2015 Vacation Day 2 - Singapore

First thing we did when we woke up was to go to the nearby FairPrice grocery store and buy milk and bottled water. I know that tap water in Singapore is potable, but you can never be too safe with kids. Agenda for the day is lunch at Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora. The restaurant is actually located inside the S.E.A. Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa, previously the world's largest aquarium. One side of the restaurant looks out to Open Ocean habitat - guaranteed to be a stunning view of the marine vista. I've personally never heard of Cat Cora before, but she's supposedly the first female Iron Chef (America) in Singapore.


Getting to the restaurant took us longer than we thought. Got to the Ang Mo Kio MRT station via AMK Hub. Got off at Harbourfront VivoCity and joined the long queue of people buying tickets to Sentosa. Good thing we asked because as long as you already have an EZ-Link card with at least SG$4, you can simply get on the Sentosa Express light rail. Then again, that's another looong wait. And as far as we can tell, there's no queue in place, so everyone was just milling around the entry gates. Got a pram? Well, that's just too bad because people definitely will cut into your space.


So we get to Resorts World Sentosa with no idea where the aquarium is and where the restaurant is. Turns out the only access is through the Hard Rock Hotel, down the basement parking, across to the West Zone car park, where the Equarius Hotel is. I guess that's how the restaurant maintains its exclusivity. We made reservations weeks ago, and I'm sure this is all written down somewhere in some confirmation email, but we failed to take notice. Lesson learned.

Got to the restaurant half an hour late, but it's no big deal, as it's mostly empty even at 12 noon. First thing you notice is this floor-to-ceiling transparent window that looks out to the aquarium. The water casts a blue tint across the whole restaurant. With stingrays and sharks and schools of fish swimming by, the view is pretty impressive and calming.

Food is very expensive. Starters at SG$20. Mains at SG$30. Desserts at SG$18. Minimum spend of SG$38 per person. Kid's meals for SG$22. For me, it's cauliflower soup, Kurobuta pork belly, and chocolate delights. Portions are small, but presented nicely and tastes pretty good. It's definitely an experience to try. If you're after value for money, better go somewhere else.

After lunch, we took the free shuttle bus from Equarius Hotel and ended back at Hard Rock. Came out of Festive Hotel, and took some photos at the Lake of Dreams fountain. Would've liked to explore the rest of Sentosa, but it was just too hot. Hopped in Candylicious to cool off a bit, then took the MRT straight home.