The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
A year after my Review of Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa (Family Staycation), here’s the post on the yummy food we ate during our staycation. I forgot to follow up until a friend’s request, so here goes! Hope it gives you some ideas on …
Last year, we went to Changi CSC for a foodie staycation. Few months later, we needed another break, an escape from our daily grind. So off we went to Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa (“Rasa Sentosa”) from 12 – 14 April 2021 (Mon-Wed) for …
Sentosa Staycation Itinerary Overview (October 2015)
After our visit to RWS SEA Aquarium and Fort Siloso, we took a cable ride to Siloso Beach for dinner! We had a “budget” lunch at RWS’ Malaysia Food Street. So we were going to pamper ourselves for the night!
On our way to the restaurant, we spotted 4 peacocks roaming around! :)
This is the place we were going to have our dinner:
To be honest, we grab every chance to return to this place for dinner. Why? Because it’s the place where Mr S proposed to me! We almost wanted to hold our wedding solemnisation here. Heh heh. :)
Aside from the special meaning this place holds, there are two main reasons why we come back to this place time and again. Scroll down for them!
Situated along Sentosa’s Siloso Beach, Coastes is “built” right on top of the sandy beach! I think it’s interesting and nice to eat while burying my toes under the sand. Is that a weird quirk?
Anyway, there’s a romantic rustic charm about this place at night. The flickering candlelight, the background music, the cool sea breeze, they all come together to be my idea of a romantic candlelight dinner! Although it can get reaaaal hard for me to see my food under the candlelight. I also had to pray that no bugs or sand fly into my food. :P And needless to say, like almost all beach bars and restaurants, there’s a casual laid-back vibe about it.
Partly Self-Service… You will be led to a table and given the menu. Have a look at what you want and order from the cashier/counter (below). After that, wait to be served! :)
Public Space Distraction
We picked a table spot that’s nearer to the sea. We were enjoying the breeze and the listening to the waves lapped in a distance when our sea view got blocked. A huge group of men buzzed into the picture. Some stood around, some sat on the Coastes’ sunbeds which were near to us. The romantic atmosphere was ruined.. at least until our food came to distract us.
But this is one of the external factors you can’t control in a public space. One staff did approach the group to “chase” them away from the sunbeds. Apparently you need to pay or spend at Coastes before you can rest on those sunbeds. More on that later.
However, it seemed quite common to have people sitting at those sunbeds. I deduced this conclusion from the negative TA reviews written by those being chased away. But business is business. Though the staff could have been more tactful. But then again, probably the staff are frustrated for always having to ask people to leave.
Pet Friendly
This place is good for those who like pets! You can bring them in. But for those who are afraid of pets, especially dogs… beware! :P A TA review mentioned about another patron letting his/her dogs run around and even poop in the middle of the restaurant – he/she didn’t clean it up nor was he/she asked to.
As for us, when we were there, a family had a huge dog which looked fierce. One of the younger girls, a teenager, unleashed the dog and seemed to be struggling with it. I was afraid of that dog, so I was glad the family left soon after.
Those sunbeds… Mr S proposed me to me at one of them! :)
Those sunbeds… they overlooked the beach and are available for rent at S$20/day with 2 complimentary iced lemon tea. The drinks cannot be substituted.
Those sunbeds… you can sit on them when you spend at Coastes. BUT! In a recent TA review, someone bought food and was only allowed to sit at the table. But that was not the case for us in 2013. After our dinner at Coastes, we took our unfinished (alcoholic) drinks and went to one of the sunbeds. No one chased us away. Not sure what’s the policy now.
They serve western cuisine here — burgers, pizzas, pastas and seafood. And of course, beers, house pour spirits, etc. You can look at the menu on their website.
For a beach bar and restaurant, we didn’t expect much of the food. But the food turned out to be a pleasant surprise! Delicious yum yum~ Though it’s on the pricier side.
We didn’t try everything on the menu, but so far, for those that we’ve tried during our past few visits, they all met the mark. We always went back for the same stuff because they’re simply mouthwatering.
Pan fried crayfish, tiger prawns & clams with spicy anchovy tomato or white wine sauce
p.s. Delicious and fresh!
Atlantic cod in beer batter with tartar sauce & fries
p.s. I was craving for fish and chips after my visit to RWS Sea Aquarium in the afternoon. It’s no wonder Fish and Co opened a shop there (but we passed on). This dish didn’t disappoint! Almost matched the one I had in Australia.
Fresh prawns, clams, scallops, crayfish, fish indill, basil, spicy tomato sauce with herb bread
p.s. Thick in flavour. This is Mr S favourite, and I love it as well. Yummmy!!
Sidenote: We seldom get to see Desperados Beer on the menu and decided to try it. It’s nice! Later we realised it’s a Tequila Flavoured Beer. You can get it at Changi airport’s duty free shop. Or probably major supermarkets too.
Mon – Thurs, Sun, Public Holidays: 9am – 11pm
Fri, Sat, Eve of Public Holidays: 9am – 1am
Travels October 2015 | This post is not sponsored, we fully paid for the food and service.
Sentosa Staycation Itinerary Overview (October 2015) I remembered being scared during my first ride of cable car at Sentosa as a young girl. I was afraid of the leg-shaking heights. But after many years, I was excited to try it again! :) The iconic cable …
Sentosa Staycation Itinerary Overview (October 2015) There are Michelin star restaurants, fast food outlets and some popular food chains around Resorts World Sentosa (“RWS”). To get some affordable real food in RWS, we decided that the “local” hawker food at Malaysian Food Street (“Street”) was …
Fort Siloso is definitely for War buffs and history enthusiasts. It’s also good for Singaporeans to learn more about the history of our land. Also a place for nature lovers and introverts to take a respite from the bustling Sentosa that’s filled with tourists (almost) everywhere. I was glad to have went to Fort Siloso and escape from the noisy and crowded parts of Sentosa.
“In the 19th century, Singapore was an important sea trading port for the British. To defend the island from sea invasion, Fort Siloso was one of three forts that were built on Sentosa Island (once known as Pulau Blakang Mati).
During World War II, the Japanese troops invaded Singapore from Malayasia and the guns in Fort Siloso were turned landwards to support the ground troops.
Today, being the only preserved coastal fort in Singapore, Fort Siloso is a historical attraction with a rich memorabilia of pre-WWII and WWII-era guns and remains of fortified military structures and tunnels.”
– Quoted www.sentosa.com.sg
When we arrived at the bus stop for Fort Siloso, we followed the directional signs and saw a ticketing booth. With no entrance signs in view, we had to confirm with the ticketing lady that this was where we should start our Fort Siloso journey. Later we realised we missed the gigantic wordings at Fort Siloso entrance because it was quite camouflaged.
By the way, you can can choose to get tickets for guided tours and surrender chambers, otherwise admission is free. After we passed by the booth, we had no idea where to start. There’s no pathway to lead us in any particular way.
We saw people taking a lift up and so we joined them and headed straight to the top. Turned out, we were at the Sky Walk, a 11-storey (181 meters) elevated bridge leading us to Fort Siloso. If you are afraid of heights, you can choose to walk on the ground, up a steep forest trail, but the view will be less spectacular.
We walked round the lift tower to enjoy the view, and my legs literally turned jelly when I stepped on portion where the floor was just a piece of transparent glass! I have no qualms staring out of a window at 30-storey, but it’s different standing on the “air” at the 11th. Still it was a good view from up there.
As you take the scenic trek among the canopy treetops en route to Fort Siloso, watch out for wildlife. It takes about 8 to 10 minutes of leisure walk across Sky Walk to reach Fort Siloso. Here are some views:
Once we crossed the Sky Walk, we were once again lost. We couldn’t spot any signage to tell us if we have reached Fort Siloso or where we should start. We just stumbled into the historical place and explored the spots that have description boards planted. The place is quite huge and once can easily get lost. Then we found a gem, the map in Fort Siloso pamphlet!
Roam around and discover fortified structures and guns and wax figurines of soldiers mimicking the work and life of a soldier at Fort Siloso.
Be sure to explore preserved underground ammunition stores and WWII-era guns. It can be accessed through narrow steps by the side of some buildings. They are quite well hidden and there’s no signage, so keep a look out for them. If you see stairs leading underground, head down even though they seemed quite scary. I wouldn’t have dare to walk down alone, but it’s brightly lighted up inside.
There are two air-conditioned exhibitions you can enter for free. One of the exhibitions is in the background of the picture below. You get exhibits and commentaries about Singapore’s history and WW2.
The Surrender Chambers feature commentaries and waxworks which bring you through the history of Singapore to Independence. Highlight of the place was waxworks of the two significant surrender ceremonies in Singapore during WW2 (British and Japanese surrender).
You need to pay to enter. There’s a guided commentary available. However, the guided tours were not done professionally. The student interns (I think) were giving the tour instead of the staff. They weren’t sure about their stuff and hence not fluent when giving the tour. I would have rather read the commentaries on my own.
The names of the wax figures are listed in the board (picture above). Notice the Japanese guy seated with a walking stick. He fixated his strong and fierce stare at the man signing the surrender document. He was using his stare to force the British to sign and not back down. An establishment of authority. This was also seen in their uniforms. Compare the prim and proper uniform of the Japanese to the simplistic uniform of the British. The upper hand was obvious.
An exquisite replica of the real event. The people, documents and pens used were carefully replicated here. Now, the British uniform looked good. Different pens were used for each of the surrender document for the different countries in Southeast Asia.
It was a happy ending for Singapore, but nevertheless a heavy heart when we left the surrender chambers. The atrocities our forefathers went through.
Fun fact for Singaporeans old enough to know monorail: The surrender chambers used to be a monorail station.
Pricing: Admission into Fort Siloso is FREE.
Hours: 10am – 6pm daily (last entry 5.30pm)
For a more detailed historical account of Singapore and Fort Siloso, there’s a 90-minute walking tour around the fort’s preserved remains which ends with a visit to the Surrender Chambers. The tour guide will also provide you with ice cold water during the tour and cold ginger beer at the end of the tour. A refreshing drink after a long walk under the hot sweltering sun!
Pricing:
| Standard | $20/Adult $14/Child (Age 7-12 years old) |
| Local Resident Rates* | $15/Adult $10/Child (Age 7-12 years old) |
Tour Timings: 11.30am to 1pm, 1.30pm to 3pm, 2pm to 3.30pm, 4pm to 5.30pm
Maximum group size of 20 guests for each tour.
www.sentosa.com.sg/explore/attractions/fort-siloso
Pricing:
| Standard | $6 /Adult $4.50 / Senior Citizen, Child |
| Local Resident Rates* | $5 /Adult $3.50 / Senior Citizen, Child |
Senior Citizen aged 60 and above
Child aged 3 – 12 years old
*Singapore citizens, PR, holders of employment passes, work permits or dependent passes.
Sentosa Bus 1 and 2 and beach tram will reach the Fort Siloso ticketing office. From there, go on to the skywalk or forest trail to the Fort.
Update (6 June 2016): Underwater World Singapore will be closing on 26 June 2016. Sentosa RWS S.E.A. Aquarium is one of the two sea aquariums in Sentosa Singapore. The other one is UnderWater World. UnderWater World has been in Sentosa for the longest time. Mr …
Itinerary Overview Click through each link for my review about it. Accommodation: Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) Hotel Michael Activities: RWS SEA aquarium Fort Siloso and Sky Walk Cable Car at Sentosa, Singapore Meals: Dinner: Coastes Lunch and Dinner: Malaysian Street Food @ RWS Travels during October …