Food Review: Majestic Bay Restaurant at Gardens By The Bay

I'm so glad to end my food reviews of 2012 with this one. The one at Majestic Bay Restaurant at Gardens by the Bay. Why? Because the food was great, the place was excellent and the company was jovial and I've got great pictures to share with you guys. What more can one ask for?

It was a weekday evening when I searched my way to the restaurant, which is located near the ticketing counters to the 2 Domes. Take the escalator down and you will see it.

I love the decor and the Tiffany blue coloured seats. It was apparently inspired by a nautical theme which is why you see round mirrors on the side.

Totally do not look like a Chinese restaurant, except for the round tables.




There was also a selection of live seafood at the entrance of the place - which gave the entrance a slightly fishy smell, but hey at least you know what you order will be fresh!


We were also introduced to some exotic variety of fishes - including fruit eating river fish that costs a bomb because their flesh is so sweet!


Now on to the food shall we? Here's the menu of the day. We had some spicy wasabi chips as appetizer.


For our first dish, it's some dim sum to start. Note that it is only available during lunch time, but they made an exception for us to try it during dinner time!

The siew mai dumplings ($4.50 for 4 pcs) was very fresh - and the prawn was really crunchy! I really liked it because it helped me satisfy a dim sum craving I've been having that week!


Next was the seared chili crab meat bun ($4.50 for 3 pcs). Did you see me write chili crab? Because I can't believe my eyes when I first saw it too. How convenient! The chili crab bun is seared so it is golden crisp outside but fluffy white inside. The chili crab sauce was delicious, though I wished there was more stuffing!

Last of the dim set set was the pork xiao long baos ($4.20 for 3 pcs). It is comparable to the Din Tai Fung or Crystal Jade variety. The skin was moderately thin, and contained a fair amount of meaty soup.


Then we had some soup! It is the claypot slow fire soup ($18 for 2-4 pax, $27 for 5-8 pax) which contained a chock load of ingredients in a claypot. There are 3 types of carrots in there! Plus corn and ribs. I must say, even though there are so many ingredients, and the soup looked a rich thick yellow, the taste itself was very light. So I was quite puzzled by the visuals which do not match what my tastebuds told me. 



We had some steamed live prawns that is slathered in minced garlic next. I like that it's really easy to remove from the shell, but I thought the prawns could have been fatter/juicier. But really I'm being finicky. The garlic made it really delectable, so if you are a garlic + prawn fan, go for it!



Next up, a 1.5kg Sri Lankan live crab cooked in Bay’s signature “Kopi” sauce (Market price). There was some coffee beans (3 types) on it, and a white wine sauce which was lit up, filling the restaurant with the tantalizing aroma of coffee and liquor. It was a really grand presentation - imagine bringing some important VIPs here, they will be as impressed!

The taste of the kopi crab was unforgettable. It was the chef's own creation and it worked. The sticky caramelized coffee and apple jam flavoured the sweet meat of the crab. Just be warned - your fingers will smell of coffee even after 1 day!

Another crab chases after the showy kopi crab - the classic staple of every good Singaporean seafood meal - the iconic Chili Crab! A Majestic Bay signature dish, the chili crab was done well. The sauce was more tomato-based and sweet, while retaining the kick of chili. Dip some home baked buns into the sauce, and savour the richness of the crab. I had a massive claw from this dish, and that's my favorite - to bite into a huge chunk of crab at a go.

Here's me with the table full of food. Can you see the gigantic pan of baked rice there?

And here is my favorite dish of the night (other bloggers concur). The Seafood Baked Rice with chef’s recipe sauce ($68 for 4-6 pax, $88 for 7-12 pax). It is $68 bucks for that! But if you divide it by 6 (it's really huge), it becomes $11.33 each. It is worth every single cent, because wow, it is just incredible.

The special sauce is in fact a mix of curry and cheese. Which goes so well with the seafood that is fresh and generous. I never expected it to taste so good, to be honest. Since most baked rice are just.. well a bit too bland and overwhelming after a while. So I was pleasantly surprised. I would recommend that you check this out if you have a baked rice craving!

Finally for desserts - at this point we were all rather stuffed, if you can imagine - the Sweet’s Temptation Set ($20 for 4 pax). I really enjoyed the dessert set because its so quintessentially Chinese, yet so delightful!

From left to right: Bay’s Chinese Pancake with Red Bean Paste. It was very light compared to the usual red bean pancake. Not too oily, and the pastry was flaky! It also had a sprinkling of green tea powder which goes very well with the red bean paste inside. 

Next, the Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun. Or more famously known as the Liu Sha Bao. Well it was as good as one would imagine runny salted egg yolk that bursts into your mouth as you bite into the incredibly soft steam bun.

Followed by the Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Yam Paste Stuffing and Shredded Coconut which was all starch and sugar, but in a good way. 

And lastly, the dark horse on that plate - the Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Fresh Cream Stuffing. My eyes widened as I bit into the mochi. It was. so. soft. I can't have enough words to describe how soft it was. And the fresh cream....! It was creamy, light and fresh. Ha, I know, what a bad description but really you've got to try it!

If the introduction to the post did not give it away already, this place is good. Prices-wise I suspect it might get to quite a hefty amount if you order the live stuff, but at least you know the standard is guaranteed. And for the amazing location, it is worth it at least during special occasions. 
Bring the older folks here - and after dinner everyone can take a lovely stroll around the Gardens too. Perfect!


Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant
Flower Dome, #01-10 Gardens by the Bay
18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
+65 66046604
Lunch: 11.45am-2.30pm (Mon-Fri), 11.30am-2.30pm (Sat, Sun & PH)
Dinner: 5.45pm-9.30pm (Daily)


1 comment
  1. omg! i've had my share of chinese cuisine but THAT looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete