If you enjoy eating crab, then a trip to Singapore means you have to try either their chili crab or black pepper crab! We tried both in Malaysia last time, but this time S and I decided to just go on our own for lunch. It is said that the Black Pepper Crab dish was first created by the chef of Long Beach Seafood and therefore, the restaurant is known for this signature dish. We decided to take the bus to the King location and it wasn’t hard to find.
We enjoyed a sleeve of Tiger Beer which is Singapore’s official beer. Cold and refreshing!
We also shared a plate of Pea Shoots to get some veggies intake. The veggies were fresh and flavoured with a nice garlic broth.
The crabs are ordered by the kg and they serve mud crabs here. I believe ours was under 2 kg which honestly isn’t too much shared between two if you’re only eating this. In fact, the mud crabs aer quite small compared to the BC Dungeness crabs we have in Vancouver. Only the claws are big. We decided to go with the Black Pepper Crab and it was full of pepper flavour. S actually found it a bit too spicy but for me it was just right. It would be delicious paired with a bowl of rice! I can’t quite remember how much the crab was per kg, but our whole meal came to over $100 SGD. So definitely not cheap, but the ambiance in the restaurant is also pretty nice. Be warned that they will place peanuts on the table which cost $2 SGD and towelettes are $1 SGD. You better check your receipt to ensure you don’t pay more. A great spot to try chili or black pepper crab regardless!
After lunch, we headed to Sentosa. You can choose to take the monorail, cable car, or walk. At VivoCity, you can purchase tickets for the monorail which gives you a round trip journey and unlimited use of the Sentosa Express around the island for the day if you purchase the Sentosa Pass. However, as the weather wasn’t too hot that day, we decided to try walking to Sentosa from VivoCity on the Sentosa Boardwalk. It actually only takes around 15 minutes if you walk leisurely, and there are gardens along the way and also covered up top in case of rain. If you walk quickly, it’s probably only 5 minutes. I actually quite enjoyed this option as we got to enjoy some scenic views along the way.
Finally, we arrived at the resort. As we had been here last time we visited Singapore and had purchased a fun pass, we had already done many of the activities on the island. You can check out my post from my visit two years ago if you’re interested in the activities on the island. This time around, we targeted some new activities.
We decided to check out Madame Tussauds this time around. The wax museum featured famous legends from both North America and Asia. Before we even started the wax museum, we were able to take the Spirit of Singapore boat ride which takes you around Singapore in a boat. Sort of like a kiddie ride at the amusement park, but it was actually quite well made with all the famous sights being showcased. Tickets are normally around $40 SGD if you purchase at the venue, with around a $10 SGD discount if you purchase online. However, if you purchase through KLOOK, it only costs $20 SGD. Savings are quite good and the ticket also includes Images of Singapore LIVE, a 30 minute live actor-led show. If you pay another $3.50 SGD on KLOOK, you can also visit the new Marvel 4D Cinema which wasn’t open yet when we visited.
You’ll find famous politicians like Obama!
Sports players like Yao Ming!
And of course the famous Bruce Lee!
When we were exiting the wax museum section, we also noticed there is a Virtual Reality Racing experience. Here, you can pay an additional fee to race in one of two full sized virtual reality car simulators. You can choose to be on Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel’s team. S could not miss the opportunity to sit in one of these cars, so of course he paid for the experience. I believe it was roughly $20 SGD or so, and he said it was well worth the price.
As our ticket included Images of Singapore LIVE, we decided to check it out as well. The show is only 30 minutes and we were actually able to learn a bit about the history of how Singapore came about. There are live actors who will take you back in the day while you walk around their staged sets. Unfortunately no pictures allowed though. If you have some time to spare, then it’s worth checking out after the wax museum.
After an afternoon at Madam Tussauds, we headed towards the beach area. Looking for a quick snack, I suggested we see what special menu items were available at McDonalds. We found Sweet Corn Soft Serve, so had to give it a try. The flavours were interesting but I personally wouldn’t get it again. The soft serve itself was creamy and smooth like their typical vanilla cone but with a subtle corn flavour.
We decided to end our trip at Sentosa by checking out the beach. There are a few beaches on the island, but we wandered to Tanjong Beach which has the least activities. It’s nice and quiet and the perfect place to unwind after a long day. We were able to catch the sunset here as well.
After Sentosa, I had made plans to meet my exchange friends for dinner. They decided to take me to Kok Sen Restaurant 國成球記菜社 which has been listed on the Michelin Bib Gourmand. The restaurant therefore has become very busy and you’ll be expected to wait for a seat. The restaurant is not fancy inside as you’ll be sitting on stools without air conditioning. However, the food is delicious! We started with the Romaine Lettuce Stir Fried with Fermented Beancurd. It was slightly spicy but not overbearing.
Cereal Butter Squid
Next up was the Cereal Butter Squid which was probably my favourite dish of the night. There are plenty of squid buried underneath the mountain of crunchy crushed cereal. This was the perfect dish to pair with rice!
Sliced Fish Soup
The Sliced Fish Soup came in a clear broth with deboned sliced fish, choy sum, and mushrooms. The broth was flavourful despite being very clear.
Hot Plate Tofu
I believe the Claypot Yong Tau Foo is famous at Kok Sen, but I don’t remember if it was sold out or why we didn’t order it. Anyways, we ended up with the Hot Plate Tofu which had plenty of tofu, shrimp and vegetables in a thick savoury sauce.
Yang Zhou Fried Rice
Lastly, we had the Yang Zhou Fried Rice which had shrimp, barbecue pork and egg. Flavourful dish but nothing too special. Overall, the food at Kok Sen was pretty good and all dishes we tried didn’t disappoint. Just be prepared to wait if you don’t have reservations! I believe the restaurant has been around for 3 generations now, so the locals must love it!
Kok Sen is located on Keong Saik Rd, and there are actually many bars around this area. We decided to go for drinks with my friends after dinner. Remember, drinks are not cheap in Singapore though so be warned that you’ll be ready to dish out around $20 for a cocktail. We ended up going to Potato Head which has a rooftop bar. Luckily in the evenings, the heat dies down a bit, but it’s definitely still quite warm for us! We ended up enjoying some delicious cocktails and called it a night!
Every Day is a Food Day 