The Place When I was asked to pick a restaurant to celebrate my birthday this year, I thought about it seriously as I wanted it to be a good meal (duh!). Spago has always been on my radar, so I wasn’t exactly in a dilemma to make that reservation. Located at level 57 of Marina Bay Sands, Spago is the Californian concept of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who also owns Cut steakhouse at Marina Bay Sands. From tower two of the hotel lobby, we were whisked up to level 57 where both the fine dining and bar concepts of Spago are located. I like the short walkway from the blue gate to the restaurant, which houses a few outdoor tables overlooking the famous infinity pool of Marina Bay Sands.

It is always so tempting to book a room here as we walked past the infinity pool of MBS. I don’t think there is any rooftop infinity pool in the world at the moment to rival this skyline view of Singapore.

Modern chic is how I will describe the fine dining interior of Spago. White doors and tablecloths, a gold ceiling and nice natural lighting in the day, there is no reason not to fall in love with the ambience.

The Food We learnt that the original Spago in California has received two stars in The Michelin Guide-Los Angeles edition previously, so naturally our expectations were high. As with most reputable fine dining restaurants, the lunch and dinner menus are vastly different. The lunch menu is quite concise, so it wasn’t that tough to zoom in on what we want to try. The Executive Chef of Spago Singapore is Chef Joshua Brown, who also heads Cut steakhouse.

It’s always nice to start with some warm bread while we wait for our food to be served.

We can’t visit Spago without ordering the classic favourite Big Eye Tuna Tartare Cones ($36). I didn’t expect to save money by coming Spago, but these are no ordinary cones. Made from sesame miso cones, the mini cones were a great start for me, packed with so much flavours such as shaved bonito, scallions and masago. The tinge of spicness was a nice kick for me, all thanks to the chilli Aioli. Divine combination at work here.

The Burrata & Marinated Brussels Sprouts ($29) was another good starter to begin with. Prosciutto Di Parma, Wild Rocket, Toasted Almonds and Grain Mustard-Herb Vinaigrette, it packed all the elements for a good herald ahead.

For mains, I had the Grilled USDA Prime Sirloin ‘Steak Frites’ ($59) done medium-rare, my preference at good restaurants. The US steak was succulent and marinated well per my expectations, which went extremely well with the very addictive Béarnaise sauce. I will recommend having it with and without the sauce intermittently to fully savour the steak. The portion of the fries was way too generous, in a good way. Do not order fries as your sides if you are already planning to order this dish, or else you will be so potato overloaded.

My dining partner had the Grilled Angus Beef Burger ($36) done medium style, which is packed with Aged Cheddar, Onion Marmalade, Smoked Bacon, Chili Aioli and served alongside with French Fries. I had a few mouths of it, and was pleasantly surprised as well. It is hard to come by good beef burgers but this version had the kind of juiciness I like from the beef patty.

For desserts, we went for the Kaiserschmarren Souffle ($36/serves two) upon the strong recommendation of the staff. This Austrian classic and favourite dessert had a very light and fluffy texture, which was good because it didn’t come across as overly cloying. Though it is meant to serve two pax, the serving was huge so leave some space for it. The refreshing strawberry sorbet could only be a compliment to the dessert.

Rants Don’t come to Spago with the intention of saving money, if you get what we mean.

Will I return again? While we enjoyed the food thoroughly, I wouldn’t say Spago was mind-blowingly good. The standards are what we will expect for the price we are paying, so I can round it off by saying the ambience enhanced our  dining experience, more so than the food itself. The starters certainly impressed us more than the mains, so we are already pretty tempted to check out the lounge next, where some of the starters are also available on the menu at the casual lounge. Nevertheless, Spago still counts as one of my top dining spaces in Singapore to celebrate a special occasion, or maybe to impress your date.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Spago
Sands SkyPark, Level 57
Marina Bay Sands (access from hotel lobby at Tower 2)
Tel: +65 6688 9955

Opening hours
Monday to Sunday: 12pm – 2:30pm; 6pm – 10pm (until 11pm on weekends)

Ranted by The Ranter