped off with ginger ale. The best drink to battle the heat.

End off your meal with the Kao Niew Mamuang (S$23). The mangoes were sweet, ripe and juicy, and paired with sweetened sticky rice, this dessert was devoured within minutes.

Sabai Fine Thai
70 Collyer Quay
#01-02 Customs House
Singapore 049323
Tel: +65 6535 3718

Located at the historic Customs House, Caffe Fernet is an idyllic Italian restaurant that promises fresh air and a gorgeous waterfront view of the Marina Bay with its alfresco dining concept.

Opened by the group behind Jigger & Pony, Gibson Bar, Sugar Hall, Humpback and Live Twice, Caffe Fernet offers a fresh take on Italian cuisine and cocktails.

With Jigger & Pony’s background in the cocktail industry, you can naturally expect a selection of well-crafted cocktails. You won’t go wrong with the classic Aperol Spritz (S$17), which had a distinctive sunset orange colour and a sweet tinge to the taste.

Start off your meal with a selection of small plates including Beef Tartare (S$31), Burrata (S$24), and Brussels Sprouts (S$21).

We recommend the Grilled Octopus (S$32) for the seafood lovers. The octopus is tender and goes well with the marinated beans and the chilli vinegar that has just the right amount of spice.

There are three choices under the pasta section. Caffe Fernet is well known for its Mafaldine Cacio E Pepe (S$26) with parmesan, pecorino, four pepper. Otherwise, you can go for the Tonnarelli Vongole (S$29) with flower clams. Gluten-free options are available upon request.

Overall, Caffe Fernet is a great place along the Marina Bay if you’re a fan of classic Italian craft cocktails with a twist, and authentic Italian food that will leave you wanting to come back for more.

Caffe Fernet
70 Collyer Quay
#01-05 Customs House
Singapore 049323
Tel: +65 9178 1105

Located in the heart of the CBD, Kinki Restaurant & Bar is an urban Japanese concept with an underground vibe that offers one of the best views of the waterfront and skyline of Marina Bay. It is a great place to hang out with your friends and unwind with Asian-inspired cocktails and bar bites at the rooftop bar, before heading down to the restaurant for a scrumptious dinner.

Kinki Restaurant & Bar is quite unlike the typical Japanese restaurants. Other than its graffiti-filled walls and murals which add on to the enigmatic charm of the place, Kinki Restaurant & Bar offers bold and cheeky modern Japanese cuisine. Think Japanese classics with a twist; expect the unexpected when you are dining here.

Kinki Restaurant & Bar has recently introduced new dishes to the menu and the highlights include Spicy Buffalo Katsu, Unagi Claypot, Buta Kakuni Claypot & Crusty Lamb Rack.

Enjoy 15% off a la carte items when you pay with your Mastercard® at Kinki Restaurant & Bar.

SPICY BUFFALO KATSU

The classic tonkatsu is given a Kinki twist in the form of a spicy Buffalo wings-inspired marinade.

Famed for its superior marbling, Nagano pork complements the Buffalo wings-inspired
marinade of Worcestershire sauce, la-yu (Japanese chilli oil) and shichimi togarashi (a classic Japanese seven-spice mix) perfectly. The cutlet is then coated in panko and fried before it’s topped with nori and shredded chilli.

The Spicy Buffalo Katsu (S$28++) is available for lunch and dinner. The set lunch (S$28++) comes with garden salad, miso soup and mochi dessert.

UNAGI CLAYPOT

Previously a chef’s special only served on occasion for regulars in the know, the Unagi Claypot has been upgraded to a permanent spot from its cameo role, and deservedly so.

Rice is fried with chopped unagi before it is finished in the claypot, topped with more unagi slathered with an addictive house-made unagi sauce.

The Unagi Claypot (S$32++) is available for lunch and dinner. The set lunch (S$32++) comes with garden salad, miso soup and mochi dessert.

BUTA KAKUNI CLAYPOT

Another claypot dish that you should try is the Buta Kakuni Claypot which is inspired by the signature Okinawan braised pork belly dish. Similar to the Chinese-style stewed pork belly, or what we know as ‘dong po rou’, the Okinawan rendition is a flavourful dish of pork belly.

Here, Hokkaido kurobuta pork belly is braised for 12 hours so that the fat renders as the pork simmers, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture and deep flavour. Garnished with briny umami shio kombu, the Buta Kakuni comes with Japanese rice and an onsen egg.

The Buta Kakuni Claypot (S$32++) is available for lunch and dinner. The set lunch (S$32++) comes with garden salad, miso soup and mochi dessert.

CRUSTY LAMB RACK

Fans of lamb will be delighted to know that Kinki Restaurant & Bar has finally introduced a lamb dish on the menu.

Australian lamb chops are first wet-aged in a koji yeast brine for a day. The lamb is first seared to render the excess fat off before it is coated with panko and mentaiko. The chops are baked, retaining tender meat on the inside.

Surely something to look forward to the next time you dine at Kinki Restaurant & Bar.

The Crusty Lamb Rack (S$45++) is available only for dinner.

As mentioned earlier, don’t forget to pay with your Mastercard® to enjoy 15% off a la carte items at Kinki Restaurant & Bar.

Kinki Restaurant & Bar
70, #02-02 Collyer Quay, Customs House, 049323
Tel: +65 6533 3471
Website: www.kinki.com.sg
Reservations: www.kinki.com.sg/Reservations
Deliveries: delivery.kinki.com.sg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kinkibar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinkibar

This post was brought to you by Kinki Restaurant & Bar.

Barnacles at Customs House is a popular after-work haunt that offers a medley of gourmet grub as well as a stellar view of the Marina Bay skyline. When the sun begins to set and the lights from the surrounding buildings begin to illuminate the night sky, there truly is nothing grander to marvel at.

Besides the awesome view, here is where diners can indulge in both inventive cocktails and top-notch fare. Choose your poison from an eclectic range of beers from around the world, signature cocktails, and a stunning selection of gin.

Top the experience off with Barnacles’ array of mouthwatering grub that comes either as full-on mains or small plates. Whatever it is you fancy, just know that when it comes to food, Barnacles is not one to skimp on flavour.

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A properly balanced plate, the Parma Ham & Spinach Salad (S$18++) comprised salty and fatty qualities courtesy of the thick slithers of Parma ham, feta cheese and pine nuts as well as bright and subtly sweet notes from the balsamic dressing and dried cranberries.

Essentially an oversized gnocchi, what we loved about the Potato Mochi with Camembert Cheese (S$14++)—besides its chewy texture—was the generous amount of melty camembert cheese that comes oozing out upon each bite.

Crispy on the outside with all that creamy goodness inside, this is hands down one of the best things you could ever put into your gob.

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For a Middle-Eastern-inspired flavour trip, we recommend trying the Hummus with Cucumber and Crostini (S$14++). Served with a crispy crostini instead of the usual pita bread, what really impressed us was the contrast in textures.

Arriving at your table hot, filled with warm spices and a generous drizzle of olive oil, the hummus really makes for a solid starter.

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Conventional fries really need to buck up with Barnacles’ outstanding Burdock Sticks With Sour Cream (S$16++). Perhaps one of the most underrated vegetables around, a burdock is essentially the root taken from the burdock plant and if you are aching to know, it tastes like a cross between an asparagus and an eggplant.

Deep-fried till crispy, the burdock goes beautifully well with the sour cream it comes served with.

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Although nothing that far off compared to the many that we have tried, the Truffle Fries (S$14++) served here does come with a herbed salt that that balances out the heavier parmesan cheese really well.

Barnacles
70 Collyer Quay, #01-01,
Customs House,
Singapore 049323
Tel: +65 6532 1011
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon & Tues: 11am – 11pm
Wed to Fri: 11am – 12am
Sat: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

Customs House along the Marina Bay waterfront is one of the popular dining destinations in Singapore.

Five restaurants are housed in the converted heritage building beside The Fullerton Bay Hotel – Kinki, a funky Japanese restaurant; Sabai Fine Thai on the bay, a fine dining Thai restaurant; Nueva Cuba, a Cuban-themed restaurant and bar; Oyster Bar, a seafood bar serving oysters and champagne; and Procacci, a full-fledged Italian restaurant modelled after the style and taste of Florence.

The food at Procacci Italian restaurant is generally good, and while prices are fairly high, it is a lovely place for a romantic date.

The menu has a bit of everything, from appetisers like Calamari Fritti ($22) to Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($25); to main courses like Mushroom Risotto ($35), Home Made Ravioli stuffed with Wagyu Beef ($35) and Black Angus Tenderloin ($49); and desserts like Italian Cheese Cake ($15) and Profiteroles ($15).

While the appetisers were tempting, I chose to skip it and go with two main courses. The Taglierini Al Granchio ($30) arrived first – it was decent, but definitely not the best crabmeat linguine that I’ve tasted.

After taking a glance at the menu, I immediately knew that I was going for the Black Angus Tenderloin ($49).

Served with mashed potato, the Black Angus Tenderloin which came with black truffle sauce was excellent. The dish managed to achieve the right balance: the steak was cooked to medium-rare perfection, the mashed potato had the right consistency, and the black truffle sauce complemented the meat nicely.

For desserts, I had a hard time trying to decide between the Panna Cotta ($15), Tiramisu ($15) and Molten Chocolate Lava Cake ($18). I went for the Molten Chocolate Lava Cake and I am happy to say it was satisfying. The cake was oozing with chocolate, and it came with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

While I liked Procacci Italian Restaurant at Customs House, the above-average prices meant that I probably wouldn’t suggest going there any-time soon unless my friends really want to give it a try. But if you have always wanted to eat there, the Italian restaurant is a nice place to go for a special occasion.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Procacci Italian Restaurant
70 Collyer Quay
#01-04 Customs House
Tel: +65 6532 9939
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm

For more recommendations, please read my list of Italian Restaurants in Singapore