I love the beach and when you’ve got a day off, it definitely is nice to sit on the beach sipping an ice old drink and eating delicious food while enjoying the view as well as the salty breeze. And that’s exactly what I did at Coastes. Located at Siloso Beach, Sentosa, Coastes is a popular beachfront bar and restaurant, and they have recently refreshed it’s a la carte menu. It now features an expanded selection of hearty mains, nutritious breakfast options, tempting beach bites, juicy burgers and more.

If you’re a regular at Coastes, fret not as they have kept the favourites

The breakfast/brunch menu

As the fam and I were at Sentosa for a staycation, we had our breakfast in the hotel but we were definitely tempted by the breakfast/brunch spread that is available daily from 9am to 3pm. The Power Breakfast Bowl (S$16++), a nutritious blend of fresh strawberries, marinated dragonfruit, toasted rolled oats and pumpkin seeds atop creamy Greek yoghurt is really great if you’ve got a sweet tooth and you want something chilled, especially with our recent scorching weather.

If you want something heartier, then you may want to try the Mushroom Truffle & Poached Egg Muffin (S$16++) or the Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs (S$18++) on dark rye sourdough. If you want to be *ahem* a bit unhealthy, then go for the Spam & Egg Sandwich (S$16++) which comes with a generous portion of lightly-crisped spam with juicy burnt pineapple, sunny-side up egg and fresh arugula on a spread of caramelised onion mayo in between toasted brioche bun.

Hearty mains

From 11am onwards, be tempted by the expanded selection of hearty mains that range from pastas and risottos to juicy burgers, pizzas, sandwiches and more! Brand new on the menu are a variety of Risottos, made with top-quality Acquerello Italian rice that have been infused with all-time favourite flavours such as the Chilli Crab Risotto (S$26++), a twist on the iconic Singaporean dish with chunks of blue crab cooked in a sweet, spicy sauce and topped with crunchy egg floss.

(Left to right) Proscuitto & Arugula Salad and Orange & Thyme Chicken Risotto

The Orange & Thyme Chicken Risotto (S$24++) features aromatic chicken infused with orange and thyme, with charred corn, Grana Padano cheese with a drizzle of vanilla bean oil. We decided to try this out because it sounds something so different from all the other dishes that we’ve ever tried. I was also particularly curious as to whether how savoury this dish could be. We’re familiar with orange chicken but with thyme? So, in our taste test, we were pleasantly surprised that the orange flavour wasn’t very strong. It was more like a subtle citrus perfume with each bite. As such, I quite enjoyed it because it was savoury but lighter than most risottos that tend to taste quite heavy.

Side digression into the salads. We tried out the Proscuitto & Arugula Salad (S$26++) as it was one of the recommended salads and it was really hot that day, so we wanted something cool to eat first. What also piqued my interest was that this salad contains strawberries stewed in aged balsamic. My hubby was slightly apprehensive because he has yet to eat a sweet strawberry and balsamic vinegar is too sour for his liking…so the combination of both sounds like a horror story to him. However, this dish really changed his perception because the aged balsamic really added a different flavour profile to the strawberries. Rather than being very sour, the strawberries were only slightly tart but was still a bit sweet. The fragrance of the strawberries seemed to be enhanced by the balsamic and neither overpowered either. It was a really good addition to the salad. Best way to eat this dish is to have a bite of it all – prosciutto, arugula, strawberry and a bit of cheese.

If you want a vegetarian salad instead, then check out the Coastes Tropical Salad (S$16++) that is a selection of fresh greens with charred corn, semi-dried tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds and purple cabbage with homemade chunky green mango compote. We were told that it is very refreshing and perfect for hot weather days.

If you’re a seafood lover, Coastes has the Tiger Prawn & Bacon Risotto (S$26++) and Chorizo & Baby Scallops Risotto (S$26++). But we didn’t want two rice dishes so we ordered their Seafood Stew (S$40++) which has tiger prawns, chunks of crab meat, black mussels, haddock and baby scallops cooked in a white wine and herb tomato stew that comes with a slight spicy kick. This dish comes under the Chef’s Recommendation and I do recommend it too! The Seafood Stew is really hearty and a great dish to share. It comes with a few slices of bread to soak up all the yumminess of the stew, and if we didn’t already order so much food, I would say that we needed more bread!

If you’re more in the mood for noodles, then check out the pastas. The new choices at Coastes include the Truffle Sausage and Spinach Fettuccine (S$24++), Pork Meatball Spaghetti (S$24++) and Mushroom Aglio Olio (S$22++). We didn’t try any of the pastas because there is only so much food that the two of us could consume.

Speaking of sharing, if you’re at the beach with a bunch of family or friends, then dishes such as the pizzas and sharing platters such as the Cheese ‘n Shroom Pizza (S$30++), Crispy Battered Prawns (S$20++) and of course, the signature Singapore-style prawn paste Coastes Golden Wings (S$20++). We can’t resist chicken wings, especially if they’re meant to taste like har cheong gai and these wings do not fail. Crispy and salty with that distinct prawn paste taste, this goes especially well with a pint or with one of their cocktails. Which we did…but we’ll talk about the drinks later.

Desserts

I like to aim to end my meals on a sweet note and Coastes read my mind with their new desserts such as the Strawberry Lava Cheesecake (S$18++), a creamy and light cheesecake on a caramelised white chocolate base with a surprise of strawberry lava core and delicately adorned with strawberry pearls, and Vanilla & Blackcurrant Panna Cotta (S$16++) featuring basil caviar.

I was enticed by the ‘lava’ in the name because I was wondering how the chef was able to put a strawberry lava core in a delicate cheesecake. How would that work? You can see from my video above. So…I was a touch disappointed that there wasn’t any ‘lava flow’ but I guess what it lacks in terms of presentation, it makes up in taste. The cheesecake itself is in between that of a heavy New York cheesecake and the super light Japanese ones but the heaviness does come from the base. Don’t get me wrong, it tastes great but it was a bit hard to break as it doesn’t crumble easily. Makes a good biscuit but tough to try and have bit of cheesecake and base together on a spoon.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Panna Cotta as we were expecting something a bit heavy and sweet but Coastes’ version was delightfully light and milky. The basil caviar worked really well with the blackcurrant purée to give a nice contrast to the milkiness of the base. Tiny black specks were spotted so that means that they use real vanilla pods to infuse the Panna Cotta!

The cocktails

(Left to right) Frozen Mango Margarita and Frozen Lychee Margarita

With the hot sun out, the frozen cocktails (all at S$18++) screamed out at me so in actual fact, we ordered our drinks even before the food. And…omg…what a delight these were when they came! Besides refreshing us temperature-wise, I liked that I could taste the tequila in the cocktails because many bars nowadays tend to go a bit too easy on the alcohol. That said, the alcohol was more obvious in the lychee-flavoured margarita than the mango. I had to remind myself that there was alcohol in the drinks because we were slurping them a little fast due to the deliciousness and the heat. I do think that this or their Frozen Daiquiri is the perfect drink to have at the beachfront.

Coastes is a nice place to hang out and then pop down to the beach and then return again to some good food and cold drinks. If you get a table on the beach itself, you can imagine that you’ve got a private beach access. But if it is a bit too hot for you, then head on in to the sheltered part of the restaurant where there are several fans as well. Nonetheless, I do think that it’s a good idea to still bring your own mini fan. Tip: put the fan slightly behind your frozen cocktail and have it blow cooler air on your face.

For the full menu offerings at Coastes, do visit their website www.coastes.com/menu.

Coastes
50 Siloso Beach Walk
Singapore 099000

Operating Hours:
Sunday to Thursday: 9am to 9.30pm
Friday and Saturday: 9am to 10.30pm

---

Images: Coastes and In Chef Mode