Fancy a meal with a side of NDP fireworks? Here are the restaurants to hit up
The annual National Day Parade means fireworks that light up the Singapore skyline. Here are eight restaurants to make a meal of it with family and friends.
If you ask us, fireworks are best enjoyed as part of a dinner experience or a fun night out on the town. It is, after all, a less-than-five-minute presentation. So, if you’re going to brave traffic and the crowds to get to the Civic District or Marina Bay where the NDP2019 action is happening, you might as well make an event out of it. Here are our top picks of establishments with a great view of the fireworks and some special deals to go along with it.
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FORLINO
Hidden away on the second floor of One Fullerton, Forlino is a romantic bolthole that comes to life as the sparklers get underway outside. The six-course National Day Degustation Menu (S$208 per person for seats by the floor-to-ceiling windows; S$180 per person with non-window seats) features elegant Italian dishes filtered through a Singaporean lens. These include a Sicilian red prawn and coconut soup with green zucchini noodles; otak otak comprising blue eye cod fish cake, squid ink polenta and prawn floss; and stingray wrapped in banana leaves with a red salsa, capers and calamansi extra virgin olive oil. Naturally, there’s a chendol offering in the mix – in this case, interpreted as coconut mousse with a sweet chestnut heart, blonde chocolate ganache, and pandan coulis.
LAVO ITALIAN RESTAURANT & ROOFTOP BAR
Live it up at the ultimate rooftop bar set at the pinnacle of Marina Bay Sands. Gaze at the fireworks from 57 floors up, perhaps with a Singa-star cocktail (S$25) in hand. This special edition drink, created to celebrate Singapore’s 54 years of independence, is made with Monkey 47 gin, Cinzano Bianco vermouth, blueberry merlot tea infused with grapefruit, watermelon and mint syrups, pink grapefruit juice and soda water.
marinabaysands.com/restaurants/lavo.html
L’ENTRECOTE CUSTOMS HOUSE
Kick back at L’Entrecote’s al fresco waterfront bar at sundown with a free flow of food and drinks for S$128 per person. The gustatory spread will include beef tartare toasts, deep-fried frog legs with garlic aioli, and escargot with garlic and parsley butter tarte flambee. Wash it down with the likes of draught Stella Artois, cocktails, and French red and white wines.
Inside the restaurant, which offers air-conditioned comfort and a lovely view through its floor-to-ceiling windows, nosh on the three-course National Day Menu (S$80 per person), which includes a main course of trimmed entrecote steak blanketed in the “Legendary L’Entrecote Sauce”, accompanied by a joy-inducing mound of skinny French fries.
MR STORK
For a S$25 entry fee every Saturday until Aug 9, Mr Stork – Andaz Singapore’s popular 39th-storey rooftop bar – will provide one house-pour beverage, a stellar view of the fireworks, and live performances by local musicians Ryan Sufiyan and The Lost Hat. On National Day itself, partygoers can buy limited VIP standing table packages priced at S$500 for a maximum of 10 guests. This gets you a snack platter of locally-inspired bar bites like chicken rice risotto balls, salted egg calamari, and chilli crab kueh pie tee, along with a choice of two 750ml bottles of house spirits, four bottles of house wines, or two bottles of Delamotte Magnum champagne.
hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/singapore/andaz-singapore/sinaz/news-events
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PS CAFE ONE FULLERTON
Camp out at the Bar at PS Cafe One Fullerton at sunset and you should be happily inebriated by the time the fireworks kick off. There are delicious cocktails like the White Bouquet Sangria and the Espresso Negroni, which you can nurse while you munch on the likes of truffle shoestring fries and chargrilled chunky prawn sandwiches. Alternatively, book the 10-seater Captain’s Room that asks for a minimum spend of S$600 and opt for a standard three-course menu at S$68 per head.
pscafe.com/pscafe-one-fullerton
THE PELICAN
Tucked away along the ground floor of One Fullerton, The Pelican’s al fresco dining area is a great option for taking in the fireworks by the waterfront. Its four-course National Day Dinner menu (S$98 per person) comprises dishes imbued with a Singapore twist, of course. Think a laksa fisherman pie and coconut pandan panna cotta for dessert. On National Day, a bucket of five bottles of Lion Brewery goes for S$58, while Sangria Lolea will be priced at S$18 per glass or S$78 per bottle. You could also spring for the Celebration Package (S$388 per table for up to six people) that’ll buy you a bottle each of Roku Gin and 12-year-old Old Pulteney, as well as some truffle fries and chilli calamari to nibble on.
THE SAMPAN
Set across a three-storey shophouse along Boat Quay, The Sampan offers lovely vantage points from its verandas to catch the fireworks. Its four-course National Day menu also presents great value at S$54 per person, with dishes like lemak chilli chicken kueh pie tee, duck satay lilit and lamb shank tulang merah. Available from now until Aug 27.
ZAFFERANO ITALIAN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Zafferano’s Terrace Lounge on the 43rd floor of Ocean Financial Centre offers a good perch from which to enjoy the spectacle. To mark the occasion, the restaurant is serving a four-course National Day Table D’hote menu (S$128) featuring the likes of raw red prawns from Mazara with warm ricotta and tomato confit, spicy tomato linguine with Canadian lobster tail, and lamb loin with roasted eggplant puree. If you prefer to drink in the sight of the fireworks, there is the option of a free flow of sparkling wine, beer and house wines at the outdoor lounge (S$98 if you make a reservation and S$108 for walk-ins) from 7.30pm until 9pm. Come on rehearsal days, when the fireworks are less grand but no less a romantic sight, and the same free-flow offer will cost S$68 per person.
Editor's Note: The story has been updated to reflect changes to L’Entrecote’s menu.
