We ate grilled food from all over the world at Sentosa GrillFest 2023

Like many Singaporeans, I have fond memories of barbecue parties by the beach or at a friend’s condo as a teenager.

While it was the company that made these barbecue parties fun, the food wasn’t as great.

I’m not saying that grilled food is terrible but it was mainly chicken wings and hotdogs – edible but not memorable.

So when my colleague asked if I wanted to go for a grill festival at Sentosa, I replied, “Yeah, why not”.

Colleagues may not be the best company for a beachfront food festival (Garey, if you’re reading this, I’m kidding… I really am…) but at least the food is bound to be good.

Sentosa GrillFest at Siloso Beach

If you don’t know what that is, Sentosa GrillFest is Singapore’s biggest beachfront food festival, offering a wide variety of grilled food options.

As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of the sun, I was relieved to know that the festival starts only when the sun is about to set from 5pm till 10pm.

As the beach is very breezy, I’d recommend hair ties to keep your hair away from your face.

Over 30 F&B vendors

This year, there will be three different zones with over 30 F&B establishments:

• Fan Favourites
• Grill by the Beach
• International Delights

A new addition to this year’s GrillFest is the International Delights zone, where beachgoers can try grilled food from different parts of the world including Egypt, South Africa and more.

There will be lots of grilling, so be prepared to come out smelling like smoke and food.

I'd recommend bringing an extra set of clothes or deodorising sprays to remove odour.

While we were spoiled for choice with a wide variety of options, these were the top three things we enjoyed the most from Sentosa GrillFest.

Unagi Kabayaki Skewers by Wild Tide

We tried Wild Tide’s unagi kabayaki with ikura (S$13 for two pieces) which is grilled eel slathered in sauce and topped with plump salmon roe.

While I don’t usually enjoy unagi, I found this delectable because it had little to no fishy taste and the addition of the ikura made it a flavour bomb.

My unagi-loving colleague, Garey, said the skewers would taste much better if he could eat them with rice.

If you’re feeling a little fancy, there’s also the unagi kabayaki with uni (S$19 for two pieces), which comes with a dollop of fresh sea urchin.

Texas Style Beef Rib Taco by Jett Barbecue

If you’ve heard rave reviews about Jett Barbecue, an American barbecue joint started by Singaporean barbecue enthusiast Chua Jett Yong, we're happy to affirm that these reviews are right.

The beef ribs in the Texas Style Beef Rib Taco (S$19) melted effortlessly in our mouths.

While Texas barbecue tends to be surfeiting, the slaw in the tacos helped to give it a refreshing balance.

The cherry on top of this entire gastronomic experience was the buttery yet light mashed potatoes, which made us feel like we had ascended to barbecue heaven.

Mix Hawawshi by Huras

I’ve never tried Egyptian food before but Huras’s mix hawawshi (S$20) has set the bar high.

The serving comes with three slices of hawawshi, a pita stuffed generously with stretchy mozzarella cheese, as well as well-seasoned minced lamb and beef.

Just take a look at the cheese pull:

One slice of the hawawshi was enough to fill me up, so I’d recommend sharing a serving with at least one other person.

Gelato by Tutto Gelato Cocktails

It’s not a day at the beach if there’s no ice cream. Or in this case, gelato.

Tutto has an extensive selection of gelato at the Sentosa GrillFest including crowd favourites like strawberry fields (S$8) and seasonal flavours like extra virgin olive oil (S$9).

We concluded that there was no better way to end our day at Sentosa GrillFest than with a tart and sweet scoop of Alphonso mango passionfruit (S$8).

You can see the other great things we tried here:

@mothership.nova Sentosa GrillFest 📍: Siloso Beachfront 📅: Till Jul. 30, 2023 ⏰: Fridays to Sundays, 5pm to 10pm #fyp #sgtiktok #food #sentosa #thingstodosg ♬ Starships - Nicki Minaj

Chill vibes

While the food was great, the chill vibes all around made the festival more enjoyable.

For the full festival experience, I’d suggest having your meal while sitting on the sand and hearing the waves crash.

But if that’s not your thing, there are many seats all around the beach for you to have a satisfying meal.

Sentosa GrillFest

When: Now till Jul. 30, every Friday to Sunday from 5pm to 10pm

Where: Siloso Beach

This sponsored article by Sentosa is making the writer crave grilled food again.

Top image by Fasiha Nazren