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

I have always wanted to eat more Middle Eastern food, but most of my friends are not adventurous enough to try it. I don’t know about you, but to me, there’s just something appealing about a luxurious dinner fit for Arabian kings.

While there are quite a few Middle Eastern restaurants in Holland Village and Arab Street, we lack one that truly stands out, until Anar Restaurant came along.

Located by the waterfront of Resorts World Sentosa, Anar Middle Eastern Restaurant comes from an established chain of restaurants from the Middle East, namely Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is a fitting addition to the rank of restaurants in Resorts World Sentosa.

The interior is visually stunning, with high ceilings and a magnificent private room in the middle of the standalone building. The restaurant is adorned with pieces from the Middle East. From the low-hanging old lamps which give a magical feel; to the furnitures brought in from different states in United Arab Emirates; to the rugs from the East of Arabia, Iran and Turkmenistan – no details have been overlooked as Anar strives to give you the perfect Middle Eastern dining experience.

The restaurant is mysterious and seductive. It makes you wonder about the history and culture, and most importantly, it makes you feel curious about the food. Time seemed to freeze when we were there, and our journey started with a signature Anar cocktail.

It took us a long time to look through the menu. In the end, we reckoned that it would be better to consult the staff, and it proved to be a wise move as they were very knowledgeable about the menu. Since most people in Singapore are not exactly familiar with Middle Eastern food, it is good to know that the staff at Anar restaurant are well-trained to recommend and explain the dishes from the menu.

The staff serving our table, in particular, was attentive and knowledgeable. Thumbs up for the good service; we need more people like her in the Singapore Food & Beverage Industry.

My dining companion wanted the Baba Ghanouj ($12) – traditional salad of roasted egg plant, garden herbs, fresh green pepper – simply because she lurvees to say ‘baba ghannooussshh‘ out loud. I wanted Falafel ($12) – fried dumplings of ground chick peas served in crispy Arabic bread drizzled with sesame paste syrup – because I wanted to try the popular dish (see next picture) from Middle East.

The staff gave us some suggestions and we eventually settled for Tabouleh ($9) – a version of Arabian salad drizzled with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil; and the popular Hummus with minced beef ($14) – its exact origins remain a mystery.

Anar Middle Eastern restaurant has five variations of Arabian salad and they are available from $9-14. The Arabian cold appetisers, like the Hummus and Rayy Yoghurt & Shirazi Cucumber range from $12-14; while the Arabian hot appetisers like the Falafel, Beiruty Style Kebda (chicken liver) and Caspian Sea Prawns are $12-18.

After stuffing our face with falafel, hummus and baba ghannooussshh, we proceeded with kebabs for the main course. We had chicken and minced lamb on a charcoal grill, and the lamb was just as tasty as it looked. The chicken, on the other hand, was too dry and tough.

I am sure you know by now, Anar at Resorts World Sentosa is a fine dining restaurant, and food at such places doesn’t come cheap. Prices of the main course from the Charcoal grill menu range from $32 for the Shish Taouk (grilled chicken breast), to $45 for the Kebab Shishlik (grilled lamb chops) and Kebab Bagri (grilled beef fillet). They also have a separate ‘Speciality dishes’ page where you can get items like Riz Be Lahem Ala Djaij ($35) – traditional Ottoman feast of rice with minced meat, topped with chicken breast; and Shrimp Kozberieh ($32) – which originated from the seaside of North Lebanon.

For a taste of everything, go for the Anar special platter ($140) which has the signature items like shish taouk, Lebanese lamb kebab, hammour fillet kebab and saffron lamb chops.

To end off the meal, we had the Baklava ($12) – the classic Middle Eastern dessert: layers of paper-thin phyllo pastry filled with roasted nuts and honey syrup; and the Um Ali ($14), which tastes like bread and butter pudding.

Shrimp Kozberieh

I know very little about Middle Eastern Food, so obviously there is no way I can measure the authenticity of the food. That said, we had an enjoyable dining experience at Anar Restaurant, Resorts World Sentosa. If you’ve always wanted to try Middle Eastern cuisine, come up with an excuse plan for a special occasion and make an reservation for dinner.

Singapore Food Blog
Anar Middle Eastern Restaurant
26 Sentosa Gateway
#01-291 Resorts World Sentosa
Tel: +65 6884 6989
Daily: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Note: This was an invited media session.