Raise your hands if you would love an evening by the beach filled with mouthwatering eats, refreshing drinks and a killer vibe. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t? Nothing like unwinding after a long day with food, drinks and friends. Well, look no further than Sentosa Grillfest 2024, back for its seventh edition by Siloso Beachfront!
What’s your favourite type of food? Perhaps it’s an impeccably cooked platter of beef, a succulent lobster drizzled with a hearty gravy or maybe it’s as simple as an ice-cold can of beer. Whatever it is, Sentosa Grillfest has it!
With 33 participating vendors dishing out all kinds of food, you will not get bored of what you’re eating. Sweet or savoury, spicy or hearty, coat your tastebuds with an explosion of flavours. So skip lunch and start walking as you follow me to explore all the different offerings this year’s Sentosa Grillfest has lined up for you!
Treat Yourself To A Delicious Night
With so many stalls, how could anyone possibly choose? While I wasn’t able to taste all the grilled delicacies offered, here’s the verdict on the ones I tried. Set aside your diets and ready your stomachs, readers, for your mouth will water at the end of it all!
Smoked Duo Beef Platter & Smoked Beef Loaded Tater Tots
Dive straight into some of the best-tasting beef my tastebuds have ever been greeted by! To say that these were grilled to perfection would be an understatement. Painstakingly prepared for hours, Jett Barbecue is worth every cent and calorie. Usually only available for delivery, watch the young owner and chef in action as he makes his return to Grillfest 2024 and readies these mouthwatering beef cuts in 800-gallon custom-built offset smokers!
The Smoked Duo Beef Platter features 150g of fall-of-the-bone beef ribs,150g of melt-in-your-mouth beef cheeks, smooth and buttery mashed potatoes complemented by a sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce. Now, I am not kidding when I say, the first bite had me covering my mouth in shock. Slow-cooked and tender, the beef cheeks were an immaculate reddish-pink hue, permeating the air with a spellbinding aroma. Alongside it was the famous beef ribs, flawlessly brown and impossibly soft.
While the beef was already mindblowing on its own, dipping it with the homemade sauce brought it to a whole new level. When the savour of the meticulously cooked meat met the fresh, gentle tang of the barbeque sauce, it felt like a literal firework of flavour was going off in my mouth. No kidding, I was polishing off the sauce with the slices of beef!
On another plate were tater tots piled high, coated with mayo and cheese and topped with sprinkles of smoked beef. Tater tots on their own already can’t go wrong. Combined with the irresistible pieces of beef, this dish just got tastier. Great for sharing, grab these and go for a walk around the perimeter of the Grillfest. They are ideal for snacking as you watch the theatrics of the different stalls!
Grilled Boston Lobster
Let’s switch up the mains and check out some seafood, shall we? Smoking and served by Monger in little containers are Grilled Boston Lobsters glistening a vibrant red, with a side of thick-cut fries and a lemon slice. On one, a thick lobster bisque lays on a bed of succulent white flesh while the other sees a subtle yet unmissable garlic butter infused with the sweet lobster meat.
The umami of the lobster bisque contrasted with the slight sweetness of the lobster, creating a wave of complexity in your mouth. On the other hand, the garlic butter took the lobster flesh and elevated its aroma, taking the one-note taste and adding a touch of spice. Feel like taking it up another notch? Squeeze the lemon provided onto the lobster – words will not be enough to describe how a dish like this could be even better.
Listen, all my friends can attest to this: I don’t like lobster. I just never found it worth it. But I genuinely enjoyed the smooth and easy-to-eat profile of the Grilled Boston Lobsters. Many of the stores created spectacular meats that were rich and decadent, making it overwhelming and hard to keep down after more than a few bites. However, this? This I could keep eating the whole night.
Mochi Croffle & Honey Milk Tea
At this point, I was already craving something sweet. Luckily, we were seated right by the Dessert Hut in the Emerald Pavilion. This zone addition was truly a life-saver from the heavy platters. I reached for SOHTT’s Mochi Croffles and a classic Honey Milk Tea to wash it all down.
With a pretty decent selection of choices, we got the Milo Dino and S’mores flavoured croffles. Presented to us was a croffle dusted with milo powder and a splash of condensed milk while the other had a caramel sauce, topped with a toasted marshmallow and sprinkled with Biscoff bits. To me, croffles are pretty underwhelming on their own. While they taste fine, I’m not gonna be forking out S$13 for a set of three. With this mentality, I bit into the croffles that were fresh off the pan…
My teeth sank into a soft milo-powder-coated surface as saccharine condensed milk oozed from the sides. Enveloped within the croissant dough was a pocket chock full of soft, warm mochi with a hint of sweetness. Pulling away from the bite I took, strands of sticky, chewy mochi stretched and snapped. These croffles were not overwhelmingly sweet, providing the flawless switch-up in taste and texture that came with the umami of meat before. So… scratch everything I said about croffles previously as I did indeed go back and get a set of three.
Alongside these croffles, I ordered a cup of Honey Milk Tea. After all, it’s always time for a cold cup of boba. While it was nothing outstanding, it was pretty soothing to have a drink that I knew I would like no matter what. Completely washing away the taste of meat (alongside the sickly feeling of too much savoury food), the drink swooped in and saved the day, allowing me to continue eating.
Lychee Martini Slushy
Finally, what’s a night by the beach without a little booze? Whether it’s beer, soju or something else you’re reaching for, letting loose always feels good. Well, perhaps the gods have heard us, for opposite Dessert Hut is Brew Island. While I do like a drink as simple as soju, I was craving something different for the night. Enter Clumzy Plumzy x Sigcoco.
Known for their exquisite cocktails, enjoy a refreshing twist on a classic cocktail in the Lychee Martini Slushy. When I was ordering the drink, I did not expect the staff to fill the cup from one of those dispensers you would see at the drinks stall. However, don’t let that deter you for this adorable slushy is as invigorating as it looks!
A light baby pink drink topped with a lychee as well as a couple of beads of sugar – seems harmless right? Well, my first sip surprised me as I wasn’t expecting to taste the alcohol at the forefront before mellowing out to a soda-esque mouthfeel. The Lychee Martini was one of the first cocktails I’ve ever tried and this slushy version is truly splendid for a beachside beverage
Sentosa Grillfest 2024
What could make this gastronomic experience even better? Some entertainment, of course! A range of local artists perform right at the main stage. Situated by Brew Island and Dessert Hut, indulge in a drink or two as you switch up the savoury for the sugar and listen to the fire vocals and music.
A little ways down from the Main Stage is the Groove Hub. As the name suggests, you can groove to beats all night long as DJs spin out unique and energetic mixes. Finally, the beachfront presents the Show Arena, where you can catch several fire performances (pun intended). Watch as these performers spin and throw flames like an extension of their bodies – taking the notion of playing with fire literally.
While the night did proceed beautifully, I did have some gripes about the organisation of the stalls. The placement of the stalls put certain vendors at a disadvantage. Since most visitors are heading to the area from the monorail, some of the stalls toward the back would be easily missed. In fact, if I hadn’t made a point to explore all of the stalls, I would have never noticed the stalls hanging at the edge of the other end of Grillfest.
Some stalls also seemed out of place with the theme. While grilled seafood and meats made sense, it was kinda confusing to see a vendor selling Indomie. In fact, a portion of the stalls were reminiscent of pasar malam stalls which broke the whole concept of the festival revolving around grilled delights.
Well, enough about what I saw, it’s time to head down and check it out yourself! Wanna know what other mouthwatering eats Sentosa Grillfest 2024 has to offer? Check out their official website for the full deets as well as the dishes that you have to try. Have a grilliant time!
🗓️Date:
- 29 November to 1 December 2024
- 6 December to 8 December 2024
📍Location: Siloso Beachfront
⏰Time: 5pm to 10pm
Photos by Izzah Ilyana of the DANAMIC Team. Additional visuals courtesy of Sentosa Singapore
