Sentosa celebrates its 40th Anniversary with a spanking BBQ by the Beach extravaganza, featuring various BBQ techniques such as the regular barbeque grill, vertical grill and the traditional Hawaiian underground oven that is known as the ‘imu’.
The open-air environment with unobstructed views of the sea is accompanied by cool sea breeze and therapeutic sounds of waves breaking on the shore.
As night falls, it gets utterly romantic. Catch the spectacular sunset and bask in the moonlight whilst dining with your loved ones.
On to the food….
Pepes & Ancient Imu Style BBQ
Pepes & Ancient Imu Style BBQ offers seafood cooked in an underground oven; it is something that not many of us have witnessed before. It was definitely an eye-opener.
Popularised by the Hawaiian luau, the history of pit barbecues dates back to over 200 years ago.
The set-up is impressive. What about the food?
Pepes Ikan Jawa ($10)
Fillet of seabass with Javanese sambal
Fish lovers, this one is for you. The delicious Javanese sambal sauce made this dish an instant hit; the spice level is just right. For a refreshing finish, give it a modest squeeze of lime.
We tried an assortment of seafood, of prawns, squid, mussels and shellfish –done imu-style. Flavours are well sealed within the parcel.
To order individual portions, the Pepes Half Shell Mussels ($5) – cooked in a beer, garlic and Chinese parsley sauce – is a personal favourite.
COASTES
For this event, Coastes is presenting three engrossing seafood dishes.
Marinated Grilled Cod’s Tongue ($16)
For those with an adventurous palate, the Marinated Grilled Cod’s Tongue is a must-try. It is a common Norwegian delicacy, though still a tad exotic for our locals’ tastes buds.
Served with Jalapeño and tomato salsa, the “tongue” (it not literally a cod’s tongue, but a small muscle taken from the neck of the fish) is succulent and juicy; it is surprisingly one of the highlights for me.
COASTES –Salt-wrapped Parcels
This station emits the most heat; it is accompanied by dancing flames and a deft hand working the grill.
Seafood is wrapped in a heavily salted dough before placing in the open flame.
Crusted Lemon Sole ($20)
Lemon Sole is a common flatfish from the European coasts. Kissed by an ingratiating sauce, the medley of Fennel, capers, dill and lemon work harmoniously to complement the fish.
Vertical Grill
Whole Prawns Cooked on Vertical Grill ($5/200g)
Squid Cooked on Vertical Grill ($5/150g)
Its flamboyant façade fascinates me, but I’m not a huge fan of prawn and squid, so I gave this section a miss.
There is a huge variety of sauces to choose from though: Pepper Sauce, Sambal, BBQ Sauce, Tabasco, Chilli Sauce, Tomato Ketchup, Bjorn Mustard, A1 and HP.
Azzura
Azzura Beach Club’s booth is another that left an impression –a good one.
BBQ Beef Skewers ($10 for 4 sticks)
Jerk marinated beef cubes skewered with honey cherry tomatoes and char-grilled
I won’t hesitate spitting out meats that are too tough to chew. Azzura’s BBQ Beef Skewers are done to my liking –moist and tender. LOVE the sauce.
BBQ Mango Butter Crayfish ($12)
Barbecued Crayfish with Creamy Mango Butter Cream
The BBQ Mango Butter Crayfish is my favourite dish of the evening. I’m not a fan of seafood but I’m won over. The crayfish is fresh and grilled to a succulent finish; the mango butter sauce is out-of-this-world.
Highly recommended.
Amara Sanctuary
Amara Sanctuary didn’t disappoint either.
Crispy Baby Squid ($12)
Barbequed Baby Squids with Sesame Sauce
The Crispy Baby Squid is highly addictive! It is grilled to a crisp, without that chewiness usually associated with squid (that I abhor). I can munch on these endlessly.
Bonito Infused Cod Fish ($18)
The Bonito Infused Cod Fish received the most raves across the table. It is perched on fragrant garlic fried rice, and topped with sautéed mushroom. The fish is subtly flavoured with sweet-savoury notes that remind me of a teriyaki glaze.
Highly recommended.
Hot Charcoal BBQ Grill
Carnivores, this station is for you.
Carlsberg Beer Pork Sausages ($10) and Marker’s Mark Bourbon Beef Rib ($10)
The Carlsberg Beer Pork Sausages are juicy and succulent. I ordered a second serving! The accompanying caramelised onion beer sauce should be given more credit for its intense flavour and aroma.
Marker’s Mark Bourbon Beef Rib in BBQ sauce is another highlight. Ribs are laced with Bourbon and grilled to tender perfection.
Healthy Salad
If there’s too much seafood and meat going on, there are salads you can order:
Mixed Green Salad ($5)
Boiled Eggs Salad with Whole Grain Mustard ($5)
German Potatoes Salad ($5)
I love potatoes! I ordered the German Potatoes Salad to accompany my meats, but it would be nice to have mashed potatoes somewhere.
It was a night of good food, good music and great company. Thanks omy.sg and Sentosa for the invite.
Check out Sentosa’s website for their list of events: http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/whats-on/events/current-events/
Sentosa BBQ by the Beach
13 – 22 July 2012
6pm – 12mn (Last order at 10.30pm)
Siloso Beach (Between COASTES and Azzura Beach Club)
$29.90++*
(includes $30 worth of vouchers redeemable for food and drinks)
Tickets available at:
- Call
- Email
- Sentosa Ticketing Counters